As a tremendous 2023 season nears a close, the AFL Awards night will been highly anticipated. With plenty of awards to be handed out, the AFL will be sure to put on another memorable event for players and fans alike.
The 2023 AFL Rising Star award is one that has been highly contested throughout the season. This year's draft class has undoubtedly been one of the best in recent history with many youngsters already making a name for themselves.
North Melbourne's Harry Sheezel is seen as the front-runner, however, injured Lion Will Ashcroft, Saint Mitchito Owens and Docker Jye Amiss are close behind. The 2022 Rising Star Award was presented to Nick Daicos, who was voted for the honour unanimously. It'll be interesting to see if that same voting pattern falls onto Sheezel or if another might possibly take home the award.
The All-Australian side for 2023 will be announced and is sure to stir some controversy once again. There always seems to be someone left out, someone included who perhaps shouldn't have been, odd position choices - the list goes on. However, with controversy comes anticipation and footy fans are dying to know if their favourite players have been recognised with an All-Australian blazer.
The Coleman Medal will also be presented on the night to the player who kicked the most goals in the 2023 home and away season. As of Round 23, Charlie Curnow sits on a healthy 75 goals with the next best being Taylor Walker on 67. Walker does play the Eagles in the last round whilst Curnow plays the Giants. It seems as though Curnow has edged out the big 'Texan', but anything can happen...
Along with the AFL Awards are the AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) awards. These awards recognise individuals who have performed to the highest standard in respective categories. The Leigh Matthews Trophy is awarded to the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 AFL Season. The Robert Rose Most Courageous Player is awarded to the player deemed to have shown the most courage throughout the season.
The AFLPA will decide on the Best First Year Player, however, its eligibility is slightly different to that of the Rising Star. The Rising Star award can be given to anyone under the age of 22 who has played less than 10 games in their career. Conversely, the Best First Year Player award can only be given to someone in their first season of AFL footy.
As well as the Best First Year Player, the AFLPA will also award a club skipper with the Best Captain award. The captains selected in previous years have been recognised for not only their on-field success but also their overall leadership qualities as an individual.
The AFL Coaches Association will also be presenting awards. The 2023 AFLCA Champion Player of the Year will be announced along with the AFLCA Best Young Player Award. The Champion Player of the Year award is given to the player recognised by all 18 AFL head coaches. At the conclusion of every game, coaches place votes on a 5,4,3,2,1 system and the player with the most votes at the end of the season wins. At the conclusion of Round 22 (votes are hidden for Rounds 23 and 24), Nick Daicos leads with 99. With a maximum total votes of 20 for any individual in the last two rounds, the only players who can possibly overtake Daicos are Zak Butters, Christian Petracca, Marcus Bontempelli and Connor Rozee.
The AFLCA Best Young Player award is given to the player who had the best two first seasons of their career. Therefore, the only eligible players are those in their second year of AFL footy. In 2023, it's expected that Nick Daicos will take home the award, however, Jason Horne-Francis, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Josh Rachele and Mitchito Owens are all notable candidates.
The AFL Awards will take place on Wednesday, August 30 at Centrepiece in Melbourne. Fans can catch the show live on Fox Footy, commencing at 7:00 PM AEST.
