The AFL Coaches Association has opted against including Wildcard Round performances when awarding the Gary Ayres Award to the season's best finals player.
The AFLCA handed down the votes from the weekend's qualifying and elimination finals, having not done so after the two Wildcard Round fixtures, confirming their leaning.
The move directly contradicts AFL CEO Andrew Dillon's assertion when announcing the rejigged finals format late last year. Dillon insisted a Wildcard win was a finals win, yet by excluding the round from consideration for the coveted award, the AFLCA have assumed a diametrically opposed position.
The votes from the qualifying and elimination finals are as follows:
2026-09-03T10:10:00Z
Hawthorn WON BY 32 POINTS
| Votes | Player | Team |
| 9 | Shaun Mannagh | Geelong Cats |
| 9 | Patrick Dangerfield | Geelong Cats |
| 5 | Gryan Miers | Geelong Cats |
| 4 | Tom Stewart | Geelong Cats |
| 3 | Bailey Smith | Geelong Cats |
| Votes | Player | Team |
| 8 | Logan McDonald | Sydney Swans |
| 8 | Tom Papley | Sydney Swans |
| 8 | Errol Gulden | Sydney Swans |
| 4 | Charlie Curnow | Sydney Swans |
| 2 | James Rowbottom | Sydney Swans |
2026-09-05T09:35:00Z
Adelaide WON BY 22 POINTS
| Votes | Player | Team |
| 10 | Josh Worrell | Adelaide Crows |
| 6 | Izak Rankine | Adelaide Crows |
| 6 | Ed Richards | Western Bulldogs |
| 4 | Wayne Milera | Adelaide Crows |
| 3 | Marcus Bontempelli | Western Bulldogs |
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