Essendon captain crawls toward leader as star Pie makes his move: AFLCA Champion Player Votes Round 8

Essendon captain Zach Merrett has inched his way closer to leader Sydney midfielder Isaac Heeney after a perfect performance in the eyes of the coaches.

Merrett led the Bombers to victory over West Coast in Perth with a three-goal 29-possession effort that saw him rewarded with maximum votes.

Adelaide young gun Jake Soligo joined the classy left-footer with a 10-vote match as did Nick Daicos, Chad Warner, Jack Sinclair, Hayden Young and Dayne Zorko.

The votes were spread evenly in the close encounter between Melbourne and Geelong while Jarman Impey and Marcus Bontempelli shared the recognition from Sunday's game.

Round 8 saw seven 10-vote getters, the most of any weekend so far in 2024.

Adelaide vs Port Adelaide

10 - Jake Soligo (ADEL)
6 - Zak Butters (PORT)
5 - Mark Keane (ADEL)
4 - Matt Crouch (ADEL)
3 - Izak Rankine (ADEL)
2 - Darcy Fogarty (ADEL)

Carlton vs Collingwood

10 - Nick Daicos (COLL)
4 - Jack Crisp (COLL)
4 - Harry McKay (CARL)
4 - Nic Newman (CARL)
4 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
3 - Scott Pendlebury (COLL)
1 - Darcy Moore (COLL)

Sydney vs GWS

10 - Chad Warner (SYD)
7 - Dane Rampe (SYD)
6 - Errol Gulden (SYD)
5 - Will Hayward (SYD)
1 - Isaac Heeney (SYD)
1 - Jack Buckley (GWS)

St Kilda vs North Melbourne

10 - Jack Sinclair (STK)
8 - Darcy Wilson (STK)
4 - Aidan Corr (NMFC)
3 - Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (STK)
3 - Bradley Hill (STK)
1 - Callum Wilkie (STK)
1 - Marcus Windhager (STK)

Melbourne vs Geelong

8 - Max Holmes (GEEL)
6 - Zach Guthrie (GEEL)
5 - Jake Lever (MELB)
4 - Kysaiah Pickett (MELB)
3 - Max Gawn (MELB)
3 - Steven May (MELB)
1 - Harrison Petty (MELB)

West Coast vs Essendon

10 - Zach Merrett (ESS)
7 - Nic Martin (ESS)
5 - Tim Kelly (WCE)
4 - Jake Waterman (WCE)
3 - Darcy Parish (ESS)
1 - Samuel Durham (ESS)

Richmond vs Fremantle

10 - Hayden Young (FRE)
8 - Caleb Serong (FRE)
6 - Luke Ryan (FRE)
4 - Andrew Brayshaw (FRE)
1 - Josh Treacy (FRE)
1 - Jordan Clark (FRE)

Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn

9 - Jarman Impey (HAW)
9 - Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
5 - Dylan Moore (HAW)
3 - James Sicily (HAW)
2 - Blake Hardwick (HAW)
2 - Conor Nash (HAW)

Brisbane vs Gold Coast

10 - Dayne Zorko (BL)
7 - Harris Andrews (BL)
7 - Josh Dunkley (BL)
4 - Hugh McCluggage (BL)
2 - Lachie Neale (BL)

AFLCA LEADERBOARD Round 8