We've reached the midway point of the 2023 AFL season, which means it's time to dish out awards for the best-performing players to date.
The opening half of the year has offered plenty of thrills and spills, with each club forging an identity as we begin to work through the final stretch of this season's premiership race.
Individuals have stuck their necks out in contention for particular awards, and here we detail who may be leading the honours as we turn to the second half of the season.
Without further ado, we name our Brownlow Medal winner, Rising Star winner, Most Improved Player, Recruit of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year from the first half of the 2023 season.
Coach of the Year
While Craig McRae's Collingwood is currently the best side in the competition, it'd be ludicrous to try and ignore Ken Hinkley as the halfway point's Coach of the Year.
After Hinkley's post as Port's coach was described by Power icon Warren Tredrea as “untenable” early in the season because of a less-than-ideal start, the veteran mentor has since directed his disciples to the point where the Power are a genuine top-four candidate and Hinkley is almost a certainty to be offered an extension at Alberton.
Depending on how the Suns fare during the second half of the 2023 season, Stuart Dew could stage a late push for this award by the end of the year.
