Backline:

Jordan Dawson

Dawson was great for the Swans down back, playing an important role in keeping their opposition to 26 total points.

By the end of the game, he had 25 possessions, 5 marks, 6 intercepts and 6 score involvements. He showcased his ability to rebound the ball and generate offense for his side.

Jacob Weitering

Despite all the negative attention around the Blues defence. Weitering has been exceptional all year as he is one of the leagues best one-on-one defenders. He also ranks second this year in one-percenters, showing the effort and dedication he gives to the club.

He ended the game with 20 touches, 9 intercepts, 10 marks (4 contested), and a match-saving mark to help the Blues across the line.

Chrisitan Salem

Despite a disappointing loss which resulted in losing the top spot, Salem continued on with his excellent 2021 season in a game when many of his teammates didn't.

Salem led all on the ground with 31 touches, to go with 9 marks, 5 intercepts, 83.9% efficiency and 509 metres gained. He is close to a lock to make the All-Australian squad, being one of the Demon's most consistent and top-performing players.

Darcy Byrne-Jones

Byrne-Jones was a defensive wall for the Power, helping keep the Hawthorn forwards at bay.

He intercepted the ball 8 times, while also getting 29 touches and 6 marks. His elite ball use was on display with an efficiency of 86.2% as he helped his side rebound out of defence.

Jack Lukosius

Jack Lukosius was everywhere for the Suns, as he prevented the Tigers from scoring and kept the ball moving towards the Gold Coast forwards.

He gathered 24 touches, 10 marks, 782 metres gained, 9 intercepts, and 4 inside 50s. Lukosius held up strong down back and with teammate Charlie Ballard proved to be a constant headache for the Richmond forwards.

Tom Atkins

Atkins was great down back for the Cats, as he kept Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti quiet after quarter time. He also managed to damage the opposition the other way, collecting plenty of the ball for himself.

By the end, Atkins had 29 possessions, 6 tackles, 5 marks, and 8 intercepts with his role proving to be vital as Geelong dominated the match after trailing by 25 during the first term.

Centre:

Sam Walsh

Walsh continues to show why he is so valuable to the Blues and will feature heavily in the Brownlow for years to come.

He finished with 25 disposals, 8 marks, 8 tackles, 5 score involvements and a valuable goal that proved to be the sealer for Carlton. He was the Blues best and will be a pivotal player if Carlton is able to sneak into the finals.

Callum Mills

Mills was dominant for the Swans in the middle, as his side dismantled the Eagles at Geelong. Despite getting hit on the chin by Luke Shuey, he managed to shrug it off and was the standout player of the match.

The silky midfielder gathered 35 touches, 7 clearances, 9 score involvements, 7 inside 50s and 659 metres gained.

Josh Kelly

Kelly has stepped up in the absence of key midfielders, as their injuries have allowed him to spend more time in his natural position. He was superb for the Giants as they upset the Demons in Victoria.

At the end of the game, he had 29 possessions, 7 tackles, 8 inside 50s, 8 score involvements and a match-high of 705 metres gained. With Victorian clubs such as North Melbourne reportedly offering Kelly over one million a season, you can understand why his value is so high.

Forward Line: 

Patrick Dangerfield

Dangerfield was back to his best, as his side were too good for Essendon after the first quarter. Danger was all over the ground, as he gathered 37 touches despite spending only 75% of the game on the ground.

He also had 11 marks, 685 metres gained, 11 clearances, 8 inside 50s and 8 score involvements as the star put together his best game of the season.

Tom Lynch

Tom Lynch kicked a bag of 5.2, as he tried to will his side over the line against his former team. Despite narrowly losing, Lynch kicked half of the Tigers goals and was one of the best forwards of the round.

Lynch also gathered 13 touches, 6 marks and 4 inside 50s. With the injuries mounting at Tigerland, they are going to need more performances like this to stay in the finals hunt.

Zac Bailey

Bailey starred for the Lions, with the forward taking his game to the next level since splitting his time in the middle and up forward.

In a prolific display, he ended with 26 touches, 9 clearances, 7 inside 50s and 9 score involvements. Bailey is now one of the Lions best and most important players, as whenever he plays well, Brisbane seem to win.

Cody Weightman

Weightman had to earn his spot in the Bulldogs side but has been making the most of his opportunity ever since.

The small forward booted 4 majors including three in the first quarter, while finishing with 7 marks, 10 score involvements, and 13 disposals. There are a few reserve players looking to make their way back into the side, but Weightman won't be losing his position any time soon.

Tom Hawkins

When Cameron went down during the second quarter, it was supposed to make things more difficult for the Geelong forwards. Instead, Hawkins went back to his 2020 Coleman form, kicking 6 goals in an overpowering showing.

He also had 15 possessions, 6 marks, 9 score involvements and one of the goals of the round as he turns an attempted rush behind into a feat of brilliance.

Ben Ainsworth

While accuracy cost him a career-best performance, Ainsworth was one of the Suns best as they defeated the reigning premiers. Kicking 1.4 and having 11 score involvements Ainsworth partnered with Ben King to make a lethal forward combo that Richmond couldn't stop.

He finished with 20 touches, 7 inside 50s, 8 marks and 468 metres gained. Ainsworth has flashed his potential throughout his career and will need to be up and firing if the Suns want to move up the ladder in the next couple of years.

Followers:

Sean Darcy

In what can only be described as domination, Darcy led his side in the ruck to a +19 clearance advantage over the Blues. While Tom De Koning has been showing flashes, Darcy showed that his opponent still has a while to go before he can match it with the biggest and strongest ruckman in the league.

Darcy had 40 hitouts, 6 clearances, 20 disposals, 8 marks and 9 score involvements. He is beginning to move into the same conversation as Gawn, Nic Nat and Grundy as the games best ruckman.

Darcy Parish

In yet another historic performance, Parish put together another best-on-ground performance as he collected the Tom Wills Award. Despite absurd statistics, Parish's performance wasn't enough to get his side across the line.

At the end of the match he had a game-high in all of the following statistics; 43 touches, 908 metres gained, 13 clearances, 15 inside 50s, 8 centre clearances and 28 contested possessions. Parish couldn't have done any more for his side, even hitting the scoreboard with this excellent goal.

Ollie Wines

Wines was at his best on the weekend, gathering 43 touches, 7 tackles, 13 clearances, 616 metres gained, and 8 inside 50s. He was instrumental as his side beat Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium.

With another best afield performance, Wines is closing the gap on favourite Marcus Bontempelli for the Brownlow medal. Clearly being one of the Power's best each week, he could be in contention given that he will have fewer teammates taking his votes throughout the season.

Interchange:

Touk Miller

In a breakout year, Miller has become Gold Coast's best and most reliable player. In a best-on-ground performance, he led the young Sun's midfielders to +6 clearances and +8 centre clearances for the match.

He ended the game with a game-high 36 touches and 9 clearances (5 centre). Miller also had 6 score involvements, 5 inside 50s and 7 tackles. If Anderson, Rowell and Sharp continue to develop the Suns could have one of the leagues premier midfielders in the next couple of years.

Jack Steele

The St Kilda midfielder was very unlucky to be placed on the bench this week, after an all-around performance that was just beaten out by equally impressive matches. He was still one of the top-performing players of the week and would have been a starter most other weeks.

He finished with 36 touches, 14 tackles, 8 clearances, 7 score involvements, and 6 inside 50s. With the win, the Saints find themselves just a half-game away from the top 8. Steele will need a few more of these performances for the Saints to be a legitimate threat for a late-season finals push.

Tim Taranto

Tim Taranto was fantastic in the middle as he managed to go head-to-head with a Melbourne side that has one of the best midfields in the competition.

Taranto had 28 touches, 10 inside 50s, 551 metres gained, 6 marks and 5 score involvements. The only thing keeping him from a starting position is the exceptional play of the other midfielders and his 57.1 disposal efficiency.

Jack Macrae

For the 15th week in a row, Macrae managed to get 30+ possessions, with another 31 to his name. The only thing keeping him from the starting team is his 176 metres gained being significantly lower than others on the list.

He finished the game with 7 clearances, 8 score involvements, and 4 goal assists. While the Bont is getting most of the attention, Macrae's consistency is just as impressive and is contributing to many of the Bulldogs victories.