From snow falling in Canberra, to Josh Bruce's cool finish under pressure, Round 21 had it all. Here are the players that dominated last weekend.
Tom Stewart (Geelong)
Stewart, along with the other members of the Cats' defence, kept the Kangaroos to their lowest score in club history on Saturday night, 1.8 (14). With North continuously wasting the ball going forward, Stewart had a day out, taking seven marks (four intercepts), recording nine defensive 50 rebounds, and finishing with 19 possessions at 100 per cent efficiency.
James Frawley (Hawthorn)
On a cold and frosty night in the nation’s capital, Frawley kept Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron to just the single goal, and racked up 16 touches, four marks and nine spoils of his own. A perfect, no-fuss night for the Hawks’ key defender.
Nick Vlastuin (Richmond)
A big part of the Tigers' march back into premiership favouritism, Vlastuin once again impressed down back in Richmond’s 28-point win over the Blues. Vlastuin grabbed six marks and had 17 possessions at 76 per cent efficiency as the Tigers overcame testing conditions at the MCG to remain in the top four.
Darcy Byrne-Jones (Port Adelaide)
One of Port’s most improved players in 2019, Byrne-Jones continued his fantastic run of form with another sublime performance off half-back against the Swans. Byrne-Jones was the highest possession getter for the Power with 28, gaining 562 metres, and recording seven inside 50s in the Power’s 47-point win.
Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)
Port’s co-captain produced his finest game of the season against the Swans, leading his side to another victory as they charge towards a finals berth. Playing in a more attacking role, Jonas had 24 possessions, eight defensive 50 rebounds, and six marks in a dominant performance down back.
James Sicily (Hawthorn)
In a dominant performance against the Giants, Sicily finished with a career-high 33 disposals, six marks, six spoils and 700 metres gained, as the Hawks’ continued their late surge towards September action.
Lachie Hunter (Western Bulldogs)
Put on a show on the outside against a horrendous Bombers outfit on Saturday night. Hunter amassed 34 touches and gained 672 metres, while also taking nine marks in a dominant Bulldogs win.
Matt Crouch (Adelaide Crows)
The Crows may have gone down narrowly in the west but Matt Crouch produced an outstanding performance at Optus Stadium. Amassed a huge 43 possessions (18 contested), took eight marks, laid eight tackles and won nine clearances in an Adelaide performance admired by many despite the loss.
Isaac Smith (Hawthorn Hawks)
Smith turned back the clock on Friday night in Canberra, playing a dominant role in the Hawks’ big win over the Giants. The Hawks veteran finished with 28 disposals, 10 inside 50s, five clearances, five marks, and a goal in icy conditions.
Brody Mihocek (Collingwood)
For the sixth time this season Mihocek kicked four goals in an impressive performance both offensively and defensively for the Pies forward. Mihocek had 12 disposals, took seven marks and laid six tackles as the Pies steadied their season a fortnight out from finals.
Jack Darling (West Coast Eagles)
The Eagles’ key forward bagged three goals against the Crows to push his tally for the year to 50. Darling took nine marks along with his 16 touches, and also laid an impressive seven tackles in West Coast’s win.
Jack Graham (Richmond Tigers)
The wet-weather specialist once again showed off his class on a soggy Sunday afternoon at the G. Graham had 22 touches, a massive 14 tackles and kicked four goals straight as the Tigers recorded another comfortable victory.
Gryan Miers (Geelong Cats)
The livewire forward continued his fantastic 2019 form with another superb performance in front of the Cat’s faithful. Miers had 17 disposals, seven marks and kicked 3.1 as the Cats thumped the Roos.
Darcy Fogarty (Adelaide)
Showcased his immense talent with a standout performance up forward for the Crows in their narrow loss to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. In just his second game this season, Fogarty took seven marks, had 12 disposals and kicked five goals straight, providing Crows fans with some optimism moving forward into future seasons.
Charlie Cameron (Brisbane)
Cameron lit up the Gabba for the second consecutive week on Saturday night, winning the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for the best-on-ground in QClash 18. Now a shoo-in for an All-Australian spot, Cameron kicked a career-best six goals as the Lions all but wrapped up a spot in the top four.
Jonathan Ceglar (Hawthorn)
With the Hawks’ regular ruckman Ben McEvoy sidelined, Ceglar flourished as Hawthorn’s main man on Friday night, winning the ruck battle against the Giants' two big men, Dawson Simpson and Shane Mumford. Ceglar had 16 touches, a season-high eight clearances and 35 hitouts in the Hawks’ big win.
Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
A performance fit for a Brownlow medallist? Fyfe’s efforts on Sunday did nothing but enhance his claim for a second medal, as the Fremantle captain almost single-handedly led his side to a win over the Saints. While the Dockers eventually fell short, Fyfe dominated, recording 35 possessions (16 contested), seven clearances, five marks, 11 inside 50s and two goals to round off a best-on-ground performance.
Josh Dunkley (Western Bulldogs)
Has been one of the standout improvers this season and continued his meteoric rise into one of the league’s elite midfielders with another standout performance on the weekend. Dunkley dominated against a lacklustre Essendon midfielder, tearing up the Bombers’ midfield with 22 out of his 39 disposals being contested. The Dogs' midfielder also took four marks, laid three tackles, had six clearances, eight score involvements, and topped off his monumental effort with a goal.
Jarryd Lyons (Brisbane Lions)
As the Suns plummeted to another embarrassing loss, fans were once again left to wonder who in the world made the call to delist Jarryd Lyons at the end of last season. Lyons has had a career-best year since moving to the Lions, and piled more pain on his former side, collecting 34 touches, eight inside 50s, seven clearances, eight marks and two goals in a dominant QClash victory.
Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong Cats)
Dangerfield has been huge for the Cats time and time again, and Saturday night’s dismantling of North was no different. The elite midfielder had 33 disposals, 16 of them contested, seven marks, seven clearances, three tackles, and a goal among his seven score involvements as the Cats’ consolidated their position in the top two.
Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
Blues fall short but Cripps best-on-ground. How many times have we seen this so far this season? Cripps was immense for the Blues, collecting 37 disposals (21 contested), seven tackles and four clearances on a dull, dreary day at the G.
James Worpel (Hawthorn Hawks)
Another monumental effort from the Hawks' midfielder, backing up his huge numbers last week against the Kangaroos, only this time on a snowy night in Canberra. Had 31 touches (14 contested), eight clearances, six tackles, and seven score involvements as the Hawks’ ran over the disappointing Giants.