A FULL complement.
Carlton has taken home the full quota of coaches' votes in its Round 15 clash with Fremantle, as one Blue stood out among all others.
Sam Walsh polled a perfect 10 votes from Justin Longmuir and Michael Voss, in what was one of Walsh’s best games to date in an already-glittering career.
Not only did the young midfielder pick up 40 disposals (a career-best tally), but he operated at 85 per cent disposal efficiency while also gaining 543 metres in an all-round performance.
Continuing in his recent role as starting amongst the forward line (10 centre-bounce attendances), Walsh used his running capability to provide an option in all areas of Marvel Stadium. His 16 disposals in the second quarter helped the Blues make the most of their dominance on the game while also finished with a game-high 11 inside 50s.
Walsh now sits 10th on the AFL Coaches Association’s AFL Champion Player Award leaderboard on 45 votes, with teammate Patrick Cripps (59 votes) still sitting fourth despite not polling this round.
Continuing a fine run of form, Zac Fisher was the next cab off the rank with five votes.
Fisher’s influence was dynamic in the middle and across half forward, contributing a career-high 29 disposals. The silky left-footer put his precision kicking to good use, opening up the ground and getting his teammates in the best position possible.
Tom De Koning and Sam Docherty both received four votes, as they played their positional roles to great effect.
Continuing his polling form in a brilliant season, Docherty was as effective as ever down back, picking up 30 disposals and providing plenty of rebound while also demonstrating his experience and leadership to guide a young backline.
De Koning was a dangerous threat in the air with 22 hitouts while also getting involved at ground level, playing a prominent role in Carlton's clearance dominance which went a long way to determining the result.
Two players who contributed to that were George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy, who received three and two votes respectively.
The pair of midfield bulls were busy, as Hewett provided six clearances and eight inside 50s, while Kennedy (13 contested possessions, eight clearances) got his job done at the source.
Rounding out the votes was Adam Saad with two votes, who used his usual pinpoint defensive kicking and leg speed to gather 28 disposals and set up his team's offence: he also recorded seven intercepts as he helped Carlton stop the early surge of Fremantle.
Round 15 votes
