The coaches’ award goes to ….
And, yes, it is one of the AFL’s ‘new breed’….
Photos from the night
Christian Petracca is interviewed by Dylan Buckley at the AFL Awards night.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images
AFL CEO-elect Andrew Dillon.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images
Tonight’s first award goes to ….
The AFL Coaches’ Association best young player is ….. none other than Nick Daicos.
Vote: Have your say
What else is happening tonight?
On the official AFL Awards night, the Rising Star will also be revealed.
New breed among contenders
The AFL’s new breed dominates the squad of 44 players in contention to be All-Australians this year.
Twenty-seven of the 44 players have never earned All-Australian selection, including young stars Nick and Josh Daicos (Collingwood), Zak Butters (Port Adelaide), Oscar Allen (West Coast), Tom Green (GWS), Noah Anderson (Gold Coast), Caleb Serong (Fremantle), Jai Newcombe (Hawthorn) and Nick Blakey and Errol Gulden (Sydney).
Hawthorn’s James Sicily is among those named in the squad.Credit: Getty Images
Demon-turned-Docker Luke Jackson is another player trying to make it for the first time and will compete with Tim English and Rowan Marshall for the ruck spot after a career-best season that vindicated Fremantle’s interest in him.
Usual suspects Marcus Bontempelli, Christian Petracca, Dustin Martin, Patrick Cripps, Toby Greene and Tom Stewart headline the squad, while Hawthorn veteran Luke Breust returns to this company after a 47-goal season.
