Team of the week: round eight

B: Rick Ladson (Hawthorn), Dustin Fletcher (Essendon), Ryan Hargrave (Western Bulldogs)

HB: Tadhg Kennelly (Sydney), Joel Bowden (Richmond), Nick Malceski (Sydney)

C: Luke Ablett (Sydney), Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Simon Goodwin (Adelaide)

HF: James Hird (Essendon), Ashley Hansen (West Coast), Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs)

F: Shannon Grant (Kangaroos), Quinten Lynch (West Coast), Scott Welsh (Adelaide)

FOLL: Hamish McIntosh (Kangaroos), Chris Judd (West Coast), Brent Harvey (Kangaroos)

I/C: Daniel Kerr (West Coast), Scott West (Western Bulldogs), Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn), Adam Pattison (Richmond)

BACKS:
Rick Ladson (Hawthorn) The underrated Hawk continued his fine form, holding St Kilda livewire Stephen Milne goalless, while he winning 24 disposals at an efficiency rate of 96 per cent. Ladson also took 10 marks.

Dustin Fletcher (Essendon) The champion dual premiership Bomber played a crucial role with teammate Mal Michael in double-teaming superstar Lion Jonathan Brown and also collected 26 disposals to continue his consistent year.

Ryan Hargrave (Western Bulldogs) Had three Collingwood opponents – Nick Maxwell, Travis Cloke and Chris Bryan – and didn't concede a goal. Hargrave won 23 touches, claimed eight marks and laid four tackles.

HALF BACKS:
Tadhg Kennelly (Sydney) Remarkably, Kennelly returned to the side after dislocating his knee in round five and played a crucial role for the Swans running out of defence. Kennelly's 25-disposal performance was lauded by Paul Roos, who called him a "genuine star".

Joel Bowden (Richmond) Topped the Champion Data player rankings in the match against Adelaide after an outstanding display down back. He finished with 25 disposals at an efficiency rate of 92 per cent and took 10 marks.

Nick Malceski (Sydney) One of the most improved players in the competition, Malceski continued his excellent season with another dashing display out of defence. Malceski won 22 possessions and sent the ball inside 50 on six occasions.

CENTRES:
Luke Ablett (Sydney) Played his best match for the season and was an instrumental midfielder in Sydney's 31-point win over Port Adelaide. Ablett gained 22 touches, sent the ball inside 50 six times and also chimed in with two goals.

Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) Continued his marvellous season against Fremantle, winning 28 possessions – including 17 contested – while he also had seven clearances and laid 10 tackles.

Simon Goodwin (Adelaide) On the back of an outstanding performance in round seven, Goodwin turned in a top display on Friday night with 29 disposals against Richmond. He sent the ball inside 50 six times and won five clearances.

HALF FORWARDS:
James Hird (Essendon) The Essendon icon produced a vintage display against the Brisbane Lions and was ranked the top player on the ground by Champion Data. He won 25 touches, took 14 marks and booted two goals and had four assists.

Ashley Hansen (West Coast) Outstanding for the Eagles as a lead-up forward, Hansen won 18 disposals at an efficiency rate of 89 per cent. He also took nine marks and booted a goal.

Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs) Cooney played his best match for the season, finishing with four goals and 19 touches, which included nine contested possessions.

FORWARDS:
Shannon Grant (Kangaroos) Maximised his disposals brilliantly in his side's 17-point win over Carlton on the Gold Coast. Grant booted five goals up forward from 14 disposals at an efficiency rate of 93 per cent.

Quinten Lynch (West Coast) Although the man-mountain booted 5.7, he was unstoppable up forward. He won 18 disposals, took 13 marks and was rated the player of the match according to Champion Data.

Scott Welsh (Adelaide) Kicked five goals in a pivotal performance against Richmond, after the Crows went to him on seven occasions. He has now kicked 21 goals in his past five outings against the Tigers.

FOLLOWERS:
Hamish McIntosh (Kangaroos) The Kangaroos ruckman, who has been one of the competition's most improved players this year, was once again influential in his side's win, gaining 30 hit outs and 14 disposals – including nine contested.

Chris Judd (West Coast) The game's finest player was absolutely scintillating against Melbourne, winning 31 disposals – including 11 in an ripping opening term –10 of which were contested. He also kicked three goals.

Brent Harvey (Kangaroos) Gave skipper Adam Simpson a 250th to remember, with a best-on-ground performance against Carlton. Harvey won 32 touches at an efficiency rate of 94 per cent and chipped in with three goals.

INTERCHANGE:
Daniel Kerr (West Coast) Kerr's head-high contact on Melbourne's Cameron Bruce overshadowed yet another top-notch performance, which included 29 disposals, eight clearances and five free kicks in his favour.

Scott West (Western Bulldogs) Another elite performance from one of the game's most consistent performers. West gathered 28 touches – including 13 contested possessions – at an efficiency rate of 96 per cent. He also had nine clearances.

Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) Mitchell was instrumental in his side breaking open the match and gaining a win over the Saints. He won 35 disposals – including 23 in the second half – while he also claimed a game-high seven clearances.

Adam Pattison (Richmond) Clearly the finest performance of his 22-game career, the Richmond tall rucked more-than-admirably. He gathered 21 possessions, including 10 contested.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.