The Cat champ’s 46 possessions at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night won him maximum votes from coaches Mark Thompson and Neil Craig. With 33 votes for the year, Ablett trails Saint Nick Dal Santo by a single vote.
Like Ablett, Dal Santo has polled in every game so far this season, and he picked up another nine votes from Ross Lyon and Mark Harvey for his role in St Kilda’s demolition of Fremantle at Docklands.
Melbourne’s Aaron Davey and Roo Brent Harvey were the other players to pick up the maximum 10 votes in round four. Collingwood cast-off Rhyce Shaw showed his old club a thing or two, picking up best-afield honours in the Swans’ upset win over Carlton at the SCG.
Coaches decide the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year by awarding votes each week on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis. Coaches vote only on their own matches, but may vote for players on the opposing team.
Past winners of the prestigious award include Ablett (2007-08), Simon Goodwin and Adam Goodes (joint winners in 2006), Barry Hall (2005) and Warren Tredrea (2004).
ROUND FOUR VOTING
Collingwood v Brisbane Lions
9 Medhurst (Coll)
8 Pendlebury (Coll)
4 Patfull (Bris)
3 Dalziell (Bris)
3 Adcock (Bris)
2 O'Brien (Coll)
1 Prestigiacomo (Coll)
Sydney Swans v Carlton
9 R Shaw (Syd)
8 McVeigh (Syd)
6 J Bolton (Syd)
3 Waite (Carl)
3 Judd (Carl)
1 C Bolton (Syd)
Hawthorn v Port Adelaide
9 Tredrea (PA)
6 Chaplin (PA)
5 Logan (PA)
3 Boak (PA)
2 Pearce (PA)
2 Rioli (Haw)
St Kilda v Fremantle
9 Dal Santo (St K)
8 Montagna (St K)
6 Riewoldt (St K)
3 Gilbert (St K)
2 Ball (St K)
1 S Fisher (St K)
1 C Jones (St K)
Adelaide v Geelong
10 Ablett (Geel)
4 S Johnson (Geel)
4 Tippett (Adel)
3 Selwood (Geel)
3 Enright (Geel)
2 Corey (Geel)
2 Mackay (Adel)
1 Goodwin (Adel)
1 Edwards (Adel)
North Melbourne v Essendon
10 Harvey (NM)
8 Hale (NM)
3 Pratt (NM)
3 Stanton (Ess)
2 Watson (Ess)
2 McMahon (NM)
1 Rawlings (NM)
1 Lloyd (Ess)
Richmond v Melbourne
10 Davey (Melb)
8 Richardson (Rich)
4 Bowden (Rich)
4 Miller (Melb)
2 Sylvia (Melb)
2 Frawley (Melb)
West Coast v Western Bulldogs
9 Cox (WCE)
5 Selwood (WCE)
4 Kerr (WCE)
4 Boyd (WB)
3 Wirrpanda (WCE)
3 Embley (WCE)
1 Priddis (WCE)
1 Higgins (WB)
LEADERBOARD
34 Nick Dal Santo (St K)
33 Gary Ablett (Geel)
20 Paul Chapman (Geel)
19 Chris Judd (Carl)
18 Brendon Goddard (St K)
17 Matthew Boyd (WB)
17 Steve Johnson (Geel)
17 Warren Tredrea (PA)
16 Peter Burgoyne (PA)
16 Tyson Edwards (Adel)
