NORTH Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein is the new leader of the AFL Coaches Association player of the year award after his dominant display against Carlton.
The 27-year-old polled the maximum votes and demonstrated why he is regarded as the League's premier ruckman, accumulating 45 hit-outs and kicking three goals in the 67-point win on Saturday night.
After sitting equal third overall last week, Goldstein's best-on-ground honours saw him leap to 47 votes, ahead of Cat Patrick Dangerfield (43) and Swan Dan Hannebery (40) on the leaderboard.
Last year's All Australian ruckman controlled the centre bounce and stoppage contests against his inexperienced counterpart Daniel Gorringe, finishing with 38 more hit-outs, 16 of which were to advantage.
The Blues even tried third-man up tactics, albeit unsuccessfully, in a bid to assist Gorringe and limit Goldstein's influence on the match.
Meanwhile, third-placed Hannebery also received 10 votes for his 33-possession game against Hawthorn, making Friday night's Swans-Kangaroos clash even more enticing.
Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin (39 disposals) and West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy (seven goals) rounded out the weekend's maximum vote-getters.
Giants defender Heath Shaw, who had an incredible 36 effective kicks against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, surprisingly only received eight votes from the coaches.
