COME Friday night, the Demons will crown their most outstanding player from the 2022 AFL season, handing out the Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy.
The event, which will be held at Centrepiece in Melbourne Park, will reveal the club’s top-five performers and see it hand out six other individual awards.
Melbourne will be naming its best young player, best VFL player, a club ambassador, the strongest leader, someone who lives the values and a coaches award.
After a season where the Demons finished second on the ladder, there are plenty of players in contention for the top prize.
Take a look at some of the biggest chances to poll top votes below.
Angus Brayshaw
An early season move to half-back sparked one of Brayshaw’s best years in the red and blue to date. His form earned him a place in the All-Australian squad, and after signing a contract extension with the club, he finished the season as a ball-winning midfielder.
Bayley Fritsch
For a second year in a row, Fritsch booted over 50 goals, coming eighth in the Coleman Medal for 2022. The versatile forward was Melbourne’s most dangerous target inside 50, kicking a goal in every outing, with a bag of three plus majors in half the games he played.
Max Gawn
The six-time All-Australian has already won this award twice and is in the running once again. Gawn had the highest average disposals, clearances, and hit-out percentage of any ruckman in the league this season, while also contributing up forward.
Ed Langdon
Throughout the season, Langdon established himself as one of the best wingmen in the game. The elite runner should poll particularly well early, with five games of over 25 disposals in the first eight rounds.
Steven May
Back-to-back All-Australian honours proved a fitting reward for May, who was a key pillar of the best defensive side in the league this season. May had another dominant campaign locking down the opposition’s most dangerous forwards and rebounding the Demons into attack.
Clayton Oliver
At just 25 years of age, Oliver has three Best and Fairest trophies, three All-Australian blazers and two AFLCA awards to his name. That list could grow on Friday night after the midfielder had more disposals, contested possessions and clearances than any other player in the league this season.
Christian Petracca
For the third consecutive season, Petracca earned All-Australian honours, and he will be in the hunt for a second Best and Fairest award. The midfielder dominated forward of centre with league-high numbers for goal assists, inside 50s and retained kicks inside 50.
Jack Viney
Often the unsung hero in Melbourne’s midfield, Viney had another outstanding campaign in the red and blue. The vice-captain, who won this trophy in 2016, had over 30 disposals on six occasions in the back-half of the season and should poll strongly after missing just two games.
