The final votes for the 2022 Zero Hanger MVP Award have been tallied, with our top 10 countdown underway and a winner to be crowned
After 23 rounds, the race for the honour has reached its conclusion, with regular lead changes during a six-horse race in the final few weeks building to a dramatic finish.
Last year, Port Adelaide star and Brownlow Medal winner Ollie Wines polled 255 votes to take out the award, a tally much higher than this year's winner.
Across the course of this season, the Zero Hanger team - consisting of editor Mitch Keating, general manager Nick Splitter, deputy editor Ed Carmine and digital reporter Dani Sorati - voted on every game to establish our AFL MVPย for 2022.
Votes were given out on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 system for each game, meaning the maximum score any player can record in any game is 20.
VIEW: MVP LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 22
We'll be unveiling our top 10 and the winner of our MVP Award across the day, with new names unveiled every hour.
2022 Zero Hanger MVP top 10 countdown...
10th. Jeremy Cameron (Geelong) - 144 votesย
Geelong's superstar spearhead, Cameron slotted 59 goals from 21 games in 2022 to finish equal third in the Coleman Medal standings.
Pairing with fellow All-Australians Tom Hawkins and Tyson Stengle in attack, Cameron fronted a tenacious forward third under Chris Scott this season to record his fourth highest goal tally at the end of a home and away season.
Adding to his impressive haul, Cameron recorded 17 goals assists and a total of 169 score involvements to rank in the top four for the latter metric.
Cameron was just one of two Cats players to surpass the 100 votes tally, with midfielder Cam Guthrie coming in at 16th overall with 121 votes.
Forward
Disposals
Marks
Goals
9th. Shai Bolton (Richmond) - 146 votes
Narrowly ahead of Cameron is Richmond livewire Shai Bolton, who has quickly taken the reins at Punt Road as the Tigers' leading man.
A stellar 2022 campaign saw Bolton poll more than 15 votes on six occasions, including 60 votes in the last seven rounds to see his season end in style.
Bolton's tally of 146 votes sees him hold a deficit of just 15 votes over Tigers teammate Dion Prestia, who ended the season 13th overall in the competition.
Earning his maiden All-Australian this week, Bolton will be hoping to add a third premiership medallion to his raw, yet decorated, career.
Midfielder
Disposals
Goals
Clearances
8th. Rory Laird (Adelaide) - 162 votes
The Crows midfielder comes in at eighth overall after what can be considered a career-best campaign for the Adelaide stalwart.
The only player among our top 10 not to gain an All-Australian blazer in 2022, Laird can certainly consider himself unlucky not to make the 22-man side on Wednesday night.
Nevertheless, his prolific campaign has been recognised in our eyes, with Laird notching up votes in 17 of his 20 matches in 2022 to tally 162 for the season.
Laird finished among the top 20 vote-getters in last year's count with a total of 146 votes, showing this year's count to be much more saturated.
He ranked 50 votes ahead of next-best Crow Ben Keays, who came in at 22nd after a strong start to the year.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
7th. Christian Petracca (Melbourne) - 173 votes
The Demons' bullish midfielder backed up his strong 2021 campaign with another prolific season in the red and blue, with premiership glory still a chance for Melbourne in their pursuit to defend their title of yesteryear.
Petracca was again a key link in Simon Goodwin's system, leading the AFL for goal assists with 28 to his name, while sitting second in the competition for score involvements after tallying 187.
Stunningly, Petracca finished in seventh place on last year's MVP leaderboard, however pulled in a higher tally of 194 votes to his name.
Coming as no surprise, Petracca won't be the last Demon to feature in our top 10.
Midfielder
Disposals
Goals
Clearances
=5th. Lachie Neale (Brisbane) - 182 votes
The Brisbane ball-magnet lands a top five spot in a tie with Swan Callum Mills, with their pair each enjoying stellar seasons for their respective clubs.
After taking more of a backseat last year, Neale has returned to his best in 2022 to lead the Lions to another finals finish, averaging over 30 disposals for the fourth time in his career.
Neale was the fifth highest-polling Lion in 2021, and now finds himself fifth overall in the competition on our MVP leaderboard.
Teammate Hugh McCluggage narrowly fell outside of the top 10 this year to come in at 12th with 134 votes, with him and Neale combining to form a lethal one-two punch in Queensland's capital.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
=5th. Callum Mills (Sydney) - 182 votes
Mills was the front-runner for a large portion of the season in the MVP race, taking the lead in the opening half of the year before falling away late.
A unanimous best-on-ground performance in Round 22 saw Mills climb back into contention, but a quieter final game wasn't enough.
Mills has continued to thrive in midfield since developing as a defender, with John Longmire making the transition with ease over the years.
Sydney's co-captain finished 12th in the MVP race last year, and again has led the Swans in 2022, with Chad Warner also among the highest vote earners with a tally of 128 to come 15th overall.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
4th. Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle) - 191 votes
After being plucked with the 2nd pick of the 2017 National Draft, the Dockers parted with plenty to land Andrew Brayshaw, with the 22-year-old now paying purple heart back with interest.
Brayshaw averaged 29.1 disposals and 4.1 clearances across the course of his 22 outings in 2022, even managing a career-high 11 goals when pressing forward.
Last season, the youngest of three Brayshaw boys to ply their trade at AFL level earned 10 Brownlow votes - a figure that is sure to be dwarfed on count night next month.
Having claimed the Leigh Matthews Trophy earlier in the week, awarded to the competition's Most Valuable Player, Brayshaw's credentials are clear. However, he has fallen just shy of a podium finish after such a competitive season.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
3rd. Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) - 202 votes
Oliver's habitual finishes near the summit of these counts is unlikely to have baffled many owners of hearts that beat true for the red and the blue.
Voted by the league's coaches as the Champion Player of the Year on Wednesday, the Mooroopna ball magnet has arguably improved his output, producing means of more than 33 touches and 8.5 clearances each and every week.
With a trifecta of Bluey Truscott Medals and All-Australian blazers to his name, perhaps 2022 will be the season that 'Charlie' heads home with the redhead from the Redlegs.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
=1st. Touk Miller (Gold Coast) - 210 votes
Following a season in which he and Jarrod Witts led the fledgling Suns to their greatest record since formation, Miller's elite speed and ball use have been the talk of towns well away from Carrara.
After splitting the Coaches' Award with Oliver on Wednesday night, Miller has again shared his honours, this time taking out the Zero Hanger MVP Award for the 2022 season.
Averaging 28.5 disposals, 7.9 clearances and a staggering 5.5 inside 50s each week, the 26-year-old fed his key forwards well between March and September.
With 10 wins on the board, the Suns' record shouldn't hinder Miller on Brownlow night, with the socks-up dynamo every chance to become the second Sun to salute.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
=1st. Patrick Cripps (Carlton) - 210 votes
This time last year, footy fans everywhere were all too happy to claim that Patrick Cripps was no longer Carlton's most valuable asset.
Still, spin the clock forward, and with his 9th season in navy in the books, Cripps bounced back with a bang, almost dragging his Blues across the finals line.
Noted for his ability to win the hard ball and clear it at will, the Western Australian's numbers were astounding in these departments. However, with 20.9 in front of goal, Cripps added another string to his already sterling bow.
With Charlie Curnow already claiming Coleman honours for his deeps in 2022, the woes of Carlton fans will be eased next month if Cripps can become the latest Blue since Chris Judd to earn Brownlow honours.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
