Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield has claimed the 2022 Gary Ayres Award ahead of Collingwood's Jack Crisp.
A dominant display in the Grand Final against Sydney has seen Dangerfield poll 12 votes to take the lead by six votes.
Crisp held a comfortable gap heading into the final week of the finals series after an impressive opening three matches of the post-season to poll 15 votes.
But Dangerfield's 27 disposals, 9 clearances and 6 goal assists saw him not only earn plenty of Norm Smith votes, with the veteran Cat polling a dozen votes from the coaches to secure the Gary Ayres Award for 2022.
Fellow Cat Isaac Smith, who won the Norm Smith Medal for his 32 disposals and 3 goals against the Swans, polled the most votes from the coaches with 15 - a perfect score.
Smith's 15 votes see him tie for third with Magpie Jordan De Goey and Lion Lachie Neale.
Dangerfield joins Bulldog Jack Macrae, Tiger Dustin Martin (three times), Magpie Steele Sidebottom and retired Swan Josh Kennedy as a Gary Ayres Award winner.
Grand Final Coaches votes
*Grand Final votes receive a loading of 1.5 times the usual count.ย
Final 2022 Gary Ayres Award leaderboard
| VOTES | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Patrick Dangerfield | GEEL |
| 16 | Jack Crisp | COLL |
| 15 | Jordan De Goey | COLL |
| 15 | Lachie Neale | BL |
| 15 | Isaac Smith | GEEL |
| 14 | Tom Hawkins | GEEL |
| 13 | Luke Parker | SYD |
| 12 | Caleb Serong | FRE |
| 11 | Callum Mills | SYD |
| 11 | Darcy Moore | COLL |
| 11 | Scott Pendlebury | COLL |
| 10 | Steven May | MELB |
