This list features 10 of the most iconic performances of the year; players shining in the most pressured environments, producing jaw-dropping displays of individual dominance, and team-carrying efforts under severe duress.
A lot goes into judging the top on-field performances in our code, systems and algorithms don't seem to capture the memorability of the moment, the conditions of the arena, the magnitude of the contest or even the match-winning efforts that transpire.
Fantasy points and SuperCoach scores highlight the best accumulative players on any given day, but also don't do justice to what will appear in the history books decades down the line. Bobby Hill's fantasy scores in his Norm Smith Medal performance might not jump off the page, but the emotion and buzz it created as it unfolded will leave it fresher in the memory banks to tell future generations.
Without further ado, number 10 on this list is...
9. Charlie Curnow - Rd 19 vs West Coast
Stats: 10 goals, 20 disposals, 15 score involvements, 8 marks (5 contested)
Charlie would've had this game circled on the calendar after his nine-goal outing against the Eagles in Round 7.
Once again he could not be stopped by 2023's woeful West Coast side, starting like a house on fire with eight touches and four majors in the first term, before reaching seven by half-time.
Curnow was kicking them through every avenue possible; set shots, on the run, from contested marks, marks on the lead, even mis-kicked mongrels dribbling toward goal.
Goals were hard to come by in the second half when West Coast set their entire defensive unit the task of stopping Charlie.
He still managed to grind out three more goals, including his 10th with a turn-around snap from a congested forward contest, reaching the exclusive double-digit figure for the first time in his career.
