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...
5. Taylor Walker - Rd 13 vs West Coastย
Stats: 10 goals, 21 disposals, 17 score involvements, 11 marks (5 contested)
The other player to boot 19 goals against the Eagles for the season, 'Tex' nearly bested himself the second time around with a separate nin-goal, 21-disposal performance in Round 24, but earns a spot on this list with his bag of 10 and a whopping 17 score involvements in Round 13.
Like Curnow, 'Tex's 10 started early, with seven in the first half from all angles and distances, making a fool out of West Coast defenders with left-foot snaps around the body and set shots from some embarrassingly effortless contested marks.
And again, goals were hard to come by in the second half as the West Coast game plan shifted to stopping the bleeding.
It couldn't stop Walker from finishing off his bag of 10 and completing the most ridiculous stat line of any forward in 2023.
