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...
4. Nick Daicos - Rd 6 vs Essendonย
Stats: 40 disposals @ 80%, 2 goals, 9 score involvement, 6 marks
Anzac Day saw Nick Daicos officially enter the superstar category and discussions of the greatest career starts in the history of our game.
'Fly's Pies faced Brad's Bombers in front of the second biggest home & away crowd in AFL history, with Essendon riding the high of their 'Gather Round' upset over Melbourne.
Taking a 28-point lead into the fourth, the entire nation knew the Bombers were vulnerable and the Magpies were more than capable of clawing back.
Daicos, lacing out targets all day with 33 disposals to his name, proceeds to insert his name into the Anzac history books by completing one the finest performances the stage has seen; kicking two majors - including the go-ahead goal - and reaching 40 touches at insane efficiency, leading the Pies' Grim Reaper to one of its finest kills.
