A pair of Magpies sit atop the 2022 Gary Ayres Award leaderboard ahead of the grand final, with their chances at the crown in doubt after a rise in votes for a Cats veteran and Swans star.
Collingwood's Jack Crisp recorded an equal game-high eight votes alongside Swan Callum Mills in Saturday's preliminary final, taking his tally to 16 for September.
Teammate Jordan De Goey, who didn't poll in the loss to Sydney, sits on 15 votes, level with Lion Lachie Neale.
With Collingwood and Brisbane out of the race, Crisp, De Goey and Neale are likely to see their places on the podium fall away after the grand final, with a number of Swans and Cats in the mix for the honour.
Swans co-captain Luke Parker sits on 13 votes and in the front seat to claim the Gary Ayres Award, while Mills is just two votes behind him.
Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield recorded a perfect 10-vote game against the Lions to shoot into consideration for the overall award.
Grand final votes for the Gary Ayres Award have a 1.5 times loading on votes, meaning those ranked among the best are well within reach of claiming top spot in 2022.
The situation means only Dangerfield, Parker, Mills and Cats pair Gary Rohan or Gryan Miers can win the award among Saturday's performers.
Bulldog Jack Macrae won the 2021 award with 25 votes to his name, a tally that can't be matched this year.
10 Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL)
8 Gryan Miers (GEEL)
5 Tom Hawkins (GEEL)
3 Jake Kolodjashnij (GEEL)
3 Tom Stewart (GEEL)
1 Darcy Gardiner (BL)
8 Jack Crisp (COLL)
8 Callum Mills (SYD)
5 Luke Parker (SYD)
3 Tom Papley (SYD)
3 Scott Pendlebury (COLL)
2 Darcy Moore (COLL)
1 Lance Franklin (SYD)
16 Jack Crisp (COLL)
15 Jordan De Goey (COLL)
15 Lachie Neale (BL)
13 Luke Parker (SYD)
12 Caleb Serong (FRE)
11 Callum Mills (SYD)
11 Darcy Moore (COLL)
11 Scott Pendlebury (COLL)
10 Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL)
10 Steven May (MELB)