Diehard AFL fans will never let one of their own go unrecognised, even if external praise eludes them.
Players like Josh Battle, Matt Cottrell, Tom Sparrow and Brent Daniels have played a crucial role at their respective club for years, but never seem to reach the limelight of external discussion or award recognition. Some of that has changed, but a plethora of players need some more love.
This year, several players have stood up in a pivotal spot or in a new role and thrived. Others have toiled away at their job without public acknowledgement of the year they're having.
This piece aims to congratulate those who haven't received the widespread appreciation they deserve, offering a brief moment of stardom before they likely escape discussion once again this weekend...
Gold Coast
Sam Collins should be an All-Australian defender at the moment, he's been underrated since joining the Suns in 2019 but has now honed his craft enough to be recognised among the best key backs in the comp.
He loses less than 15% of his one-on-one contests and is beating his opponents more often than not, taking over three intercept marks per game and collecting nearly nine intercept possessions, the second-best in the competition.
This is all happening while running mate Charlie Ballard suffers a down year relative to his typical production; having far less impact in the intercepting game while losing nearly a quarter of his battles.
Gold Coast love to fade out of a season late in the year, while their players follow suit. For Collins' All-Australian case, let's hope his form is maintained.
