Walsh earns big votes while a new leader emerges: 2022 AFL MVP – Round 15

The first full weekend of footy after the bye rounds promised plenty of good matches, and fans weren't disappointed as finals contenders went head to head in some intriguing games.

Sam Walsh starred in Round 15 against Fremantle, earning all 20 votes as the Blues impressed. Clayton Oliver had an impressive game to take the top spot on the leaderboard after Andrew Brayshaw failed to poll, while Taylor Walker's massive six-goal effort saw him nearly claim perfect votes in Adelaide's massive win over the Kangaroos.

Each round this season, the Zero Hanger team - consisting of editor Mitch Keating, general manager Nick Splitter, deputy editor Ed Carmine and contributor Danielle Sorati - will vote on every game to establish our AFL MVP for 2022.

Votes will be given out on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 system for each game, meaning the maximum score any player can record in any game is 20.

Melbourne vs Brisbane

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Jack Viney	Clayton Oliver	Clayton Oliver	Clayton Oliver
4	Jake Lever	Luke Jackson	Jack Viney	Luke Jackson
3	Clayton Oliver	Christian Petracca	Luke Jackson	Jack Viney
2	Luke Jackson	Angus Brayshaw	Jake Lever	James Jordon
1	Kysaiah Pickett	Bayley Fritsch	Bayley Fritsch	Harris Andrews

Melbourne ran out 64-point winners in Round 15, reasserting their claim on the premiership favourites title. The Demons dominated the votes on Thursday night, with Clayton Oliver earning plenty to continue his dominant season and leave him on top of the leaderboard heading into Round 16. Jake Lever seemed to enjoy having Steven May rejoin him in the backline, earning some votes himself, while Luke Jackson starred in the absence of Max Gawn.

Western Bulldogs vs Hawthorn

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Tom Liberatore	Tom Liberatore	Marcus Bontempelli	Marcus Bontempelli
4	Rhylee West	Marcus Bontempelli	Tom Liberatore	Josh Dunkley
3	Marcus Bontempelli	Josh Dunkley	Jack Macrae	Mitchell Lewis
2	Josh Dunkley	Jack Macrae	Mitchell Lewis	Tom Liberatore
1	Mitchell Lewis	Rhylee West	Josh Dunkley	Jack Scrimshaw

The Bulldogs' 42-point win did plenty to solidify their finals credentials, with their star studded midfield featuring plenty in the votes. Marcus Bontempelli starred with 27 disposals and eight clearances, while Tom Liberatore earned 16 votes for his electric performance, finishing with 30 disposals and 11 clearances.

West Coast vs Essendon

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Josh J. Kennedy	Josh J. Kennedy	Josh J. Kennedy	Willie Rioli
4	Willie Rioli	Willie Rioli	Willie Rioli	Josh J. Kennedy
3	Elliot Yeo	Jamie Cripps	Jamie Cripps	Jack Redden
2	Jamie Cripps	Nic Martin	Peter Wright	Peter Wright
1	Peter Wright	Shannon Hurn	Nic Martin	Zach Merrett

A five goal performance from Josh Kennedy saw him earn top marks from two voters as the Eagles ran over the top of the Bombers on Friday night. Willie Rioli featured heavily in the votes too, ending the match with 19 touches, four tackles and three goals. Peter Wright polled well for Essendon after his four goal performance, while Nic Martin and Zach Merrett also got a nod for their efforts during the ten-point loss.

Carlton vs Fremantle

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Sam Walsh	Sam Walsh	Sam Walsh	Sam Walsh
4	Charlie Curnow	Charlie Curnow	Charlie Curnow	Charlie Curnow
3	George Hewett	Will Brodie	George Hewett	Sean Darcy
2	Will Brodie	Patrick Cripps	Sam Docherty	Will Brodie
1	Adam Saad	Adam Saad	Will Brodie	Matthew Kennedy

It was hard to go past Sam Walsh for his best on field performance on Saturday, collecting 40 disposals and seven clearances in the 31-point win. Walsh wasn't the only Blue to dominate though, with Charlie Curnow doing plenty in the forward half with five goals. Round 14's MVP leader Andrew Brayshaw failed to poll despite his 27 touches, as the Blues dominated the votes and the scoreboard.

Geelong vs Richmond

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Tom Stewart	Tom Stewart	Tom Stewart	Toby Nankervis
4	Liam Baker	Liam Baker	Liam Baker	Tom Stewart
3	Tyson Stengle	Tyson Stengle	Tyson Stengle	Liam Baker
2	Tom Atkins	Nick Vlastuin	Toby Nankervis	Tyson Stengle
1	Toby Nankervis	Toby Nankervis	Shai Bolton	Nick Vlastuin

The Cats and Tigers ended their game in a thriller, with the votes just as tight. Tom Stewart, despite an early incident with Dion Prestia that will see him spend some time on the sidelines, recovered well to earn 19 votes for his defensive performance. Richmond's Liam Baker polled well too for his 24 disposal, seven clearance effort, while Tyson Stengle impressed with three goals.

Sydney vs St Kilda

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Jake Lloyd	Oliver Florent	Jake Lloyd	Jake Lloyd
4	Oliver Florent	Jake Lloyd	Oliver Florent	Oliver Florent
3	Tom Hickey	Nick Blakey	Tom Hickey	Luke Parker
2	Rowan Marshall	Tom McCartin	Nick Blakey	Paddy McCartin
1	Tom McCartin	Paddy McCartin	Rowan Marshall	Rowan Marshall

Unsurprisingly, the Saints don't feature much in the votes this round after a disappointing outing against the Swans, with Rowan Marshall the lone Saint to register a vote. The Swans on the other hand were hard to choose between, with Jake Lloyd (39 disposals and nine marks) splitting the top votes with Oliver Florent (27 disposals, 12 marks and a goal), while the McCartin brothers also got a nod for their work down back.

North Melbourne vs Adelaide

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Taylor Walker	Taylor Walker	Taylor Walker	Rory Laird
4	Rory Laird	Rory Laird	Rory Laird	Taylor Walker
3	Darcy Fogarty	Reilly O'Brien	Jordan Dawson	Jordan Dawson
2	Reilly O'Brien	Darcy Fogarty	Darcy Fogarty	Reilly O'Brien
1	Jordan Dawson	Ben Keays	Reilly O'Brien	Darcy Fogarty

Taylor Walker was in vintage form for the Crows during their 57-point mauling of the Kangaroos on Sunday, kicking 6.2 in a dominant display and earning him 19 votes. Rory Laird wasn't far behind, with his 34 disposals and 11 clearances impressing plenty. Darcy Fogarty also got some votes for his four goal performance up forward, while Jordan Dawson saw plenty of the ball too.

Collingwood vs GWS

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Darcy Cameron	Darcy Cameron	Darcy Cameron	Josh Kelly
4	Brayden Maynard	Steele Sidebottom	Brayden Maynard	Darcy Cameron
3	Steele Sidebottom	Brayden Maynard	Steele Sidebottom	Brayden Maynard
2	Josh Kelly	Taylor Adams	Taylor Adams	Will Hoskin-Elliott
1	Scott Pendlebury	Jesse Hogan	Jesse Hogan	Jesse Hogan

Collingwood's Darcy Cameron earned plenty of votes on the day his knew contract was announced as the Pies ran out victorious over the Giants. The big man finished the day with 17 disposals, eight marks and five clearances. Brayden Maynard impressed in his milestone match with 22 touches, while Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan performed admirably for the downed Giants.

Port Adelaide vs Gold Coast

	Mitch Keating	Ed Carmine	Danielle Sorati	Nick Splitter
5	Connor Rozee	Touk Miller	Touk Miller	Touk Miller
4	Karl Amon	Karl Amon	Karl Amon	Connor Rozee
3	Touk Miller	Travis Boak	Connor Rozee	Karl Amon
2	Charlie Dixon	Dan Houston	Dan Houston	Dan Houston
1	Dan Houston	Jarrod Witts	Jarrod Witts	Jarrod Witts

Touk Miller dominated for the Suns in a tight two-point loss to the Power, finishing the evening with 30 disposals, ten tackles and nine clearances, almost amassing a perfect 20 votes. Karl Amon was just as impressive for the Power with 26 touches and ten marks himself, with Connor Rozee did plenty to earn some votes in the close contest with six clearances.

Leaderboard

RANK			LAST ROUND	TOTAL
1		Clayton Oliver	18	144
2		Andrew Brayshaw	0	136
3		Patrick Cripps	2	128
4		Lachie Neale	0	125
4		Callum Mills	0	125
4		Touk Miller	18	125
7		Christian Petracca	3	116
8		Sam Walsh	20	104
9		Max Gawn	0	91
9		Rory Laird	17	91

FULL 2022 ZERO HANGER MVP LEADERBOARD