Introducing the Zero Hanger MVP Awards... And yes we realise there may not be anymore votes given out for a while.
The voting will be a little different than your generic 3, 2, 1 structure.
We will judge the best players in the game across the entire round relative to their position. Every ruckman in the game will compete against each other for the 3,2 1, as will the forwards, midfielders and defenders.
This way, everyone gets their chance to poll votes and we avoid the dreaded curse of another midfielder's award. And at the end of the season (if we ever get there), we will have a Ruckman of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Forward of the Year Defender of the Year and an overall MVP.
3. Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) - It comes as no shock to see Grundy take out the first 3 votes of the season, he was superb against the Bulldogs and was key in setting up the win for his team. 37 hit-outs and 19 disposals could've been so much more had he kicked straight.
2. Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne) - Goldstein overpowered Rowan Marshall as the game came down to the wire on Sunday. When the whips were cracking, Goldstein was right there and stood tall for his team. 27 hit-outs and a goal with plenty of class.
1. Levi Casboult (Carlton) - Thrown into an unfamiliar situation, Casboult stood up superbly - playing nearly the whole game as the number one big man against last year's premiership ruckmen. Casboult was brilliant with 16 hit-outs, 16 disposals and 2 goals showed his importance to the Blues.
3. Issac Heeney (Sydney) - With no Lance Franklin, the Swans need someone to stand up and fill the void. And Issac Heeney was that man in round one, bagging four goals in a match-winning display against Adelaide.
2. Jack Martin (Carlton) - Worth every cent. Martin came for free but is on good money at the Blues, and showed why. Four third quarter goals and arguably the most complete game of his career, Martin showed why Carlton went for him so hard.
1. Harry Perryman (GWS) - Perryman had four career goals to his name heading into 2020. He doubled that tally in round one, bagging four goals to go with 20 disposals in a very complete game against the Cats. Great start to 2020.
3. Shannon Hurn (West Coast) - The former Eagles captain was immense on Sunday. The Demons had 10 more inside 50s than the Eagles and part of the reason that didn't reflect on the scoreboard is due to Hurn. 23 disposals and 9 marks from the gun defender helped keep Melbourne at bay
2. Darcy Byrne-Jones (Port Adelaide) - Byrne-Jones did very well in a defence that didn't have much defending to do. He had 25 disposals off half back along with five marks. A very good performance.
1. Adam Saad (Essendon) - When Essendon were under pressure, Saad stood up. His run and dash were as courageous as any mark you could imagine. He used his speed to escape pressure and amassed 28 disposals in the victory over Freo.
3. Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne) - A match-winning display from Cunnington that may well go down in folklore given the gap between games coming up. 25 disposals were supported by two last quarter goals that were pure clutch. His mark in a two-on-one deep forward was followed by a goal was simply huge. New year, new hair Cunnington?
2. Jack Viney (Melbourne) - No longer captain, Viney led from the front nonetheless. 35 disposals and two goals, his effort and passion was on full display in Sunday's loss to West Coast. Harnessed well, this is the form we should expect to see more of.
1. Patrick Cripps (Carlton) - Typical of Cripps, he once again dragged Carlton back into the game against Richmond. 31 disposals for the Carlton co-captain in a dominant performance, his polish by foot stood out amongst his teammates as well. Probably snags the three votes from the umpires too.
1st - Brodie grundy, Ben Cunnington, Isaac Heeney, Shannon Hurn (tied 3)
2nd - Todd Goldstein, Jack Viney, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Jack Martin (tied 2 ).
3rd - Levi Casboult, Patrick Cripps, Adam Saad, Harry Perryman (tied 1).