Sydney Swans's diminutive midfielder Tom Papley put on a small-forward masterclass on Sunday afternoon at the S.C.G, booting five goals from his 27 disposals in his sides' dominant 45-point win against the reigning 2018 AFL Premiers.
Papley has been one of Sydney's more consistent performers over the season, averaging 17 disposals per game, and going goalless on two occasions.
His ability to hit the scoreboard has been one of his strengths over the years, and the coaches have recognised his impact this year, voting him amongst the best players in Rounds 6, 9 and 12.
The Swans picked up the full 30 AFLCA Coaches Votes, with Tom Papley topping the list with the 10 votes, along with Jake Lloyd (8), Luke Parker (5), Lance Franklin (5), Dane Rampe (1) and Isaac Heeney (1).
Tom Papley finished with 27 disposals - 11 contested, 7 marks - 4 of them inside forward 50, 5 inside 50s, 5.2 and 2 goal assists - both to superstar forward Lance Franklin.
Even more impressive was his near-telepathic connection with Franklin - also kicked 5 goals, who registered 2 goal assists himself, both to Papley.
The two forwards combined for an astounding 29 score involvements, 4 goal assists, 10 goals, 11 marks inside 50 and 45 disposals - 16 of them contested.
Jake Lloyd was superb for the Swans in defence, collecting 42 disposals in a near best on ground performance, surpassing his previous personal best of 41 disposals against Fremantle in Round 9, 2018.
Co-captain Luke Parker's recent purple patch, coinciding with Sydney's upturn in form, has seen him average 29.4 possessions per game - 14.6 of them contested, along with 5 tackles and 5.4 clearances.
It wasn't just the tough stuff in the coalface that impressed on Sunday afternoon, it was his ability to take a contested grab that really caught the eye, on two occasions taking marks at key moments in the first half, backing into packs.
Fellow co-captain Dane Rampe had been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, from a dip in form, climbing a goal post after the siren, to giving away a 50 metre penalty with just two minutes left against Collingwood in Round 10, that sealed the match.
His 150th is a game that he will no doubt want to remember, turning around a poor start on Josh Kennedy to record one of his career best games, finishing with 12 marks and 32 disposals at an incredible 94 percent disposal efficiency.
It was the second half of the match where he did the damage, collecting 20 disposals and 7 marks, along with 7 rebound 50s, putting the Eagles forward line to the sword, finishing with 10 intercept possessions and 750 metres gained.
Isaac Heeney returned to form after a month of down football, having picked up an ankle injury earlier in the season, finishing with 28 disposals and 10 score involvements.
His impact in the middle of the ground in the second half allowed the Swans to continue their centre clearance domination, picking up two clearances, but importantly, restricting the impact of Eagles duo Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff, who were struggling without Elliot Yeo.
AFLCA VOTES: SYDNEY vs WEST COAST
10 Tom Papley (SYD)
8 Jake Lloyd (SYD)
5 Luke Parker (SYD)
5 Lance Franklin (SYD)
1 Dane Rampe (SYD)
1 Isaac Heeney (SYD)
AFLCA SYDNEY SWANS LEADERBOARD
23 Luke Parker
16 George Hewett
16 Tom Papley
12 Jake Lloyd
11 Isaac Heeney
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