Your AFL club’s MVP nominees revealed as first-year Magpie Nick Daicos’ brilliant season is recognised

Brownlow Medal favourites and first-year players are among the AFL stars in the running to win awards on the AFLPA’s awards night.

Nick Daicos is an MVP contender in his first season as an AFL footballer. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Daicos’ Collingwood teammates have voted the first-year sensation as one of three Magpies in contention to be this year’s AFL Players’ most valuable player.

Daicos joins Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe as the black and white representatives, with Brownlow Medal fancies Lachie Neale, Clayton Oliver, Andrew Brayshaw and Patrick Cripps also in the mix.

The gifted 19-year-old has played all 22 games, including an extraordinary 40-disposal, three-goal effort against Adelaide, and is the unbackable favourite to be the Rising Star and the AFLPA’s best first-year player.

Daicos’ main rivals for the Rising Star award – Geelong’s Sam De Koning and Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe – aren’t in their debut season but Newcombe is one of the Hawks’ MVP hopes.

Jake Soligo edged out Josh Rachele to be Adelaide’s nomination as best first-year player.

Demon Clayton Oliver (right) and Carlton captain Patrick Cripps are MVP nominees. Picture: Getty Images

Cripps (2019) and Neale (2020) are previous winners of the Leigh Matthews Trophy, along with last year’s MVP Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Mitchell (2018) and Dustin Martin (2017).

Bontempelli, power forward Aaron Naughton and underrated midfielder Tom Liberatore are the Western Bulldogs’ candidates as they prepare to return to finals after Collingwood’s dramatic win on Sunday.

Each club put forward three MVP nominees, as well as a candidate for best captain, best first-year player and most courageous, with winners announced on Wednesday night.

In a sign of the esteem with which Tom Atkins is held in at Geelong, he was the Cats’ nomination for most courageous, ahead of four-time league winner Joel Selwood.

Atkins’ competition includes Carlton’s cancer survivor Sam Docherty, Hawk Blake Hardwick, Melbourne’s Jack Viney, resurgent Swan Paddy McCartin and Richmond’s Liam Baker, who is also an MVP nominee.

Could Dockers star Andrew Brayshaw be this year’s MVP? Picture: Getty Images

Both Brayshaws are in the mix for the MVP award, with Angus Brayshaw, Oliver and reigning Norm Smith medallist Christian Petracca in contention for the reigning premier Demons.

Minor premier Geelong’s MVP picks were star forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins, plus Mr Versatile Mark Blicavs, while Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow’s comeback season was also recognised.

MVP nominees 2022

Adelaide

Best captain: Rory Sloane

Best first-year player: Jake Soligo

Most courageous: Ned McHenry

MVP: Jordan Dawson, Rory Laird, Taylor Walker

Brisbane

Best captain: Dayne Zorko

BFYP: Kai Lohmann

Most courageous: Noah Answerth

MVP: Charlie Cameron, Hugh McCluggage, Lachie Neale

Carlton

Best captain: Patrick Cripps

BFYP: Jesse Motlop

Most courageous: Sam Docherty

MVP: Charlie Curnow, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh

Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow is one of the Blues’ MVP nominees. Picture: Getty Images

Collingwood

Best captain: Scott Pendlebury

BFYP: Nick Daicos

Most courageous: Brayden Maynard

MVP: Jack Crisp, Jeremy Howe, Nick Daicos

Essendon

Best captain: Dyson Heppell

BFYP: Nic Martin

Most courageous: Jayden Laverde

MVP: Mason Redman, Peter Wright, Zach Merrett

Fremantle

Best captain: Nathan Fyfe

BFYP: Neil Erasmus

Most courageous: Hayden Young

MVP: Andrew Brayshaw, Brennan Cox, Will Brodie

Tom Atkins (right) is hoping to become the next Cat to win the AFLPA’s most courageous player award. Picture: Getty Images

Geelong

Best captain: Joel Selwood

BFYP: Oliver Dempsey

Most courageous: Tom Atkins

MVP: Jeremy Cameron, Mark Blicavs, Tom Hawkins

Gold Coast Suns

Best captain: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller

BFYP: Mac Andrew

Most courageous: David Swallow

MVP: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller, Sam Collins

GWS Giants

Best captain: Josh Kelly, Toby Greene, Stephen Coniglio

BFYP: Finn Callaghan

Most courageous: Harry Perryman

MVP: Sam Taylor, Stephen Coniglio, Toby Greene

Hawthorn

Best captain: Ben McEvoy

BFYP: Connor MacDonald

Most courageous: Blake Hardwick

MVP: Dylan Moore, Jai Newcombe, James Sicily

Melbourne

Best captain: Max Gawn

BFYP: Jacob Van Rooyen

Most courageous: Jack Viney

MVP: Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver

Luke Davies-Uniacke’s career-best season was rewarded with an MVP nomination. Picture: Getty Images

North Melbourne

Best captain: Jack Ziebell

BFYP: Paul Curtis

Most courageous: Luke McDonald

MVP: Ben McKay, Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke

Port Adelaide

Best captain: Tom Jonas

BFYP: Jase Burgoyne

Most courageous: Tom Jonas

MVP: Connor Rozee, Sam Powell-Pepper, Todd Marshall

Richmond

Best captain: Dylan Grimes, Toby Nankervis

BFYP: Josh Gibcus

Most courageous: Liam Baker

MVP: Dion Prestia, Liam Baker, Shai Bolton

St Kilda

Best captain: Jack Steele

BFYP: Marcus Windhager

Most courageous: Daniel McKenzie

MVP: Callum Wilkie, Jack Sinclair, Jack Steele

Chad Warner’s Sydney teammates voted him as one of the Swans’ MVP nominees. Picture: Getty Images

Sydney

Best captain: Callum Mills, Dane Rampe, Luke Parker

BFYP: Matthew Roberts

Most courageous: Paddy McCartin

MVP: Callum Mills, Chad Warner, Isaac Heeney

West Coast

Best captain: Luke Shuey

BFYP: Brady Hough

Most courageous: Tom Barrass

MVP: Jack Redden, Shannon Hurn, Tom Barrass

Western Bulldogs

Best captain: Marcus Bontempelli

BFYP: Robbie McComb

Most courageous: Josh Dunkley

MVP: Aaron Naughton, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore