Ziebell was almost unstoppable in the second half against the Crows and on another afternoon, he could quite easily have ended up with at least six or seven goals. The North vice-captain also had 25 disposals and 8 marks.
Coming off 10 votes in Round 21 against the Bulldogs, Andrew Swallow polled a further five against Adelaide.
Swallow had 11 clearances against the Crows, taking his total in the last fortnight to 21. It’s three more than any other player in the AFL and it indicates the captain is hitting peak form at just the right time of year.
After a couple of quiet weeks, Nick Dal Santo responded with a 28-possession game and four votes.
The left footer was equally important at both ends of the ground – he had four inside 50’s as well as five rebound 50’s. He also stood up when the game was in the balance, amassing eight last quarter disposals.
Todd Goldstein took the honours in his duel with Sam Jacobs and was rewarded with three votes, while Levi Greenwood polled two and Sam Gibson one.
With one round to go, Brent Harvey still holds a slim lead at the top of the North Melbourne leaderboard, but Ben Cunnington can still overtake him. The young midfielder is just seven votes behind the veteran in the AFL Coaches Association (AFLCA) champion player award.
Harvey has amassed more votes than any other North player so far this season, but can’t claim any more due to suspension. The 36-year-old’s tally ended on 52, giving him a seven-vote lead over Cunnington’s 45.
Harvey has polled in ten matches throughout the season with his best effort coming in Round 9 against Brisbane, awarded nine votes by Brad Scott and Justin Leppitsch.
Cunnington has polled in eight games overall and was awarded the maximum votes (10) in two games (Rounds 3 and 20).
Key defender Scott Thompson is in third place with 37 ahead of Levi Greenwood on 34 and Todd Goldstein on 31.
Round 22: North Melbourne v Adelaide
10 – Jack Ziebell (NM)
5 – Andrew Swallow (NM)
4 – Nick Dal Santo (NM)
4 – Richard Douglas (Adel)
3 – Todd Goldstein (NM)
2 – Levi Greenwood (NM)
1 – Sam Gibson (NM)
1 – Scott Thompson (Adel)
NMFC leaderboard
52 – Brent Harvey
45 – Ben Cunnington
37 – Scott Thompson
34 – Levi Greenwood
31 – Todd Goldstein
27 – Nick Dal Santo
23 – Andrew Swallow
22 – Drew Petrie
19 – Sam Gibson
12 – Lachlan Hansen
10 – Jack Ziebell
8 – Sam Wright
7 – Leigh Adams
6 – Lindsay Thomas
6 – Ryan Bastinac
3 – Michael Firrito
2 – Daniel Wells
1 – Shaun Atley
