AFLCA: Sam Gibson polls eight votes
Sam Gibson’s excellent game in the West was rewarded with eight votes from the coaches.
During the week it was Gibson who came in for special praise from the Fremantle coach, and the 27 year-old backed it up with a stunning finish in a memorable win.
With 14 disposals and a goal in the final term, he ended with 31 and two goals for the game - the leading Roo possession getter and one of only four multiple goal-kickers on the ground.
Gibson also played on Stephen Hill during the night. The dangerous Docker had just 19 disposals and was well down on his usual output.
Brent Harvey was another North player to take the points in his matchup. 29 disposals in the first three quarters against Ryan Crowley emphatically laid to rest any doubts over whether he could handle the Fremantle tag.
The number 29 was awarded with eight votes which took him to the top of the North Melbourne leaderboard, leapfrogging both Ben Cunnington and Scott Thompson.
Playing against one of his old coaches, Nick Dal Santo was another to star.
Perhaps slightly relieved he wasn’t the recipient of the Crowley tag, the former Saints enjoyed the extra space to notch 28 disposals and an important goal in the third quarter to tie the scores.
Shaun Atley also polled his first vote of the season, collecting 22 disposals and seven marks.
Round 6: Fremantle vs North Melbourne
8 – Nathan Fyfe (Frem)
8 – Sam Gibson (NM)
8 – Brent Harvey (NM)
4 – Nick Dal Santo (NM)
1 – Shaun Atley (NM)
1 – Michael Johnson (Frem)
NMFC leaderboard
21 – Brent Harvey
20 – Ben Cunnington
19 – Scott Thompson
9 – Sam Gibson
8 – Nick Dal Santo
7 – Levi Greenwood
5 – Leigh Adams
2 – Daniel Wells
2 – Lindsay Thomas
2 – Ryan Bastinac
1 – Shaun Atley