Voting for the Magpie Army Player of the Year Award is underway for 2015.

Collingwood Media looks at the performances of some of the players who were among the best in the Magpies 37-point loss to Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday.


Collingwood’s top performers


36. Dane Swan
Statistics: 17 kicks, 19 handballs, 36 disposals, 8 clearances, 8 inside 50s.
Swan’s remarkable run of form against Melbourne continued as he accumulated another 35 disposals against the Demons on Saturday. It means he now averages 28.38 touches per game against the red and blue – his fifth highest against any team. So often the saviour for the Magpies over the years, Swan’s performance was one shining light on a dark day for Collingwood. He used the ball at 77.7 per cent efficiency in a game which coach Nathan Buckley described as the Magpies only four-quarter performance of the day. His disposals were spread evenly throughout the afternoon, with 10 touches at 90 per cent efficiency his most productive quarter. 

13. Taylor Adams
Statistics: 13 kicks, 13 handballs, 26 disposals, 6 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal.
Adams’ aggression got the better of him three weeks ago and he was suspended for two matches. Costly yes, but has he made up for the error in judgement which saw him rubbed out? A 26-disposal, six-mark, seven-tackle game would suggest that he certainly has. Unlike a lot of his teammates, it was Adams’ first look at Melbourne this year after he missed Queens Birthday through injury. He appeared to like what he saw at the MCG. He was dominant in the middle of the game, putting a quiet start behind him and collecting 16 possessions in the second and third quarters. He kicked the Magpies within ten points of the Demons at the 21-minute mark of the third quarter with his fifth goal of the season.

1. Alex Fasolo
Statistics: 12 kicks, 4 handballs, 16 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals.
With Travis Cloke missing and Jamie Elliott wearing the substitutes vest, Fasolo became Collingwood’s leading forward in the first half of the game against the Demons. Melbourne kicked the first two goals of the game and the Magpies were on the back-foot. At the 13-minute mark, Fasolo stepped up, kicking his first and getting his side on the board. He followed with a second goal at the ten minute mark of the second quarter as the Magpies kicked three goals in a row to cut Melbourne’s lead back to a single point. The 23-year-olds 16-disposal performance was arguably his best of the year, with a three-goal game against the Gold Coast in round eight potentially his best game prior to Saturday’s performance.  

12. Matt Scharenberg
Statistics: 
6 kicks, 10 handballs, 16 disposals, 1 mark, 2 inside 50s.
Did the first-gamer do enough to warrant a cheeky vote from the Magpie Army? The 19-year-old was told he was making his debut just half an hour before the game after Tyson Goldsack injured his quad in the warm-up. The disrupted preparation potentially played a factor in a quiet opening quarter in which Scharenberg had just two disposals. However the 2013 No. 6 Draft selection sprung to life in the second quarter as Collingwood attempted to wrestle back Melboune’s early lead. He had nine disposals in the term – equal with stars Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan as Collingwood’s leading possession winners. It’s pretty impressive company, and Scharenberg will be hoping his name will continue to be read out in the same sentence as the pair in years to come.

How the voting system works
Head to fansmvp.afl.com.au/collingwoodfc/ and register your account. Then, assign three votes to the player you deem to be the best Collingwood player for the game, two votes to the second best player and one vote to the third best.

About the Magpie Army Player of the Year Award
The Magpie Army Player of the Year Award is received by the player deemed the most influential of the season by the Collingwood supporters each year.

In 2015, two tickets are on offer to the E.W. Copeland Trophy Dinner in October for those who cast their vote during the season.

The winner, selected at random, will be afforded the opportunity to present the Magpie Army Player of the Year Award to the winning player, plus receive a photograph with the winner following the presentation.