That's according to Nathan Buckley and Kevin Sheedy, at least.
Key defender Ben Reid and midfield dynamo Dane Swan each polled nine votes in Collingwood’s 120-point demolition of Greater Western Sydney as the latter moved back into ninth place on the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year leader board.
Reid was sublime at centre half back, showcasing the form that made him one of the best backmen in the country twelve months ago. The 23-year-old has been hampered by a quad injury during 2012 but has strung six consecutive games together since returning after the mid-season break and has steadily worked his way into peak form.
He disposed of the ball on 25 occasions, with 14 kicks and 11 handballs. Thirteen of his touches came from marks - a high watermark in his 65 game career.
Meanwhile, Swan continues his startling form that must surely have him in contention for back-to-back Brownlow Medals.
The powerhouse made as much of an impact in attack as he did in the midfield. Although he gathered his stock standard 37 possessions, Swan pushed forward to kick a career-high five goals. It bettered his previous record of four, achieved once in 2006 and twice last season. The majority of the opposition may still only be at the beginning of their AFL journeys, but Swan’s performance would earn top billing against any of the other 17 clubs.
Swan has now polled in three of his past five games and sits in ninth position overall with 58 votes.
Another two of Collingwood’s 2011 All-Australians, Scott Pendlebury and Travis Cloke, also received the nod from the coaches. Both picked up three votes for their role in the Magpies’ 13th win of the year, with Pendlebury gathering another 33 possessions and Cloke adding a season-high six goals to take his running tally to 41.
Two young Giants, Adam Treloar (five) and Toby Greene (one) also bobbed up on the voting sheet as Sheedy’s men continue to serve notice of a bright future.
Richmond’s Trent Cotchin continues to lead the competition on 80 votes with Jobe Watson (75) and Scott Thompson (72) hot on his heels. Dayne Beams is Collingwood’s leading vote getter with 70 votes after 18 rounds, heading a pack including Pendlebury (66) and Swan (58).
Greater Western Sydney v Collingwood Voting
| Votes | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ben Reid | Coll |
| 9 | Dane Swan | Coll |
| 5 | Adam Treloar | GWS |
| 3 | Travis Cloke | Coll |
| 3 | Scott Pendlebury | Coll |
| 1 | Toby Greene | GWS |
Collingwood leader board for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year (number of matches the player polled)
| Votes | Player |
|---|---|
| 67 | Dayne Beams (8) |
| 66 | Scott Pendlebury (7) |
| 58 | Dane Swan (9) |
| 32 | Steele Sidebottom (5) |
| 24 | Ben Reid (3) |
| 16 | Dale Thomas (5) |
| 14 | Travis Cloke (4) |
| 12 | Jarryd Blair (4) |
| 11 | Harry O'Brien (3) |
| 7 | Sharrod Wellingham (4) |
| 4 | Nick Maxwell (2) |
| 3 | Nathan Brown (1) |
| 3 | Ben Johnson (1) |
| 3 | Heath Shaw (1) |
| 1 | Marty Clarke (1) |
| 1 | Alan Didak (1) |
| 1 | Tyson Goldsack (1) |
Leader board for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year
| Votes | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | Trent Cotchin | Richmond |
| 75 | Jobe Watson | Essendon |
| 72 | Scott Thompson | Adelaide |
| 70 | Gary Ablett | Gold Coast |
| 67 | Dayne Beams | Collingwood |
| 66 | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs |
| 66 | Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood |
| 59 | Sam Mitchell | Hawthorn |
| 58 | Dane Swan | Collingwood |
| 57 | Andrew Swallow | North Melbourne |
