Brodie Grundy could be on track to pick up a third All-Australian blazer this year after a blistering five-game stretch in which he’s been arguably the best-performed player in the AFL.
Grundy has polled 8-9-8-10-9 votes in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award in the Swans’ last five games, having been voted best afield twice, equal best once and second-best twice.
He was rated second-best to teammate Nick Blakey against Richmond, equal best with Isaac Heeney against Port Adelaide, second-best to the Bulldogs’ Joel Freijah, and outright best against Fremantle and St Kilda.
So dominant has Grundy been that in the last six weeks, despite a bye in Round 14, his 44 coaches votes in Rounds 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18 heads the tally of Port Adelaide’s Zac Butters (35), Geelong’s Max Holmes and Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli (26) and Collingwood’s Nick Daicos and GWS’ Finn Callaghan (24).
Only four other players have had 20 votes in that time – Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell and Bulldogs’ Ed Richards (22), Fremantle’s Caleb Serong (21) and Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson (20).
With six rounds to play Grundy sits 12th on the overall leaderboard with 57 votes – behind Anderson (75), Butters (71), Adelaide’s ex-Swan Jordan Dawson (70), Nick Daicos (69), Serong and Geelong’s Bailey Smith (66), Richards (63), Melbourne’s Max Gawn, Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage and Port’s Connor Rozee (59), and North’s Tristan Xerri (58).
Grundy, who has been denied a chance to take on Xerri at the SCG on Saturday after the Kangaroos big man was suspended for three matches by the AFL tribunal on Thursday night, has polled what might be considered ‘major votes’ – 8-9-10 – five times.
Only Anderson and Butters (6) have done so more often, while Dawson, McCluggage and brothers Nick and Josh Daicos also have polled 8-plus votes five times.
In the Swans vote in the coaches’ award, Grundy (57) heads Isaac Heeney (36), Chad Warner (34) and James Jordon (24).
His recent hot spell has thrust him into the conversation for All-Australian selection, which if the coaches’ votes is a guide is a battle between Grundy, Gawn and Xerri.
Grundy was All-Australian in 2018 and ‘19 when he won the Collingwood best and fairest, polling 17 votes in the Brownlow in 2018 to finish equal 10th and 23 votes for equal 6th in 2019.
In his second season with the Swans and enjoying a relationship with Swans coach and West Coast ruck great Dean Cox, 31-year-old Grundy has not missed a game, with his run of 43 consecutive games fourth best at the club behind Nick Blakey (81), Will Hayward (53) and James Jordan (44).
Averaging 18.6 disposals, 35.7 hit-outs, 10.8 hit-outs to advantage, 5.6 clearances and 4.4 tackles, Grundy is #2 among ruckmen for disposals behind Gawn, #5 for hit-outs and #3 for hit-outs to advantage behind Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts and Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek, #3 for clearances behind Xerri and Gawn and #3 for tackles behind Xerri and Meek.
In overall playing ratings for the season, Grundy is #22 in the League at 14.89. Among the ruckmen, Fremantle’s Luke Jackson (17.29) is highest at #4 overall, with North’s Xerri (17.15) at #5 overall, while Gawn (14.52) is at #27 overall.
But in his last five games Grundy is ranked the #1 player in the competition overall at 19.84, ahead of GWS’ Finn Callaghan (19.68), the Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli (19.02).
In recent years All-Australian selectors have included three ruckmen in the preliminary squad of what is now 44 players (originally 40) and picked one or two ruckmen in the All-Australian team.
In 2018 Grundy was named on the bench in the final team behind Gawn, with Geelong’s part-time ruckman Mark Blicavs in the squad. And in 2019 Grundy was the nominated ruckman, with Gawn on the bench and Blicavs in the squad.
In 2020 West Coast’s Nic Naitanui was the first-choice ruckman ahead of Gawn, who was named on the bench, with Blicavs in the squad, and in 2021 it was Gawn from Naitanui, with Fremantle’s Shaun Darcy in the squad.
In 2022, Gawn got the #1 job from Blicavs, with Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts in the squad, and in 2023 the Western Bullldogs’ Tim English was the only ruckman selected in the All-Australian team after St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall and Jackson were in the squad.
And last year Gawn was chosen one-out in the team after Xerri and Collingwood’s ex-Swan Darcy Cameron were included in the squad.
