FIVE Carlton representatives will find out tonight whether or not they have featured in the respective VFL and VFLW Teams of the Year.
With the state league awards to take place ahead of this Sunday’s VFL Grand Final (to be staged at IKON Park), the Blues could have a number of players come away with nods on the night.
From a VFL perspective, Ben Crocker, Paddy Dow and Will Hayes were named in the squad for the VFL Team of the Year, while Lily Goss and Jorja Borg were named in the VFLW equivalent.
Crocker once again finished the season as the Carlton Reserves’ leading goalkicker, finishing with 38 goals for the year, while Hayes started the year as a VFL Blue before his strong performances on the wing saw him elevated to the AFL list via the mid-season draft in the second half of 2022.
In the case of Dow, the onballer was consistently outstanding for the VFL Blues, averaging 29 disposals and just shy of a goal a game. There were 10 occasions where Dow finished with 30 disposals or more, finishing the campaign with 41 disposals and a goal against the Brisbane Lions in a narrow semi final defeat.
Given Dow’s form line as a midfielder, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him feature at the business end of the J.J. Liston Trophy count. He was also in fourth position of the VFL Coaches Award with five games to play, before votes stopped being shared publicly ahead of the awards night.
Borg was a key position presence for the Blues on her way to being recruited to the Bombers’ AFLW list, while Monday night could cap off a big 48 hours for Lily Goss.
Starting 2022 with the VFLW Blues, Goss’ reputation as a no-nonsense midfielder saw her recruited to Carlton in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft in July: she made her senior debut on the weekend, overcoming a shoulder injury in pre-season to earn her spot in the Game Changers’ Round 3 draw against Port Adelaide.
Tonight’s 2022 VFL and VFLW Awards begins from 7pm and will be broadcast live on AFL.com.au.