THE PLAYER of the match, as adjudged by both the coaches and Carlton fans.

On the back of his best showing in Navy Blue so far, Nick Haynes received the acclaim by topping the coaches’ votes for his Round 7 showing, while also being voted the Blues’ player of the match with nearly 35 per cent of the vote.

Coming into the game as a consistent presence in a miserly Carlton backline, Haynes shone in front of over 67,000 people at the MCG on the way to earning eight coaches’ votes.

02:08

AFL R7 | Player of the match

Watch all the highlights from our Anaconda player of the match, Nick Haynes

With 20 disposals and a game-high 13 marks (eight of which were intercepts), Haynes was a defensive rock for the Blues, starring alongside Mitch McGovern, Jacob Weitering and Jack Silvagni.

On a day where the Blues had no shortage of contributors, Sam Walsh - who received seven votes - helped set the game up in the first half where he had 20 of his 30 disposals as well as two direct goal assists.

Damaging on the outside, Walsh was able to reap the rewards of the contest work from some of the Blues’ physical inside midfielders, including the Batman to his Robin in Patrick Cripps (five votes).

With 29 disposals, nine clearances and eight tackles, Cripps was typically imposing on the big stage as his side opened up a big clearance differential before a late Geelong fightback.

Rounding things out from a Carlton perspective were a pair of Blues at either end that both stood up massively in the second half, ultimately receiving four votes each.

Mitch McGovern’s third quarter was superb, contributing 10 disposals and five intercepts with a series of wins on the last night that drew the praise of AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss.

Then, there was Harry McKay, who was the most popular man in the stadium on Sunday. Back playing football with a smile on his face, McKay brought joy to hundreds of thousands of Carlton fans with a towering performance, hauling in 12 marks (five contested) and three goals in a dominant second-half display.

AFLCA votes for Round 7:

8 - Nick Haynes (CARL)
7 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
5 - Patrick Cripps (CARL)
4 - Mitch McGovern (CARL)
4 - Harry McKay (CARL)
2 - Connor O’Sullivan (GEEL)