Some new faces pop into the Team of the Week after the Edge of the Crowd AFL team put their heads together to come up with the best performed 22 from the week that was Round Two.
Full Backs
Nick Blakey (Sydney)
Big wins are always led by good defensive efforts and Nick Blakey was excellent off half-back for the Swans over the weekend with 30 touches, and 19 kicks for a total of 524 metres gained.
Sam Taylor (GWS)
In a tight tussle between the Giants and the Hawks, Taylor stood up in the important moments to guarantee the win. Taylor had 20 touches with eight marks in the backline while laying three tackles and picking up a clearance.
Callum Wilkie (St Kilda)
It was the match of the round and while the Saints didn't get over the line Wilkie was excellent once again just being incredibly consistent in the back half. He had 11 marks in the backline while having 24 touches in a great overall game.
Half Backs
Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
Collingwood cemented their place as premiership favourites on the weekend and a lot of that was thanks to Nick Daicos who seems to always have the ball. He had 42 disposals with 27 kicks and seven marks while gaining 856 metres.
Aliir Aliir (Port Adelaide)
In a massive week for football in Adelaide, Port needed to stand up and grab the win against the Dogs and they did exactly that, to sit just outside of the eight now. Aliir was excellent in defence again with 11 touches, four kicks, four marks and four tackles in a proper backman game.
Dan Houston (Port Adelaide)
The Port backline was the reason they were able to get past the Dogs late and it was Houston's run off the backline that was so key. He kicked a goal while having 22 touchers and four clearances in a great all-around game.
Centres
Rory Laird (Adelaide)
The dreams of Carlton fans were shattered over the weekend with Adelaide simply being dominant on Thursday evening. Laird stood up with 37 touches and nine clearances in a massive midfield match that also saw him kick a goal.
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
There aren't many players who can sneak into this side while on a losing team but Oliver simply continues to dominate in the midfield, rack up the touches and Brownlow votes. He had 41 touches on the weekend with nine clearances.
Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
It was a tight win but a win nonetheless for the Dockers over the Gold Coast on the weekend. Serong continues to be one of the most underrated players in the competition. With 37 touches and eight clearances, it was impossible to leave him out of this side.
Half Forwards
Toby Greene (GWS)
Toby Greene has taken his game to another level since taking on the captaincy of the Giants full-time. His form has been incredible making this position his own with three goals on the weekend to go with 24 touches and a couple of clearances.
Joe Daniher (Brisbane)
He might be a slightly divisive figure in the AFL but Daniher did have a great game over the weekend in Brisbane's demolition of the Kangaroos. Daniher kicked five goals while having 18 touches when going slightly further up the ground.
Michael Walters (Fremantle)
Walters has put together a month of excellent football after a slower 2022. He was instrumental in the win over the Gold Coast with four goals amongst 13 touches which ended up being the difference between the two sides.
Full Forwards
Jake Waterman (West Coast)
It may have come in a losing side but Waterman's efforts against Geelong were of a much better quality than his overall team. He was one of the four men to kick four goals in this match but Waterman also had 20 disposals with three hit outs and a clearance.
Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
Hawkins finally got past Cameron for the best forward on the Geelong side this weekend. It was close though with both men kicking four goals. Along with the goals Hawkins had 14 touches with six hit outs and a couple of clearances while assisting a couple of other goals.
Tom Papley (Sydney)
Papely may have had the biggest match of the round. With 25 disposals and five clearances for 686 metres gained Papley could have got in the team with those stats alone. But of course, the also booted six goals to make it certain he would be picked for the team of the week.
Rucks
Mark Blicavs (Geelong)
The key to a massive win is giving your midfielders the first use of the ball and that's exactly what Blicavs did over the weekend. Along with 29 hit outs, he kicked two goals while having eight clearances.
Jordan Dawson (Adelaide)
To beat out the Carlton midfield isn't easy but Dawson along with Laird allowed them to run over Walsh and Cripps to get the win. Dawson had 32 touches with seven clearances while setting up three additional goals for his side.
Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
Neale is still a top-five player in the AFL and proved it during the win over the Kangaroos with 37 touches and 13 clearances while setting up an easy Daniher goal. He will certainly be up the top in the Brownlow votes again this year.
Interchange
Jack Lukosius (Gold Coast), Zak Butters (Port Adelaide), Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne), Zac Merrett (Essendon).
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