This Wednesday night’s Charles Sutton Medal is set to be a tight race, with multiple Bulldogs in contention to claim the award for the Club’s best and fairest player.
With a number of impressive performances across the board from the group’s experienced players and young pups, westernbulldogs.com.au has taken a look at this year’s key stats leaders and main contenders (in alphabetical order).
The 2018 Charles Sutton Medal will be streamed live via westernbulldogs.com.au from 7:30pm on Wednesday October 3.
For live updates throughout the night, follow @westernbulldogs on Twitter here
Marcus Bontempelli
19 games - averaged 24.1 disposals, 3.3 marks, 4.5 clearances, 4.5 inside-50s, 3.7 tackles per match.
The dual Charles Sutton Medallist continued his impressive form throughout the midfield and forward line in 2018, collecting a career-high 37 disposals in Round 22 against Carlton.
Missing three games this year, Bontempelli managed to lead the Club’s inside-50 count and ranked second for goal assists, keeping him in the hunt to win best and fairest honours for a third straight year.
19 games - averaged 21.9 disposals, 4.9 marks, 5.9 tackles, 5.2 score involvements per match.
After a brief stint in the VFL midway through the year, Dunkley returned with the confidence to tackle some of the AFL’s biggest midfielders.
A testament to his impressive work rate in 2018, Dunkley polled the maximum three Brownlow Medal votes for his Round 15 performance against Geelong, where he laid an outstanding seven tackles and booted two goals.
Lachie Hunter
21 games - averaged 29.8 disposals, 5.6 marks, 3.7 inside-50s, 2.8 tackles per match.
Hunter ranked eighth in the AFL for total effective disposals, while leading the Dogs’ total disposals and marks tally in 2018.
This was a significant improvement on last season, where he averaged 22.6 disposals, and better than his outstanding 2016 season, where he averaged 27.6 disposals.
Hunter’s career-high 44-disposal, eight-mark effort against North Melbourne in Round 21, and his 35 touches, 13 marks and goal against Essendon in Round 3 were season highlights.
22 games - averaged 21.1 disposals, 4 marks, 4.1 score involvements, 3.3 inside-50s per game.
Alongside 22-year-old Toby McLean, Johannisen was one of two Bulldogs to play every game in 2018.
In one of his best performances for 2018, Johannisen impressed against the Saints in Round 20, helping the Club break a four-game losing streak.
Bringing his trademark run and carry off half back, he finished with a career-high 42 disposals, amassing 12 rebound-50s and delivering the ball inside 50 five times.
Jack Macrae
19 games - averaged 32.8 disposals, 5.8 marks, 6.2 clearances and 5.4 tackles per match.
Ranked second in the AFL for average disposals, Macrae was also ranked second at the Club for total marks and third for tackles.
Despite missing three games due to a hamstring injury, the prolific ball winner was a crucial member of the Dogs’ midfield in 2018, leading the Club’s 2018 Brownlow medal count at 14 votes.
Toby McLean
22 games - averaged 23.9 disposals, 3.9 marks, 5.6 score involvements, 4.1 clearances, 5.7 tackles per game.
Topping the Club’s total tackle count in 2018, rising star Toby McLean had a breakthrough 2018 season, plying his trade through the midfield and taking his game to another level.
Recognised as one of the Dogs’ toughest, hardest-tackling ball winners in the midfield, the 22-year-old made improvements across his whole game in 2018.
Aaron Naughton
18 games - averaged 11.6 disposals, 4.3 marks, 2.1 tackles per game.
Despite missing four games due to an ankle injury, Naughton lead the Dogs’ contested marks category, taking 27 in his first season of senior football.
In 2018 the 18-year-old Western Australian was handed the task of playing on some of the game’s best key forwards, while also showing his versatility within the forward line - booting two goals against North Melbourne in Round 14.
