Crown Palladium will be emblazoned with red, white and blue tonight, as the Western Bulldogs descend on the venue for the annual best and fairest vote count.
Fresh from inclusion in the All Australian 40-man squad, ruckman Will Minson and midfielder Ryan Griffen will headline the names looking to claim the coveted Charles Sutton Medal.
Griffen has won the Sutton Medal previously in 2010, before Western Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd claimed back-to-back best and fairest honours in 2011 and 2012.
Playing every game of the home and away season, Minson could hold the advantage over Griffen in the vote count.
Griffen missed games against Geelong and West Coast early in the season through injury.
Another to have played every game in 2013 is emerging midfielder Tom Liberatore, who finished the home and away season ranked the number once clearance player in the AFL.
Liberatore also ranked second in contested possessions and fourth in tackles, surpassing Griffen in all three statistical categories.
Minson finished the year as the competition's preeminent tap ruck man, leading the AFL for hit-outs and hit-outs to advantage.
Both Liberatore and Minson will be searching for their maiden top-five finish in the Dogs' best and fairest vote count tonight.
Griffen meanwhile ranked seventh in the AFL for total possessions, second for inside 50s and eighth for clearances.
Senior players Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy shouldn't be discounted when the votes are tallied, with both playing significant roles off half-back and through the midfield in 2013, providing class and leadership that won't be under-estimated by the coaches.
Dale Morris is another likely to figure prominently, playing every game of the season after missing the 2012 season through injury. The dour defender played a significant role in the Club's back-six tackling some of the competition's most dangerous tall and small forwards, and was seldom beaten.
A reinvented Mitch Wallis excelled in the back half of the season, playing important shutdown roles on some of the opposition’s best midfielders while proving equally damaging as an offensive threat with ball in hand.
Leading the Club's goal-kicking Luke Dahlhaus and Daniel Giansiracusa were important figures in the Bulldogs' forward setup, both hitting the scoreboard and setting up others.
Meanwhile at the other end of the ground, Jordan Roughead stood tall in the last line of defence . Regularly earning the praise of the coaching panel for his close-checking roles on the opposition's number one key forward, the understated backman could surprise when the final votes are in.
Stay tuned to westernbulldogs.com.au from 6:30pm tonight for rolling coverage of proceedings from the room at Crown Palladium.
