Star Richmond key forward Tom Lynch’s dominant display in his first MCG final earned him the most votes in the AFL Coaches’ Association’s Gary Ayres Award voting for the Tigers v Geelong preliminary final last Friday night.
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Lynch received nine votes from rival coaches Damien Hardwick (Richmond) and Chris Scott (Geelong) after taking 10 marks, including four contested grabs and kicking five goals in the Tigers’ 19-point win.
Gun Tiger midfielder Dion Prestia polled six votes following his top-class performance – 28 disposals, 13 contested possessions, nine inside-50s, seven clearances, five tackles, three rebound-50s, two goals, three goal assists and 744 metres gained.
Brilliant Richmond rebounding backman Bachar Houli’s superb showing – a game-high 32 disposals, game-high 14 intercepts, game-high 11 marks, game-high nine rebound-50s, five inside-50s and 585 metres gained – earned him five votes.
Full voting details for the Richmond v Geelong preliminary final are:
9 – Tom Lynch (Richmond)
9 – Tim Kelly (Geelong)
6 – Dion Prestia (Richmond)
5 – Bachar Houli (Richmond)
1 – Jake Kolodjashnij (Geelong)
1 – Joel Selwood (Geelong)
