The AFL Players’ Association is pleased to announce the 48 players nominated by their teammates as the most valuable in the competition this year.

Every AFL player in the competition voted for the three teammates whose form warranted consideration for the prestigious Leigh Matthews Trophy for Most Valuable Player.

Now all AFL players will vote as to which of the 48 nominees (three from each club) deserves to be this years Most Valuable Player. Players cannot vote for their own teammates.

Each player will also vote on the other award categories: Most Courageous Player, Best First Year Player and the Best Captain.

The AFL Players’ Association Most Valuable Player Awards are the only awards determined by players themselves.

The winner will be announced on Monday 8 September at Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt and will be broadcast on Fox Sports.

This year’s nominations include an impressive list of return nominees and first time nominations, and some interesting inclusions across all categories:

Leigh Matthews Trophy for Most Valuable Player:

Dean Cox, Alan Didak, Lance Franklin, Adam Cooney and Brendan Fevola are amongst those nominated for the first time in the Most Valuable Player category. Gary Ablett, Jonathan Brown, Brent Harvey and Chris Judd have all been nominated by their respective clubs once again.

The Best First Year Player:

This category will be hotly contested with Matthew Kreuzer, Rhys Palmer and Cyril Rioli all likely to figure prominently. Austin Wonnaeamirri and Bradd Dalziell, who both got overlooked at their first drafts are also likely to be in the mix. This award is distinguished from the NAB Rising Star Award in that only players in their first contract year are eligible to win.

Robert Rose Most Courageous Award:

Jonathan Brown figures once again in the Most Courageous Award, along with brothers Joel and Adam Selwood, recently retired Shaun McManus, previous winner Brett Kirk and emerging Port Adelaide star Tom Logan.

Player nominations for the LEIGH MATTHEWS TROPHY FOR MOST VALUABLE PLAYER:

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Adelaide

Nathan Bock, Jason Porplyzia & Scott Thompson

Brisbane

Simon Black, Jonathan Brown & Luke Power

Carlton

Brendan Fevola, Chris Judd & Nick Stevens

Collingwood

Alan Didak, Paul Medhurst & Dane Swan

Essendon

David Hille, Mark McVeigh & Andrew Welsh

Fremantle

Luke McPharlin, Matthew Pavlich & Aaron Sandilands

Geelong

Gary Ablett, Joel Corey & Joel Selwood

Hawthorn

Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge & Sam Mitchell

Melbourne

Cameron Bruce, Brad Green & Paul Wheatley

North Melbourne

Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie & Adam Simpson

Port Adelaide

Domenic Cassisi, Kane Cornes & Steven Salopek

Richmond

Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley & Matthew Richardson

St Kilda

Lenny Hayes, Max Hudghton & Nick Riewoldt

Sydney

Brett Kirk, Jarred McVeigh & Ryan O’Keefe

West Coast Eagles

Dean Cox, Andrew Embley & Adam Selwood

Western Bulldogs

Adam Cooney, Daniel Cross & Robert Murphy

The players from each club nominated for the other categories include:

ROBERT ROSE AWARD FOR MOST COURAGEOUS PLAYER

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Adelaide

Michael Doughty

Brisbane

Jonathan Brown

Carlton

Simon Wiggins

Collingwood

Nick Maxwell

Essendon

Henry Slattery

Fremantle

Shaun McManus

Geelong

Joel Selwood

Hawthorn

Luke Hodge

Melbourne

Brad Green

North Melbourne

Daniel Pratt

Port Adelaide

Tom Logan

Richmond

Matthew Richardson

St Kilda

Max Hudghton

Sydney

Brett Kirk

West Coast Eagles

Adam Selwood

Western Bulldogs

Daniel Cross

BEST FIRST YEAR PLAYER AWARD

Adelaide

Jarrhan Jacky

Brisbane

Bradd Dalziell

Carlton

Matthew Kreuzer

Collingwood

John McCarthy

Essendon

David Myers

Fremantle

Rhys Palmer

Geelong

Harry Taylor

Hawthorn

Cyril Rioli

Melbourne

Austin Wonaeamirri

North Melbourne

Scott Thompson

Port Adelaide

Mitch Farmer

Richmond

Trent Cotchin

St Kilda

Ben McEvoy

Sydney

Craig Bird

West Coast Eagles

Brad Ebert

Western Bulldogs

Callan Ward

BEST CAPTAIN AWARD

Adelaide

Simon Goodwin

Brisbane

Jonathan Brown, Luke Power, Nigel Lappin & Simon Black

Carlton

Chris Judd

Collingwood

Scott Burns

Essendon

Matthew Lloyd

Fremantle

Matthew Pavlich

Geelong

Tom Harley

Hawthorn

Sam Mitchell

North Melbourne

Adam Simpson

Melbourne

James McDonald

Port Adelaide

Warren Tredrea

Richmond

Kane Johnson

St Kilda

Nick Riewoldt

Sydney

Leo Barry, Craig Bolton & Brett Kirk

West Coast Eagles

Darren Glass

Western Bulldogs

Brad Johnson

AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED ON 8 SEPTEMBER 2008:

The Most Valuable Player (Leigh Matthews Trophy)

Since it was first awarded to Leigh Matthews in 1982, the MVP has been won by true champions of the competition. Versatility, ability to play under pressure, skill, leadership, courage, respect for all players, and overall value to a team, are all qualities found in the MVP.

The ‘Robert Rose’ Most Courageous Player Award

The recipients of the Robert Rose ‘Most Courageous Player Award’ are selfless, committed and fiercely loyal.

The Best Captain Award

Each captain has identifiable qualities which have made them team leaders. Given the opportunity, most players would not hesitate to say their captain is the best in the league. But what if they had to vote for any captain but their own?

The Best First Year Player Award

The AFLPA recognize the difficulty that first year players must overcome and as such struck the Best First Year Player Award in 1999.

The Education & Training Excellence Award

Each year the AFL Players’ Association seeks to recognise a player who has managed to excel in the combination of further education with their AFL careers.

The Grant Hattam Trophy

Since 1999, the AFLPA has recognised excellence in football journalism by awarding the Grant Hattam Trophy to the creator of the best piece of football journalism from the players' perspective.

The AFL Players’ Association MVP Awards
Exclusive on FOX SPORTS 1
9:30pm Monday 8 September 2008