DUSTIN Martin has taken the lead in the race for the Gary Ayres Award for the best finals player in the eyes of the coaches.
The superstar Tiger claimed eight votes against the Giants, the same as teammate Daniel Rioli, with captain Trent Cotchin winning seven votes.
Martin and Cotchin are now first and second in the race for the prestigious award.
In the other preliminary final, Crow Charlie Cameron claimed nine votes after bagging five goals in the win over the Cats.
Every round, the AFL coaches vote for the best players from their game. The coaches vote for five players, giving them a mark from 1-5. The maximum a player can score is 10 (with five votes from both coaches).
GEELONG v SYDNEY
9 Charlie Cameron (Adel)
8 Rory Laird (Adel)
4 Rory Sloane (Adel)
4 Daniel Talia (Adel)
3 Brad Crouch (Adel)
1 Tom Lynch (Adel)
1 Paul Seedsman (Adel)
RICHMOND v GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
8 Dustin Martin (Rich)
8 Daniel Rioli (Rich)
7 Trent Cotchin (Rich)
4 Callan Ward (GWS)
2 Alex Rance (Rich)
1 Adam Tomlinson (GWS)
GARY AYRES AWARD LEADERBOARD
17 Dustin Martin (Rich)
15 Trent Cotchin (Rich)
14 Callan Ward (GWS)
11 Brad Crouch (Adel)
10 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel)
10 Josh Kennedy (Syd)
10 Luke Shuey (WC)
9 Charlie Cameron (Adel)
8 Eddie Betts (Adel)
8 Stephen Coniglio (GWS)
8 Mitch Duncan (Geel)
8 Rory Laird (Adel)
8 Jeremy McGovern (WC)
8 Luke Parker (Syd)
8 Daniel Rioli (Rich)
