WEEKENDS during September are when the AFL plays its finals. Weeknights are for the awards.
The AFL awards season kicked off last week with the NAB AFL Rising Star Awards, accurately described here last week as "less Brownlow than school presentation night."
Monday night was the first of the awards for the 'grown ups', the Australian Football League Player Association's Most Valuable Player Awards, a name so mealy-mouthed it is in the midst of becoming known simply - and more sensibly - as the Players Awards.
It was held at the Palladium Room at Crown, football's second home in September. The Rising Star was held there last week, while the Coaches' Association will be there next week, while the Brownlow Medal, held the Monday before the Grand Final, will bring the place to a standstill.
For some reason, next week's All Australian Awards will be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre and not at Crown. Someone really should conduct an investigation as to why.
Still, there were elements of the Brownlow at the Players' Awards. There was a red carpet arrangement (even though the rug itself was black) with Sarah Jones from Fox Sports waiting patiently for the players to stroll past.
The problem for poor old Sarah was that the players took their sweet time doing so. They came late and in a rush. The problem for the attendant photographers, meanwhile, was that many of the players in attendance chose to bring teammates as their dates. Lots of Chapel Street suits, not so many Chapel Street dresses.
So while the glam factor was not quite in evidence, what should not be discounted is the growing importance of the awards.
They have become a bigger deal by the year. Once held the night before the Grand Final - therefore ensuring minimal media coverage - the player awards have now muscled into the second week of the finals, and with a delayed TV broadcast to add to the prestige.
It was, as AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis noted, not the first time for the year the association had staged a mass gathering of AFL players. Last time was in July for an information session about the drawn-out negotiations with the AFL for a new Collective bargaining Agreement.
"There was no red carpet. The dress code was definitely more skinny black jeans and beanie than the traditional black suit and tie. But there was a commonality between that event and what we celebrate tonight," Finnis said.
"It's about being united, courageous, supportive and respectful. It's about the shared leadership of 800 young men. We describe it about being 'for players, by players'."
The unity factor helped get players to the awards when there are other places they might rather be. Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell left two screaming babies and a bemused wife to come to the dinner.
"What the AFLPA has shown this year is that the players are right behind it and there really is a united front," he said. "I think the AFLPA has come a long way in the last few years and you saw that every player in the competition was here for that meeting when we discussed the CBA."
Chris Judd, who when not preparing for the finals this month will be busy drafting acceptance speeches for all the awards he is likely to win, also placed a premium on being there. He ended up winning the MVP and the award for the best captain.
"Tonight's a pretty special night, to recognise the achievement of the playing group and to be honoured by your peers," the Carlton champion said.
"It is important for the members to show their support of the AFLPA and I guess tonight's a great indication of that."
Backing the association was the theme of the night and the expectation in the room was the negotiations for the new CBA were inching closer towards a resolution perhaps as soon as Thursday's deadline or not long afterwards.
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the AFL or the clubs.
You can follow Ashley Browne on Twitter @witter.com/hashbrowne