Brent Moloney is starting to pose a serious threat to teammate Pearce Hanley’s position at the top of the Club Player of the Year award.
As the Lions headed into the Bye, Hanley held a seemingly unassailable lead in the race towards the honour, which is voted on by fans each week on lions.com.au.
The Irishman had polled 1,142 votes up until Round 10 – which had him 417 votes in the clear of second-placed Moloney who had accumulated 725.
A minor back injury sidelined Moloney for the team’s next outing against Fremantle in Round 12, but the former Melbourne Best & Fairest has since returned in blistering form.
He was a key contributor in the Lions’ stunning Round 13 come-from-behind win over Geelong at the Gabba, and was once again among the side’s best against Hawthorn in Tasmania last Sunday.
Those two performances alone have seen him poll almost 200 votes in the past fortnight, which has helped bridged the gap significantly in the Club Player of the Year voting.
Moloney has rocketed up to a total of 923 votes, just 249 votes shy of Hanley (1,172).
It comes as no surprise, really, considering the bullocking midfielder ranks second in average disposals at the Club (21.9 per game) behind Tom Rockliff, and first overall in total clearances (66) and centre clearances (25).
He also has the second most inside 50s of any player with 53 – one short of Hanley’s 54 – and ranks third in tackles (61) behind Jack Redden (95) and Dayne Zorko (74).
Meanwhile, Redden has moved into outright third in Club Player of the Year voting with 641 votes, edging past fourth-placed Dayne Zorko (640).
Recently re-signed ruckman Matthew Leuenberger rounds out the top five positions with 563 votes.
Cast your votes HERE
Moloney making up ground
Brent Moloney is making a late charge in the Club Player of the Year award