As the Player of the Year standings look, seven rounds in...

This is an interesting way to look at how a team is accomplishing what it's accomplishing this year... team by team, top of the ladder to the bottom, here's a quick spot check of what the Following Football AFL Player of the Year standings look like:

Fremantle (7-0)
Nat Fyfe leads all players by a wide margin, with 87 points (no one else is over 55), but look at the help he's getting: David Mundy (36 points), Lachie Neale (31), Matthew Pavlich and Stephen Hill (both 30), and Luke McPharlin (25), all in the top forty or so. In fact, the Dockers have a total of 14 players with votes this season so far, a nice "in-between" number that seems to indicate that a good set of starters are getting the job done for Fremantle.

West Coast (5-2)
While the Eagles have 17 players with accumulated votes so far, their leading vote-getter is reigning Brownlow medalist Matt Priddis with just 32 votes. Eliot Yeo and Josh Kennedy sit right behind the midfielder with 28 votes each, and Jeremy McGovern has 24.

Sydney (5-2)
The "other" Josh Kennedy has 39 votes for the Sydney Swans, but it's the great midfielder Dan Hannebury leading the team with 51 votes, good for third so far in the competition. Superstar Lance Franklin (32) is the other Swan in the top twenty, with 15 players totaling votes so far after seven weeks for Sydney.

Adelaide (5-2)
Moving up fast on everybody's radar is the phenomenal little forward Eddie Betts, the leader in the goal-scoring race for the Coleman Medal, who leads the Crows with 49 votes. Remind me again why Carlton didn't want him? On his heels are Rory Sloane (34 votes) and Patrick Dangerfield (32).

Greater Western Sydney (5-2)
I find it interesting that the top five teams are all from outside of the state of Victoria...GWS has just 11 players with votes, but those eleven include Dylan Shiels, who's been top five all season and sits at 48 votes right now; and perhaps the best full forward in the league right now, Jeremy Cameron, at 35 votes. Stephen Coniglio, Shane Mumford, and Adam Treloar are all in the twenties as well.

Hawthorn (4-3)
Raise your hand if you thought the defenders would be sixth right now. 
Liars.
Their percentage is still second overall, just behind the Eagles, because they lose by eight and win by eighty, but they'll have to win the big games from here on out, or the "Hawthorn mystique" will vanish completely.
In classic Hawthorn fashion, a league-leading 19 players have tallied votes this year, yet none more than relative unknown Jordan Lewis with just 26 votes. That's correct: no Hawk in the top twenty. But Grant Birchall (22), Shaun Burgoyne (20), Luke Hodge (20), Jarryd Roughhead (22), and the youngster Isaac Smith (21) all lurk just behind, ready to make Alistair Clarkston's "next man up" philosophy work!

Collingwood (4-3)
Even with this week's loss, the Magpies are still sitting higher than expected at this stage. They've gotten vote-worthy contributions from 16 players already this season, led by Scott Pendelbury (36 votes). Only Dane Swan (25) adds to the above 20 count, but individual great games from Paul Seedsman and Taylor "Tex" Walker add to the total scores.

Western Bulldogs (4-3)
13 players have led the way for the up and coming Doggies, led by veteran captain Robert Murphy (30 votes), and including twenty-something votegetters Liam Picking (26), Jake Stringer (22), Matt Boyd (22), and Marcus Bontempelli (20).

North Melbourne (4-3)
Out of the top eight by literally the slimmest possible margin (irrelevant at the one-third mark of the season!), the Kangaroos also have 13 players who have earned votes so far, led by Todd Goldstein at 32 votes. Only Jack Ziebell (21) has more than twenty votes. 

Richmond (3-4)
The highest scoring differential of the sub-.500 crowd belongs to perpetually-underachieving Richmond, with 14 players tallying votes so far, led by stud defender Bachar Houli (30 votes). Trent Cotchin (27) is the second man on the list for the Tigers, with Shane Edwards and Alex Rance (17 each) tied for third.

Essendon (3-4)
Just 10 players populate the Dons' list, but they're led by two men in the top twenty: Cale Hooker at 37 votes, and Michael Hurley at 35.

Port Adelaide (3-4)
At the top of the "disappointment" part of the bracket are the Power, who expected to be sitting Top Four this season (and still might - there's a long way to go). Robbie Gray has been consistently scoring votes this season, with 37 votes so far, and goal-scorer Jay Schulz sits at 30. 12 players have votes to their names for Port so far this year.

Geelong (3-4)
Starting the season 0-3 makes 3-4 look pretty good, but as the Cats transition from one generation to another, it wins when the youngsters do their job. Yet the top votegetters for Geelong have been Mitch Duncan (36 votes), Joel Selwood (22), and fourth is vet backliner Harry Taylor (16), with only youngster Mark Blicavs (17) to break it up. 11 players have tallied votes so far.

St. Kilda (2-5)
The Saints depend on just a few players to do the bulk of the big work, it seems: 10 players have votes, and only five have double-digits, led by David Armitage with a remarkable 53 votes. Josh Bruce (30), Sam Fisher (23), and Jack Stevens (22) top the list for the black, red, and white.

Melbourne (2-5)
While the Demons have 11 players earning votes, after Tom McDonald's 43 votes, it's pretty slim pickings. Only Jack Watts (14) and Nathan Jones (12) have double digits to join Tom.

Brisbane (2-5)
The last two weeks have been kind to the former three-peat champion (2001-3), moving up from an 0-5 start to beat Carlton and then Port Adelaide. Before that, there were just four votegetters, the highest being Daniel Rich with 4 votes. Now, Rich is up to 10, and has been passed by Stefan Martin (20) and new body Dane Beams (18); vote getters total 8 players now.

Gold Coast (1-6)
When you lose almost every game, you don't get many votes for top players. 10 players have earned votes so far, with Charlie Dixon leading the club with just 18 votes, and Harley Bennell second with 16.

Carlton (1-6)
Just 8 players have votes this year for the Blues, who have the Blues this year, as does legendary coach Mick Malthouse. Three are in double-digits, starting with Tom Bell at 20; the other two are Mark Murphy (16) and Patrick Cripps (13).