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Geelong\u2019s George Stevens and Frankston\u2019s Trent Mynott saluted as joint-winners of the 2026 J.J. Liston Trophy \u2014 the tenth tie in its history \u2014 but not without some drama at Crown Palladium. <\/p>\n
Port Melbourne\u2019s Ben Hobbs sat atop the leaderboard with 26 votes, but he was ineligible to win the award due to suspension. <\/p>\n
The former Bomber averaged 28.4 disposals, 13.9 contested possessions and 7.7 clearances over 16 games this year as the Borough\u2019s best. <\/p>\n
Southport\u2019s Jacob Dawson was second with 25 votes after averaging 34.8 possessions, but he, too, was suspended earlier in the year. <\/p>\n
It left Stevens and Mynott, with 22 votes and five best-on-ground honours each, to claim the spoils as equal third-place vote-getters. <\/p>\n
Stevens averaged 31 disposals and five tackles per game and was the VFL\u2019s number-one score involvement player this year, but managed just two senior games for Chris Scott. <\/p>\n
The 21-year-old was the 58th pick in the 2023 national draft, tallying four AFL games since arriving at Kardinia Park. <\/p>\n
In his acceptance speech, Stevens admitted he \u201csnuck in like Steven Bradbury\u201d, given the ineligibility of Hobbs and Dawson. <\/p>\n
Mynott, meanwhile, was previously AFL-listed at Essendon and is preparing to return to local level next season after a prolific year. <\/p>\n
Another remarkable aspect of the count was top-five finisher Joel Fitzgerald, who played not even half the VFL season before signing with Melbourne as a midseason draftee. <\/p>\n
The former Seagull finished with 20 votes from eight games, sparking intrigue over what might\u2019ve been had he remained with Williamstown for the full year. <\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Werribee\u2019s Brady Wright became the latest Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winner as the most promising VFL player aged 24 or under. <\/p>\n
The previous 19 winners of the honour all ended up on an AFL list. <\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/p>\n
REVEALED: The \u2018awkward\u2019 Heeney reality AFL is \u2018refusing to acknowledge\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n