ONE OF the hottest players in the game is Jordan De Goey and he was a walk-up start in my round nine Team of the Week, brought to you by AccorHotels.

I love a feelgood story and he seems really keen to make amends for his indiscretions. The Magpie looks unstoppable, such is the confidence he's playing with.

De Goey's just taking the mickey at the moment and he dominated on Saturday night, slotting six goals against St Kilda.

There were a few unlucky players to miss out. Jackson Macrae racked up a stack of the ball for the Western Bulldogs but I thought he lacked the impact he's had over the past few weeks.

The ruck spots were hotly contested. I picked two, because Nic Naitanui and Max Gawn put in such good performances for West Coast and Melbourne respectively.

Brodie Grundy, Todd Goldstein and Jarrod Witts were unlucky.

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In good form for Collingwood is Jeremy Howe, who just edged out his teammate Matthew Scharenberg for a spot in the back six. I think Michael Hurley should play forward when he returns from his hamstring injury, such was Cale Hooker's brilliant form against Geelong. Elliot Yeo helped limit Dustin Martin's influence, while Jake Lloyd racked up the football for Sydney. West Coast is so hard to score against, partly because Jeremy McGovern organises the backline so well. The role as drop-off defender suits Jake Lever and he's in good form heading into Melbourne's clash against Adelaide.

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I'm surprised Geelong didn't tag Zach Merrett and he used the football as well as we know he can. Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury was dangerous all game, as was Dayne Zorko, who is back to winning heaps of the ball, and in attacking positions as well. As long as Naitanui is fit, the Eagles will be a threat. Dyson Heppell set the tone for Essendon with the way he went about it while Travis Boak is enjoying playing more midfield time over the past month.

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One of the most improved players in the competition is Jake Melksham, which is surprising because he's not young anymore. His Melbourne teammate Tom McDonald gets value for touches with his accurate finishing and just edged out Sydney superstar Lance Franklin for a spot in the team. Jack Darling produced one of the great individual performances of 2018 against reigning premiers Richmond. For Adelaide, Eddie Betts was the match-winner and was the difference between the Crows and Western Bulldogs. North Melbourne can make finals if Jarrad Waite stays fit, while De Goey was outstanding.

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Once again, Gawn was dominant and he beat in-form Blue Matthew Kreuzer. That was the best game Hugh McCluggage has played. Tom Mitchell makes it hard not to pick him, such is his excellence, while Nathan Jones led the Demons very well.