Put your money on Port’s Tom Clarke to claim the 2009 SGL Madigan Medal as the League’s Best and Fairest player on Monday night.
Despite the club’s Premiership successes over the past ten years, Clarke will be the first Bulldog since Duncan Savage in 1999 to claim the coveted gong.
He will just pip classy Bloods pair midfielder Joe Quigley and Centre-Half-Forward Ryan Morris and the rugged free-wheeling Clinton O’Connor of the Lions.
These four have been the stand-out players for their respective clubs, have featured most in the club best players each week and look to be players that umpires would notice and give votes to.
The fact that their teams have finished in the top three on the ladder means they would also be most likely to receive the maximum votes of the 3-2-1 system.
In contrast three-time medallist Craig Tee and Lindsay Bearman have been easily the best players for Solomontown this year and given the Cats have not won a game all season these players may only attract the minimum vote (1) or none at all.
There is no doubt Nick Callary from Centrals will figure in the top ten as should Lions defender Shaun Edwards. The Hawks have three players that will do well including Jordan Warren, Hayden Warren and Ryan Noll but they will “take votes from each other”. Westies have had an inconsistent year and the better players each week have been spread across the team. For South Augusta, big man Brock Laube would probably win the club player of the year with a fast finishing Adam Grantham not far behind with Brother Matt and Jake Collins also featuring. Others who could figure include Matt Kendall and Matt Gale of Port, Lions pair Tyson Horsnell and Tate Bradley and ’08 winner and Bloods skipper Mark Fuller to again feature.
It is always difficult to predict Madigan Medallists due to the fact that the votes are not cast from club coaches or the players but from the umpires. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the whistle-blowers are any less qualified to identify the best players in a game that they are officiating in it just means that they perhaps look from a different perspective. That is, quite apart from the fact that what they see on the field can be quite different to what is seen on the sidelines and in the grandstands.
Further, umpires may not know what jobs certain players have been given by their coaches that might not be noticed. An example is that of a “tagger” told to stop an opposition playmaker.
If successful that player is unlikely to be noticed by the umpires but his work may have contributed hugely to his side’s win.
The permutations and possibilities are many and I am tipping the count to be as unpredictable as the season has been and if you are looking for a real outside chance to come from nowhere to win look to former AFL player and current Lion - Elijah Ware! Tune into the live coverage on 5AU from 6:30pm to see how your team’s stars fair.
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