Goalkicking mid-fielders are my tip to dominate this year’s Morrison Medal vote count, statistical information from GVL Data suggesting that three players from the category will feature in the top 10 vote catchers for the league best and fairest.
I realise I am going early, with two and a half home and away rounds still to be completed, but I’m prepared to name my top 10 — votes and all.
Also featuring in the top 10 is the league’s best aerialist, the player with the most disposals this season (who also happens to be a former winner), three players from the unbeaten top team, one from the second bottom team and, statistically speaking, one of the GVL’s top ruckmen.
Supporting my selections is the specific statistical data from the 16-week-old season that is relevant to my top 10 selections.
In order, here are my top five (votes to round 15): Christopher Jansen (Rochester) 20, Lachlan Smith (Kyabram) 19, Jack Murphy (Seymour) 18, Zac Banch (Shepparton Swans) 15, Jack McHale (Echuca) 15, William Martinello (Benalla) 14, Andrew Smith (Euroa) 14, Andrew Walker (Echuca) 14, Billy Cooper (Tatura) 13, Ruory Kirkby (Echuca) 13.
The league’s best goalkicking mid-fielders are Jansen, Murphy and Banch.
Banch may have his top 10 status challenged by teammate Brayden (BJ) Squire, who four 35-plus possession games to his credit and is a top 10 player in several GVL categories.
Murphy (second on the GVL Data disposal count) has kicked 14 goals, bettered only by Rochester’s Jensen (15) and Swans will-of-the-wisp Banch (16 goals).
Splitting my goal kicking ball hogs is Kyabram’s “king of the airways’’, Lachie Smith.
In five of the Bombers wins I have him picking up top votes, rounds four, six and 12 featuring double figure intercept mark totals and on three other occasions he has pulled in more than a dozen marks.
Goalsneak Banch (55 free kicks) also has the most free kicks of any player in the GVL, ahead of the league’s leading ball winner William Martinello (40), Seymour’s Murphy (37) and mobile Shepparton United ruckman Edward Adams (35).
Jansen is ranked sixth for disposals and Banch eighth. The only other goalkicking mid-fielders worthy of note are Mansfield’s Harry Mahoney (13 goals) and Jansen’s winger teammate Jordan Harper (15 goals).
While he hasn’t kicked many goals, only two in fact, and his team has won just three games Martinello was the 2014 Morrison Medallist and only once this year had less than 30 possessions in a game.
He is among that rare breed of player that is a standout for his lowly ranked team, a title shared by Tatura’s Billy Cooper and United tackling machine Adam Pigatto.
Cooper has nine 30-plus possession games to his credit and is constantly under the umpire’s eye, while Pigatto has laid eight-plus tackles in nine games this year — six of those supported with 20-plus possessions.
If the umpires recognise disciplined team-oriented acts then Shepparton’s Ted Lindon will also come up trumps, in spite of his team’s 4-11 season. He leads the competition in one per centers and rebound-50s, while also top 15 in possessions.
Of the ruckman Euroa’s Andrew Smith, big Cat Liam Betson and Rochester’s Dan Russell are the top hopes, with my smokey to poll well is Echuca part-timer Laim Tenace.
Tenace has more disposals than the team’s number one ruckman Kane Morris, only 80 less hit outs and has taken the second most marks of any ruckman in the competition.
Add 14 goals to the mix and an argument can be made for him to steal some votes from his big name teammates.
Best-on-ground honours are rarely afforded to a losing team, which means Echuca will feature prominently in the count.
They do face the problem of having so many stars among their ranks, but 14 wins, and another on the scoreboard only (when the points were taken from them due to an administrative error), virtually assures them of a lion’s share of votes from their games this season.
A round-three 19-point win against Kyabram is as close as any team has come to the Murray Bombers as they have amassed an average winning margin of 55 points from its 15 games.
The only hiccup for the team came in round one when it was stripped of its premiership points due to an administration error with ineligible players.
Jack McHale is likely to poll votes in at least six of his 12 games this season. He is 24th on the list of top ball getters despite and despite having played three less games than most of the top-ranked players is third for contested possessions and fourth in clearances.
McHale may also have to deal with Riley Smith’s influence on matches — having played every game — as he is the fourth-ranked played in the league for sending the ball inside-50.
Ruory Kirkby will have grabbed the umpire’s attention in five games by my count, including a best-on-ground display of 10 goals against Benalla in round 11.
Andrew Walker always grabs the attention of the decision maker, while Ben Reid’s flowing locks off half back are similarly eye catching.
Walker has only played 10 matches, but he has been a standout in four of those — a 37-possession, 12 inside-50 and two goal game against Mansfield assuring him of three votes.
Euroa ruckman Andrew Smith’s season averages of 15 disposal, 32 hit outs and almost four tackles will have challenging for the prestigious individual title.
He will have votes stolen from him by former Collingwood VFL star Jack Hellier, but should have enough for a top-10 finish.
Mansfield goalkicker Ben Christopher has not missed a game this season and ruckman Tom McDonagh’s first season with the club has netted close to half a dozen best-on-ground displays.
In keeping with the ruck theme Liam Betson has guided Mooroopna to a top-four ranking with his work, coupled with the brilliant support of Don Gugliotti.
Gugliotti is Mr Consistent and does work at both ends of the ground, as evidenced by his high counts in rebound-50 and inside-50 statistical categories.
With only 10 games prolific ball winner Jack Hunt may not have played enough, but he will be an early leader in the count with, by my count, three best-on-ground displays to start the season.
Leading goalkicker Christopher Nield has three best-on-ground gongs coming his way and leads the competition in goals, but the even nature of Mooroopna may mean no play jumps out of the pack to claim the medal.
At Mansfield the work of Paddy Marks, in particular best-on-ground displays against Benalla (28 disposals, 12 marks, 11 tackles, 9 inside-50s) and Rochester (35 disposals, 10 marks, 11 clearances, 9 rebound-50s), will probably see him as the leading Eagle in the count.
All will be revealed on Monday, September 19, at the league medal count, which kicks off GVL grand final week — culminating in the grand final on Sunday, September 25.
POLL PROJECTION
20 Chris Jansen (Roch) 3-R3, 3-R4, 3-R7, 3-R11, 3-R15; 2-R14; 1-R1, 1-R12, 1-R13
19 Lachie Smith (Ky) 3-R1, 3-R4, 3-R6, 3-R12, 3-R13; 2-R8; 1-R7, 1-R11.
18 Jack Murphy (Sey) 3-R7, 3-R8, 3-R13; 2-R3, 2-R5, 2-R10; 1-R4, 1-R6, 1-R12.
15 Zac Banch (Swans) 3-R8; 2-R14, 2-R13, 2-R9, 2-R2; 1-R3, 1-R6, 1-R11, 1-R12.
15 Jack McHale (Ech) 3-R2, 3-R6, 3-R12; 2-R4, 2-R5, 2-R10.
14 William Martinello (Ben) 3-R6; 2-R1, 2-R7, 2-R8, 2-R10, 2-R12; 1-R9.
14 Andrew Smith (Eur) 3-R1, 3-R3, 3-R9, 3-R12; 1-R2, 1-R11.
14 Andrew Walker (Ech) 3-R4, 3-R9, 3-R10, 3-R15; 1-R5, 1-R11.
13 Ruory Kirkby (Ech) 3-R11, 3-R14; 2-R9, 2-R12, 2-R1; 1-R13
13 Billy Cooper (Tat) 2-R2, 2-R6, 2-R9, 2-R12, 2-R13; 1-R5, 1-R10, 1-R15