2017 Magarey Medal Preview - by Chris Kendall

The SANFL's night of nights is on Tuesday September 12 and Chris Kendall provides his yearly preview of the 2017 Magarey Medal, the most comprehensive preview of the league's most prestigious individual award.


ADELAIDE: Harrison Wigg – Has been excellent around the ball all season for Adelaide, and a good chance of kicking off his night in round two versus South, where his 30 handlings and seven inside 50’s were a major factor. Could sneak a vote in the round five loss to Woodville/West Torrens with a game high 28 disposals and six inside 50’s, but should be at the top of the slips after a 38 touch, 13 clearance effort in the round six defeat of West. Likely to find attention in the round nine win over Norwood after finding it 30 times along with two goals, but may cool his heels until the next meeting at the Parade, when his 27 touches, eight clearances and seven inside 50’s led Adelaide when defeated by Norwood in round 14. A game high 34 handlings, six clearances and ten inside 50’s were outstanding in the round 15 loss to Glenelg, and a final round 27 touches, six inside 50’s and ten tackles in the narrow loss to South might close out a big night.

Roughie: Scott Thompson – Won’t be seen until the round six win over West but will battle with Wigg for top votes after 30 disposals, 13 clearances and five inside 50’s, and a good chance of following that in the round seven defeat of North with 24 touches, two inside 50’s and six clearances. Laying 14 tackles to accompany 25 possessions, nine clearances and a goal in the round nine win over Norwood should see him high on the slips, and will be very hard to ignore in round ten following 33 handlings, ten clearances and two goals in the beating of Central. Unlikely to be a chance to poll again until the round 16 defeat of North with 28 disposals, nine clearances and six tackles, but may sneak a minor vote against the Eagles in round 17 after 29 touches, seven tackles and nine clearances. Could complete the rare feat of polling in his final SANFL match in the round 18 loss to South with 28 possessions, 12 tackles and two goals. May make it interesting.


CENTRAL DISTRICT: Nick Holman – Has taken his game to another level in his second season at Elizabeth, but might not start his night until the round four loss to Glenelg. 24 touches, 11 tackles and six clearances were dominant for the Dogs, and the round eight win over West brought him under attention after 26 dispoals, eight tackles and a goal. May sneak a vote in the round nine loss to Sturt after 29 handlings, eight clearances and two goals, and was excellent in the round ten loss to Adelaide with 30 touches, eleven clearance and eleven tackles. One of the clearest three vote games across the league in the round 11 defeat of Glenelg, finding it 38 times to go with five goals, and led all comers with 30 touches and five tackles in the narrow round 13 loss to Port. Will fight it out with a host of teammates in the round 16 thrashing of Norwood after 30 handlings, five tackles and four clearances, and an excellent chance again of polling in the round 17 defeat of West following 20 disposals, eight tackles and two goals. Will need the umpires to notice him more than 2016, but a solid chance.


Roughie: Travis Schiller – Noted votegetter who has maintained his standards in 2017. Should start the ball rolling in round three following a 38 disposal, eight clearance, one goal effort in the win against Adelaide, and a 27 touch, six clearance, one goal round five game against Norwood may win further attention despite the Dogs defeat. Led all comers in the round six loss to South with 28 handlings, and was also the match leader with 33 disposals and seven clearances in the round seven loss to Port. 34 handlings and six clearances were pivotal when the Bulldogs knocked over Glenelg in round 11, and excellent in the round 16 Norwood win with 26 disposals, 14 tackles and a goal. Solid chance to finish with votes in the round 18 win against the Eagles after 32 handlings, eight clearances and a goal. Could surprise if rewarded similar to past years.

GLENELG: Matthew Snook – Has polled well in the past and with the Tigers having a consistent season, his form has mirrored that of the team. Could start his run in the round two win over Sturt following 25 handlings, four clearances and a goal, and a good chance of following in the round three victory against South after 22 touches, eight clearances and five frees. 27 disposals and seven clearances were notable in the round four defeat of Central, but may not attract further attention until the round nine win over North, finding it 27 times along with six tackles and seven clearances. Should duel with Eagle Chris Hall in the loss at Glenelg after a 34 possession, ten clearance effort, and despite the Tigers losing to Norwood in round 12, his 32 disposals, 13 clearances and five tackles were outstanding. May be the first SANFL player to poll three votes at Bordertown, when his 30 touches, eight clearances and ten tackles were brilliant in the round 15 win over Adelaide and could surprise with a vote in the round 18 loss to West after 22 possessions, six tackles, three frees and a goal.  High finish looks on the cards.

Roughie: Ben Sawford – A consistent season through the middle may win rewards in the round one win over Port following 23 touches, six tackles and four frees, and his 31 handlings, four tackles and five rebound 50’s were solid in the defeat of Sturt in round two. 29 disposals, six tackles and six clearances led all in the round four win over Central, and the round seven victory over West brought a team high of 24 possessions, six tackles and eight clearances. Round nine should bring further attention following 31 touches, nine tackles and four inside 50’s in the win against North, but that may nearly close out his night.

NORTH ADELAIDE: Max Thring: Could kick off his tally in round two following 22 touches, four inside 50’s and two goals in the loss to Central, but may have to wait until round eleven for his next votes. 28 disposals, seven tackles and eight inside 50’s in the defeat of South were crucial, while finding it 24 times along with five tackles and six clearances will keep him under notice in the round 13 defeat by Norwood. Excellent in the round 17 win over Glenelg with 24 handlings, five clearances and two goals. Could sneak a top ten finish.


NORWOOD: Mitch Grigg – Prolific poller in the past and could start the night in the narrow round two loss to Port after 21 disposals, six clearances and two goals. Near certain top votes in the round three win over West with 33 handlings, seven inside 50’s and two goals, and another 33 touches, five inside 50’s and a goal in the last minute round four loss to South should also keep him at the top of attention. Finding it 30 times along with along with five inside 50 and two goals in the round five defeat of Central may complete a trio of top votes, and he will also be hard to ignore in the round six win over Glenelg after 20 disposals, eight inside 50 and three goals. Round seven is another chance to poll with 26 touches, seven clearances and seven inside 50’s when defeating Woodville/West Torrens, and a game high 33 handlings, seven clearances and a goal in a narrow round nine loss to Adelaide looks set to be rewarded. 35 disposals, six clearances and four inside 50’s led all comers in the round eleven defeat by West, and could add further in round 14 with a 26 touch, three inside 50 effort in the win over Adelaide. Close to top votes again in the round 15 beating of Woodville/West Torrens after finding it 28 times along with eleven clearances, and looks set to poll in the round 18 draw with Sturt following 27 possessions, five inside 50’s and two goals. Deserved favorite.

Roughie: Matt Panos – Round four may be his opener, with 28 touches, ten clearances and three goals in the loss to South. Should fight it out with Grigg for top honours in round five against Central following 34 disposals, 12 clearances and two goals, but may not hear his name again until the round twelve win over Glenelg after 27 handlings, nine clearances and a goal. The round 13 defeat of North looks a likely three votes, with 30 disposals, eleven clearances and a goal, and the run should continue in the round 14 win over Adelaide after 32 touches, four inside 50’s and two goals. Looks likely to again duel with Grigg in the round 15 win over the Eagles after 29 handlings, three inside 50’s and two goals. Mid teens finish possible.

PORT MAGPIES: Steven Summerton – May be in the highly unusual position of double figure votes at both league and reserves level. Round three looks a near certain three votes versus North after 38 disposals and four inside 50’s in their big victory, and should follow in the round four win over Adelaide after 34 touches, six clearances and four inside 50’s. 30 possessions, six tackles and six inside 50’s were critical in the round seven win over Central, and will be among a host of Magpies under notice in the round eight defeat of South after 31 handlings and three inside 50’s. Unlikely to poll again until round twelve, with a 28 disposal, seven clearance and six inside 50 effort in the win against Adelaide, and that could be the end of his 2017 tally.

Roughie: Brendan AhChee – Has taken his game to another level this season and the round one loss to Glenelg should commence proceedings following a 30 disposal, seven inside 50, three goal match, and three more goals to go with 21 handlings and four tackles in the big round three win over North gives another chance. The round five defeat of Sturt was a 25 touch, nine clearance, two goal game that looks likely for further attention,  but may cool his heels until round 13 with a 24 possession, eight clearance, five tackle gam in the loss to Central. Big chance of top votes in round 14 following 29 handlings, ten clearances and three goals in the thumping of Glenelg and the round 15 defeat of South could also draw attention after 22 possessions, ten clearances and four inside 50’s. May sneak a vote in the round 17 win over Norwood after 27 disposals, five tackles and two goals. Not the roughest chance.


SOUTH ADELAIDE: Joel Cross – The dual Medallist has a sneaky chance again in 2017, and the round one win over West could be the catalyst. 27 possessions, six clearances and seven inside 50’s led all comers, while the round three defeat of Glenelg brings a further opportunity after 27 touches, six tackles and five inside 50’s. May cool his heels until the round eight loss to Port after 32 handlings, five inside 50’s and three goals, but should back it up quickly in the round nine loss to Woodville/West Torrens with 32 possessions and six clearances. The round twelve defeat of Central is a good chance of votes with 23 touches, five tackles and nine clearances, and could back it up in the round 15 loss to Port following 29 handlings, ten clearances and a goal. Round sixteen may set him up for a grandstand finish, as he was dominant with 31 disposals, five clearances and a goal in the thumping of the Eagles, and while South lost to Sturt in round seventeen, his 40 possessions and two goals were clearly best afield. The final round win over Adelaide should round out a barnstorming late run after a 20 disposal, six tackles, five inside 50’s and two goal match. May be the big swooper.

Roughie: Nick Liddle – Found plenty of the ball in 2017, and the round loss to Adelaide could be his catalyst, finding it 27 times along with seven inside 50’s and five tackles, before another chance in the round five defeat of North after 26 handlings, nine tackles and seven inside 50’s. The round six win over Central should bring further votes with 22 disposals, six clearances and two goals, May sneak a minor vote in the round ten loss to Norwood following 22 touches, nine tackles and five clearances, but a 27 possession, five tackle, one goal effort in the round 12 defeat of Central appears a big chance for top votes. Likely to duel with Cross for top votes in the round 16 belting of the Eagles after 28 touches, five inside 50’s and a goal and the final round win over Adelaide may set up an interesting conclusion with his 23 disposals, six rebound 50’s and five tackles leading for the Panthers. High teens finish likely.

STURT: Zane Kirkwood – The dual Medallist has been steady in 2017 and if he can sneak votes in the round one win over Adelaide with 27 disposals, five tackles and four inside 50’s, it may give a very early guide to whether the men in green are prepared to reward him again. Likely to cool his heels until round five, leading the Double Blues with 25 handlings, six inside 50’s and three frees in the defeat of West, and should be rewarded again in round six defeat of North following 25 touches, five clearances and five inside 50’s. Will fight it out with a host of teammates in the round ten victory over Port after 25 possessions, four tackles, six clearances and 1.3, and will be hard to ignore in the round eleven defeat of Adelaide with 27 disposals, four clearances and six inside 50’s. Round 14 will be a tough one to split between him and teammate James Battersby for top votes after 30 possessions, nine clearances, eight inside 50’s and two goals when beating the Bulldogs, and round 16 may be more votes with his 26 touches, seven tackles and six clearances a highlight in the defeat of Glenelg. Should be high on the boards again.

Roughie: James Battersby – no player has gotten close to winning the Medal after missing seven matches since Craig Bradley fell four short in 1983 after missing eight matches with international junior cricket duties, but Battersby will give it a fair crack. Didn’t start 2017 until round eight, and his votes look set to start in round ten with 30 handlings, seven tackles and six clearances in the defeat of Port.  The round eleven win over Adelaide is a big chance of top votes, after 32 possessions, ten clearances and six tackles, and the round twelve victory over North should replicate this after 29 disposals, ten tackles and twelve clearances. The round 14 defeat of Central should give further votes after 31 touches, 14 tackles and 12 clearances, and the round 15 win against West with 32 handlings, eight tackles and seven clearances looks another big chance. The round 17 win against South was a 22 touch, 10 tackles and four clearance effort which may bring further reward while the final round game against Norwood was a 24 disposal, seven tackle and three inside 50’s effort which may sneak votes. Might have missed too many but will create great interest in the run home.

WEST ADELAIDE: Kaine Stevens – Has been in excellent form again in 2017, but likely to suffer from too many big Bloods losses. His first chance appears to be the round five loss to Sturt, after 22 disposals, four clearances, four inside 50’s and a goal, and may follow it up in the round six loss to Adelaide with a team high 27 handlings, nine clearances and a goal. The narrow round seven loss to Glenelg could complete a trifecta of votes after 27 possessions, seven tackles and 2.2, and the round seven loss to Central led all West players with 26 touches, four rebound 50’s and three clearances. One of the more certain three vote games in round 13, where his 36 touches, five tackles and two goals were outstanding against Adelaide, and should follow this in the round 14 win over South after 33 disposals, twelve tackles and ten clearances. A solid chance to round out a strong year in the final round win over Glenelg after 21 possessions, ten tackles and a goal. Appears set to poll strongly but fall short.

WOODVILLE/WEST TORRENS: Jared Petrenko – May have missed too many to be a big threat, but will be among a host of Eagles vying for round one attention in the win over Central after 23 touches and five inside 50’s. Should be close to the maximum in the round two defeat of West following 32 disposals, 11 clearances and five inside 50’s, and could sneak a minor vote when beating Sturt in round three with 19 handlings, six clearances and six inside 50’s. Round five’s 26 possessions, eight inside 50’s and nine clearances were vital in the win against Adelaide, following it up with 32 disposals, five clearances and a goal in the thumping of Glenelg. Won’t then be sighted again until round 17, with a 31 touch, six tackles, one goal effort in defeating Adelaide. Solid tally expected but not enough to win.

Roughie: James Boyd – Perennial umpire’s favorite who should kick off the night in round one after 26 possessions, four clearances and a goal in the defeat of Central, and should duel with Petrenko for round two votes after 31 disposals, four inside 50’s and two goals in the win against West. 31 handlings, three clearances and four rebound 50’s were excellent in the beating of Glenelg in round five, and a good chance in the return meeting in round ten after 23 touches, eight clearances and five inside 50’s. 24 possessions, four rebound 50’s and 1.3 were notable in the round 14 win over North, and 29 disposals, eight clearances and a goal were solid in the round 17 defeat of Adelaide. Should add another mid-teens tally to his resume.

CK’s TOP FIVE
1. Mitch Grigg (Norwood)
2. Joel Cross (South Adelaide)
3. Nick Holman (Central District)
4. Matthew Snook (Glenelg)
5. Harrison Wigg (Adelaide)
BEST OUTSIDER: James Battersby (Sturt)

Great write up, CK. What do you think of the chances of Aaron Young, mentioned by Booney?

Agreed, is a great write up & the amount of work that has gone into it shows how professional CK is, well done CK

Lee wrote:Great write up, CK. What do you think of the chances of Aaron Young, mentioned by Booney?

He would have to create modern day history to do so. Aaron Young played only eight matches. No player has won the Medal with a greater vote per game average in the modern era than John Platten in 1984, with 66 votes under the two-umpire voting system (both umpires casting 3-2-1 votes). If his votes are "scaled back" to reflect a one umpire voting system, he would have had 33 votes in this season (halving his 66 votes under 2 umpires). Playing 22 games, he averaged 1.5 votes per match.

Young would have to beat this to get even close. I give him a maximum of 16 votes

Rnd 6 v W/WT: possible 1 vote in a 21 point loss with 22 disp, 7 tackles and 6 inside 50's.
Rnd 9 v West: 3 votes; 36 poss, 13 inside 50's, 5.3
Rnd 12 v Adel: probable 3 votes: 33 touches, 8 clearances, 7 inside 50's
Rnd 13 v CD: unlikely to poll in a 15 point loss
Rnd 14 v Glenelg: 2-3 votes in a 50 point win, 34 disp, 11 tackles, 7 clearances
Rnd 16 v West: 2-3 votes in a 92 point win with 28 possessions, 12 clearances, 2.1
Rnd 17 v Nwd: 2-3 votes. 30 touches, 8 clearances, 3.0
Rnd 18 v North: unlikely to poll despite a 40 point win

As I mentioned in James Battersby's write-up, the last player to really get close to winning a Medal when missing eight or more matches is Craig Bradley in 1983, when he finished four short (again, under the two-umpire voting system) when missing eight matches on international junior cricket duty. I suspect the winner this year will get 18 or more, so while I see Booney's interest in Young, there looks to be too much history against him. In theory.

Can't argue with that!

Thanks.

Battersby has been in great form in the back half of the season and would easily be Sturt's best player over that period.

But even though I would expect he'd get a few BOG votes, 7 games is coming from too far back I think.

Agreed Chambo, now we have a shorter season I can't see how players can make up ground when they've missed about a third of the season