Race for the Ken Farmer Medal

It is going to be a very close race to determine the winner for the League's Leading Goalkicker Award in season 2012...

I think anyone of the top 6 or 7 could take the title this year...

KEN FARMER MEDAL RACE (After Round 16)

Brad Fisher (West) - 31.11
Lewis Johnston (North) - 31.10
Andrew Ainger (South) - 30.9
Justin Hardy (Central) - 30.7
Tim McIntyre (Sturt) - 30.12
Micahel Wundle (South) - 28.9
Roury Kirkby (Glenelg) - 26.10
Luke Jericho (Norwood) - 26.17
Josh Trembath (Glenelg) 24.13
Simon Phillips (Norwood) - 24.11
Peter Rolfe (South) - 20.9
Callum Wilson (Port) - 20.8

I'd say that's the closest and most widespread race for the top goalkicker I can remember, Phil.

And probably heading towards the lowest goals kicked.

Also, it seems ironic that a West Adelaide player leads the Ken Farmer medal race given Westies notorious reputation for low scores.

redandblack wrote:I'd say that's the closest and most widespread race for the top goalkicker I can remember, Phil.

Yeah, that is why, in part, I started this topic. Like I said, it could be won by anyone on that list, almost. My top 3 or 4 favourites would be one of Fisher, Wundke, Johnston or perhaps even Hardy?

Brucetiki wrote:And probably heading towards the lowest goals kicked.

Also, it seems ironic that a West Adelaide player leads the Ken Farmer medal race given Westies notorious reputation for low scores.

I've made a couple of comments on Fisher and Hardy elsewhere...

I have watched Brad Fisher closely on a couple of occassions this year where what has impressed me most in his game is the work rate that he has. He pushes up the ground, takes marks at half back and then works his butt off forward of the ball as well to get into dangerous positions. I think he is super important to the Bloods structure and he is having a great season for them, IMHO.

A good conversion rate for Justin Hardy, but as we saw on the weekend against Sturt and particularly in that game against Glenelg a couple of weeks ago, where he kicked 6 in a half, Hardy likes the ball to be kicked high on his head, deep into the 50, where he can use his height and superior body strength to outmark his opponent.

I'd suspect a fair majority of his goals have been kicked from within 25m of goal, but still a very accurate percentage. Good effort from the big fella, considering he has spent a fair majority of his time playing as a back up ruckman as well. In my opinion, one of Central's and the League's most improved players so far in season 2012.

This was in an edition of FOOT-e TIMES SA a couple of weeks ago:

I wrote:WHO WANTS KENNY?

The race for the Ken Farmer Medal in season 2012 is an even as it has been in a long time.

SANFL fans have been blessed in recent decades with star full forwards like Adam Richardson (West), Brant Chambers (Sturt) and Daniel Schell (Central) dominating the goal kicking charts.

This year, the battle for the League’s leading goal kicker is as wide open as it has been.

South pair Michael Wundke and Andrew Aingerwill be up there at season’s end, as will the likes of Tim McIntyre from Sturt, Justin Hardy at Central as well as Glenelg’s Rory Kirkby, North’s Lewis Johnson and West’s Brad Fisher.

The lowest since WWII was Rex Johns (54) in 1963. The next 2 players behind him were rovers Lindsay Head 49 and Billy Thomas 46.

Only two other key forwards were in the the top 10 that season, Glenelg's Kevin Rowe kicked 43, and Lindsay Backman with 34.

In that top ten, 6 of them were rovers. Not small forwards, rovers!! Those were the days.

The other was a ruckman resting in the forward pocket, Mark Skinner of Norwood (37). He probably spent a lot of time in the pocket as Bill Wedding did most of the ruck work.

Read else where that Todd Grima's 58 goals back in 2010 was the lowest tally a Ken Farmer Medal has been awarded for in the last 30 years.

A very good chance that number, and Hawky's above, will be lowered at the end of the year.

If Andrew Ainger wins the Ken Farmer Medal this year how unusual would it be for the same club to win 2 consecutive medals but with diferent players?

Port with Mark Tylor and Scott Hodges.

West nearly did it with Daniel Hargraves winning one uear between Adam Richardson and Darren Bradshaw.

With his big back of 7 today, Justin Hardy brought up his 40th goal of the season and now sits on top of the table for the League's Leading Goal Kicker Award in 2012.

It is a pretty even, low scoring, battle this year and you could throw a blanket over the top half a dozen to determine who will win it. It is as even as it has been in a while now.

Justin is 4 goals clear of West's Brad Fisher, who kicked 3 today, while Sturt's Tim McIntyre is 5 behind but plays tomorrow against the Panthers down at Noarlunga.

North Adelaide's Lewis Johnstone is certainly up there as well, kicking just 1 major today while South's Michael Wundke kicked 5 last week and plays tomorrow also.


2012 KEN FARMER MEDAL
Justin Hardy (Central) 40.11
Brad Fisher (West) 36.14
Tim McIntyre* (Sturt) 35.23
Lewis Johnston (North) 34.11
Michael Wundke* (South) 33.9
Roury Kirkby (Glenelg) 32.14
Andrew Ainger* (South) 30.10
Luke Jericho (Norwood) 28.19
Josh Trembath (Glenelg) 25.14
Simon Phillips (Norwood) 24.13

* Still to play in Round 18

redandblack wrote:Port with Mark Tylor and Scott Hodges.

And Woodville with Malcolm Blight and Stephen Nichols.

If he doesn't play another AFL game, McIntyre should win this.

If Sturt win the spoon and McIntyre wins the Ken Farmer, it will be the first time that scenario has happened since Blight won the goalkicking in '85 I think.

Leaderboard at the conclusion of Round 20:

2012 KEN FARMER MEDAL
Justin Hardy (Central) 45.13
Brad Fisher (West) 41.16
Michael Wundke (South) 39.10
Luke Jericho (Norwood) 38.27
Tim McIntyre (Sturt) 38.26
Lewis Johnston (North) 38.11
Roury Kirkby (Glenelg) 36.14
Andrew Ainger (South) 33.10
Ben Warren (Norwood) 32.22
Josh Trembath (Glenelg) 26.16
Peter Rolfe (South) 26.10
Matthew Duldig (Sturt) 25.19
Lee Staple (Eagles) 24.17
Adam Grocke (Eagles) 24.16
Simon Phillips (Norwood) 24.13
Leigh Ryswyk (North) 23.13
Callum Wilson (Port) 23.12
Luke Harder (Port) 23.9
Clint Alleway (North) 22.14

INteresting list.

I'd say that, almost without exception, all those have better accuracy rates than any of the team rates.

With his impressive bag of 7, Justin Hardy now has a 9 goal lead and pretty much one hand on the Ken Farmer Medal...

Does anyone offer odds for the Ken Farmer Medal and if so, what was Hardy paying at the start of the year?

Leaderboard at the conclusion of Round 21:

2012 KEN FARMER MEDAL
Justin Hardy (Central) 52.14
Michael Wundke (South) 43.12
Brad Fisher (West) 42.17
Tim McIntyre (Sturt) 41.27
Roury Kirkby (Glenelg) 39.15
Luke Jericho (Norwood) 38.27
Lewis Johnston (North) 38.11
Andrew Ainger (South) 36.12
Ben Warren (Norwood) 32.23
Matthew Duldig (Sturt) 28.21
Peter Rolfe (South) 28.10
Josh Trembath (Glenelg) 27.16
Simon Phillips (Norwood) 26.14
Luke Harder (Port) 25.10
Adam Grocke (Eagles) 25.16
Lee Staple (Eagles) 24.17
Callum Wilson (Port) 24.12
Leigh Ryswyk (North) 23.13
Clint Alleway (North) 22.14

Interesting to see how one-dimensional, relatively speaking, some teams are in attack. Central leading with Hardy, but their next best some 36 goals behind. West only has the one on the list, while Norwood have three right up there - similar to North.

C.K wrote:Interesting to see how one-dimensional, relatively speaking, some teams are in attack. Central leading with Hardy, but their next best some 36 goals behind. West only has the one on the list, while Norwood have three right up there - similar to North.

Yet South have three in the top 11 and Sturt two in the top 10 yet thise two sides are vying for the wooden spoon. Don't quite know what to make of it all.

If we are descending to 15 goals, the following players qualify:

20 S.Gray (Port)
19 M.Newton (Norwood)
19 M.Evans (Norwood)
18 S.McKernan (South)
17 A.Fielke (West)
16 S.Summerton (Port)
16 C.Hall (Eagles)

Adelaide Hawk wrote:If we are descending to 15 goals, the following players qualify:

20 S.Gray (Port)
19 M.Newton (Norwood)
19 M.Evans (Norwood)
18 S.McKernan (South)
17 A.Fielke (West)
16 S.Summerton (Port)
16 C.Hall (Eagles)

I was mainly doing that list for the Central forum, hence the reason the last 3 listed are Doggies players...

Copied / pasted the same list over here as well, have edited the post to remove those last few Central players, AH...

No problem with that, I just wanted to add some other players in case people thought otherwise.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:No problem with that, I just wanted to add some other players in case people thought otherwise.

Sure, no worries mate.