This Saturday night will see the 2012 installment of the Tony Gillies Medal, and there are many quality prospects out there who deserve to put the medal around their neck. Last year's winners Matthew Hodge and Paul Brown have had mixed seasons, with missed matches and injury derailing their quest for this season's highest individual honour. So who will take it out? Let's have a look!
The New England Nomads - the league leaders have built their team around solid defensive play with the abiltiy to rebound with pace and accuracy. That stratgey may see a couple of their defenders pick up votes on Saturday night, but it's hard to see there is enough consistency to poll enough votes to be near the top. The usual suspects seem to be the deangerous threats of David Richards and Weston Whitby. Richards was last season's Rising Star, and has been just as good this season. Whitby continues to be an important cog in the Nomads chain, and come Saturday night, I'm tipping one of these boys will be near the top of the Nomads rankings. Enough for the top gong? Not quite, but a Nomad should be close to the top 3.
The Tamworth Kangaroos - the most intriguing team to analyse this season. They have built their team around playing for each other, and as a result, they may takes votes off each other. Despite showing glimpses of his usual bursts, it's hard to see Hodge playing enough games to get the prize this year. With their run and carry being such a feature this season, the wingers may attract the attention of the umpires - leaving youngsters Lachlan Maloney and Alex Hudson big chances of getting up. Maybe inexperience will hurt them, or the votes being spread across the impressive midfield. I'm tipping one of those men will be at the top of the Roos voting, with a top 3 finish a strong chance.
The Inverell Saints - the Saints are a hard team to get a gauge on throughout this season. It's quite possible they accrued all the possible votes in the first 4 rounds of the season, with some big winning margins. Ruckman Leigh Turner may jump out to an early lead, but his subsequent knee injury slowed him down from mid season and has ultimeately ended his season early. Mike Gould will also attract some votes for his goalkicking, as will Tom Williams in the midfield. If a Saints player can get out to an early lead, it may be enough, but the past 2 months have seen some inconsistent footy for them. Hard to see a Saint winning thsi year, but if it's going to be anyone, I'll tip Gould to finish top of the Saints list, just in front of Williams. Top 5 chances.
The Gunnedah Bulldogs - the home of the joint winner last year in Brown, but the big tip could be for his midfield partner in Andrew George. He has been dominant across the midfield in games this year, and has earned praise from his coach on plenty of occassions. There will be a few times that he steals votes from a Dogs loss, and a lack of other big names in the Dogs side could benefit him. The smokey of the night is Chris Gee. He will at least accrue 3 votes in a couple of games where he prodcued 10 goal efforts, and was often a lone hand up front. He may just snaek under the radar, but will have needed to have made his run by Round 12. The Dogs could well produce their second medaillist in two years, and watch fro George to charge home as the Dogs have been more successful of late.
The Muswellbrook Cats - the Cats are another difficult team to see where the chances will come from. They have a well balanced young side, and the pace and skill of some of these players will be sure to earn them some votes from the umps. Beau Dixon has had flashes of brilliance in games, and big ruckman Jarrod Braybon has been a rock all season. However, watch for Jai Pursell to pick up some votes in Cats wins as well, while there may even be a couple thrown in for the veterans Mahy and May. Top 5 chances.
The Tamworth Swans - another big chance here with proven capabilities of winning the B&F. Damien Wendt has quietly gone about his season playing as good as ever, and will poll some votes on Saturday night. Another big chance is Andrew Donohue. With Andrew George, he has earned the praise from his coach plenty of times this season. The big questions is whether or not he can add some votes in Swans losses. And you can't rule out Gavin Knee, who will surely get a couple of best on grounds throughout the season. Maybe these three veterans will take a few votes off each other, and that may cost someone a medal. I'm tipping a top 3 finish, but not sure who!
Wrap - Picking a winner here is akin to plucking a needle from a haystack, but here's the tipsters top 3:
1 - Andrew George (Bulldogs)
2 - Weston Whitby (Nomads)
3 - Gavin Knee (Swans) and Alex Hudson (Roos)
Last Modified on 09/08/2012 11:37
