Team predictions are cool and all, but the player related crystal ball gazing has always been the fun side of the pre-season survey.
As a collective, we’ve never been particularly accurate on this front. Nobody picked the highest averaging forward last season (Travis Boak). Nobody selected the highest averaging midfielders (Adam Treloar and Stephen Coniglio). Only one person pegged the Dangergawn Medalist (Brodie Grundy).
Nearly everyone got Grundy as the highest scoring ruck. So, we’re okay at that I suppose.
Lets have a look at what the coaches felt about the likely standout players for season 2020, at least before the world imploded.
Player Predictions
Dangergawn Medal
With four votes, Brodie Grundy is the runaway favourite to repeat as Dangergawn Medalist.
The other votes go to midfielders/other Chiefs. There’s no concern about the leg from the two coaches who expect Tom Mitchell to return right back to where he left off from and snare a third Dangergawn.
Last year’s leaper to super premium territory, Josh Dunkley, has been backed by two coaches. Fellow Bulldog and perennial highest overall scorer threat Jack Macrae rounds out the nominees.
Highest Overall Scorer
Similar story to the Dangergawn nominees here – sub out a Grundy vote for a Josh Kelly nomination. That 12 head-to-head games criteria may prove troublesome here…
Highest Scoring Defender
Sparkle Jake Lloyd is backed by 50 per cent of the competition here.
Most of the other nominees were All-Australian defenders, or in the mix, in season 2019 – save for Dan Houston, who will need a sizeable breakout to vault the other contenders.
Highest Scoring Midfielder
None of the last years winners are backed here. Tom Mitchell leads the way with 3 votes – once again reiterating the lack of concern some coaches have for the injury. Zach Merrett the smoky here.
Highest Scoring Ruck
The first uniform nominee in Grundy here…. no wait, sneaky vote for Roughneck Riley O’Brien. Would’ve got long odds on the single non-Grundy vote going to someone not named Max Gawn.
Highest Scoring Forward
The exodus of many of the top forwards from 2019, and the introduction of the top scoring defender, means we’re looking at a very different slate of nominees here. Whitfield earns the vote of half the coaches, while Dustin Martin is his rival. Toby Greene has also been backed – hoping for some of that midfield time perhaps?
Things we can’t conclusively measure
Now we’re talking – this is the stuff that really requires the thinking caps.
Breakout Players
One of my favourite questions to look back on come season’s end, with almost a complete run of individual nominees here. Viper Andrew Brayshaw is the only player to score two votes.
Berry and Simpkin (both Love Sparkles) strike me as good shouts. I’m not sure what constitutes a breakout for the 94 avg O’Brien (Roughnecks).
As a frequent-but-not-current owner, a Langford (Puttanesca Chiefs) breakout would be a slap in the face. Gresham (Solomon’s Soldiers) would’ve been in the mix for this category for about 3 years running now – ditto Powell-Pepper (another Love Sparkle!), who hasn’t budged much from his steller debut season average.
Izak Rankine (Devils) the rank outsider here. Will he get on the park? Will he average more than 65 when he does?
Player coaches wish they could add to their list
Starting to suspect someone is a massive fan of Riley O’Brien…
70 per cent of coaches wish they could have a Chief – be it Brodie Grundy, Lachie Whitfield, or… Rowan Marshall.
And 20 per cent of coaches would like a Roughneck.
Of interest: lots of love for Tom Mitchell and Jake Lloyd in some of the player awards, but no love here.
Biggest steal of the draft
A public call out of the coach who nominated number 2 pick Matt Rowell. Are we to interpret this as a comment on Noah Anderson?
The Vipers selection of Charlie Cameron at pick 71 is the only nominee to score 2 votes. He’s also the latest selection of this batch.
The Defenestrators have two selections featured here in old heads Gary Ablett (pick 30) and Michael Hurley (pick 56). Two first rounders in the Sparkles’ Powell-Pepper (pick 5) and MSHB’s Tom Green (pick 10).
The Soldiers’ selection of last year’s most unexpected breakout, Ricky Henderson (pick 32) and Devil Shai Bolton (pick 42) complete the set of steals.
Biggest Steal – Round 10 onwards
We upped the difficulty stakes here, asking coaches to spy a steal in the back half of the draft. The phrase ‘needle in a haystack’ comes to mind.
First off, someone failed the comprehension hurdle and backed Rory Lobb – who went with pick 58. A great shout for the previous question though.
Newly rebranded Feelin Dusty has three nominees here, with Harley Bennell (pick 103), Adam Saad (pick 123) and Jeremy Sharp (pick 153) nominated here. Saad the pick of the bunch here for me.
The Love Sparkles nabbed two nominees, Stocker (pick 125) and Sam Gray (pick 165). Sam Gray is a dark horse in this category I think – scores well when he plays.
Pre-season hypebeast Tristan Xerri (pick 120) was selected by MaherShalalHashBaz, as was steady Crow Paul Seedsman (pick 130).
The Defenestrators also got a nod with perennial list member Josh J Kennedy (pick 126).
If the start-up draft was held today, who should go #1?
A new question for coaches to ponder, with some interesting results…
60 per cent of coaches think Puttanesca Chief Brodie Grundy (pick 53 in the actual start-up) should be the first selection if a new start-up draft was held today.
Fellow Chief Jack Macrae (pick 8), Love Sparkle, and the only defender, Jake Lloyd (pick 146, by MaherShalalHashBaz) and Defenestrator Stephen Coniglio (pick 69) complete the nominees.
Coniglio is the interesting one, given he hasn’t been backed for any of the individual awards in season 2020. No love for Tom Mitchell either, despite people clearly feeling he’s going to return to his 115+ scoring straight away.
Best positioned for a flag in four years time
Overwhelming levels of love for the Soliders here. Pays to spend a few years at the bottom it seems. Granted, the capped off their breakout season by also acquiring the first two selections in the pre-season draft, so it’s easy to see why people would be enamored with the list.
The Chiefs are the other team nominated here. Couple of coaches think the two-time premiers are going to be very competitive for a long while yet.