Who will win the 2021 Premiership?
Answer: Defenestrators
Only two coaches successfully picked the eventual premier – coach Nelson and coach Adam.
Three coaches referred to the history books and backed the Chiefs (Jaye, Alex, and Greg), while three others backed the Soldiers to break through and claim their first (Mark, Paul, and Max). Jordie was very polite and backed the Roughnecks.
Which two teams will face-off in the 2021 Grand Final?
Answer: Puttanesca Chiefs and Defenestrators
Not a single coach predicted this. It feels improbable, given these two clubs faced off in the 2020 decider – but nobody foresaw a repeat.
Most coaches – half the league in fact, predicted a Soldiers v Chiefs decider. Coaches Mark and Jordie thought the Soldiers would face the Roughnecks. Coach Adam thought the Defenestrators would face the Soldiers, and coach Nelson thought they’d face the Roughnecks.
Which four teams will miss the finals?
Answer: Te Puke Pukekos, Feelin Dusty, Love Sparkles, Taxmanian Devils
Nobody saw this coming. And that’s because every single coach who completed the survey had the Vipers finishing in the bottom four.
Instead they finished in the top four.
Only one coach foresaw both the Sparkles and Pukekos missing the top six – coach Alex. He had the Devils making the finals in place of the Vipers though.
Which team will “win” the Wooden Spoon?
Answer: Taxmanian Devils
Only two coaches got this one right – Adam and Jaye.
Now time to list some more Vipers related shame. Three coaches had them pegged for the spoon – Alex, Jordie, and Mark.
Nelson had his Pukekos outfit pegged for the spoon. I don’t know what to make of this.
Which team will have the highest single round score?
Answer: Defenestrators – 2065 (Grand Final)
The Defenestrators saved the best effort for the year for the biggest game of the year. Love to see it.
Two coaches backed the Defenestrators in for this award – Jordie and Nelson.
Which player do you think is most likely to ‘break-out’ in 2021?
This one is in the eye of the beholder. Having said that, Noah Anderson (Greg) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (Adam) are probably the best shouts. And they bother play for the Sparkles, so lots to like for Greg here.
Zak Butters probably would’ve got the gong here had he not gotten injured. Tough break for Jordie and Paul.
Jordan Clark was backed three times (Mark, Max, and Alex). That didn’t turn out. Suspect he may get some votes in the 2022 edition.
Which player will win the 2021 Dangergawn Medal?
Answer: Touk Miller (Lethal Vipers)
Yeah nobody pegged this.
Alex went close backing his own player in Christian Petracca.
Merrett was backed by three coaches to go back-to-back (Jordie, Max, Adam)
Who will be the highest scoring player?
Answer: Jack Steele (Love Sparkles)
No votes for Steele.
There were 3 votes for Merrett (the aforementioned coaches), and 2 votes for Lachie Neale (Max, Mark). Individual votes for Jack Macrae, Clayton Oliver, Lachie Hunter, and Tom Rockliff.
Who will be the highest scoring defender?
Answer: Callum Mills (Solomon’s Soldiers)
Alex’s penchant for backing his own players paid off here – he’s the only one to call this.
Lotta love for Jake Lloyd in this category (5 votes). Two coaches backed Laird – Jordie and Max, and one coach backed Caleb Daniel (Jaye).
Who will be the highest scoring ruck?
Answer: Brodie Grundy (Puttanesca Chiefs)
The Grand Finalists were the only two to back Grundy here.
Most coaches went Gawn, who wasn’t far behind. Rowan Marshall (Chiefs) was the only other player to get a vote.
Who will be the highest scoring forward?
Answer: Aaron Hall (Lethal Vipers/Solomon’s Soldiers)
Yeah nobody was in the same planetary system with this one.
There were 6 votes for Josh Dunkley (MSHB). 2 votes for Patrick Dangerfield (Chiefs), and 1 vote for Dustin Martin (Feelin Dusty/Soldiers).
If you could switch lists with any other team, who would you choose?
6 votes for the Chiefs, 3 votes for the Soldiers, none for anybody else.
If you could add any player from any team to your list, who would you choose?
Bit of diversity in this one. Only one player got two votes – Matthew Rowell. Suspect we won’t see that repeated…
Other nominations include Sam Walsh (Defenestrators), Josh Dunkley (MSHB), Rory Laird (Chiefs), Zac Merrett (MSHB), Lachie Whitfield (Chiefs), Clayton Oliver (Chiefs) and Rowan Marshall (Chiefs).
Who won the draft?
The Defenestrators were the only team to earn more than one vote.
That indeed may have been the best shout – from our season review series on the Defenestrators draft:
The Defenestrators didn’t wind up paying a price for selecting someone (Elijah Hollands) who couldn’t contribute to the premiership push with their first selection. They more than made up for it with six selections who all featured in more than ten games and averaged 80 or more.
Nearly every selection was useful in one way or another, which is exactly the result you’re looking for when neck deep in the premiership race. The run in the backhalf of the draft – Ward, Mundy, Rotham, Jiath and Darling – phwoar. Another contender for best draft of 2021.
Who was the biggest steal of the draft?
An interesting array of selections here – though the two bombers, Heppell and Hind, and Redden, are probably the only ones in contention (mind you the answer is Aaron Hall and it’s not overly close). Nonetheless, points to Jaye, Alex, and Adam for getting closest.
| Dyson Heppell |
| Nick Hind |
| Stef Martin |
| Jamie Elliott |
| Andrew McPherson |
| Will Powell |
| Elijah Hollands |
| Dan Hanneberry |
| Jack Redden |
If the start-up draft was held today, who do you think should go 1st overall?
Another interesting spread – two votes for Brodie Grundy (Chiefs), two votes for Zac Merrett (MSHB), and two for Jack Macrae (Chiefs).
Three other players scored nominations – Max Gawn (Defenestrators), Lachie Neale (Soliders) Matt Rowell (Feelin Dusty).
Which team do you think is best positioned to win the flag in 4 years time?
Five votes for the Soliders, and then a group of single vote getters – Te Puke Pukekos, the Tax Devils, Feelin Dusty, and MSHB.