Leigh Matthews Trophy most prestigious individual award

[RCAB]

Has to be the most prestigious award for the home and away season. Bontempelli has won this three times now, only Ablett Jnr with five has more.

Usually this is far more accurate than they other award. Bont was the best player this season.

Fairly good list the year:


Leigh Matthews Trophy 2024 (MVP)
1. Marcus Bontempelli

4

Marcus Bontempelli

Age

29

Ht

194cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.5

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

10.3

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

4.8

5star

CL

4.4

5star

D

18.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

8.8

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

4.1

5star

CL

4.0

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

5.8

3star

HB

6.2

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

1.8

4star

2. Patrick Cripps

9

Patrick Cripps

Age

29

Ht

195cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.9

5star

K

9.8

4star

HB

16.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

5.8

5star

CL

7.4

5star

D

21.0

5star

K

10.1

4star

HB

10.9

5star

M

2.5

3star

T

3.8

4star

CL

6.3

5star

D

12.6

4star

K

4.8

2star

HB

7.8

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.2

5star

CL

1.4

4star

3. Isaac Heeney

5

Isaac Heeney

Age

28

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.7

5star

M

4.9

5star

T

4.1

5star

CL

2.2

4star

D

14.3

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

4.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.8

3star

4. Nick Daicos
5. Jesse Hogan

23

Jesse Hogan

Age

29

Ht

196cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.0

4star

K

9.3

4star

HB

5.7

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.4

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

10.3

3star

K

6.0

2star

HB

4.3

3star

M

5.3

5star

T

0.0

1star

G

0.0

1star

D

13.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

4.0

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.4

4star

G

1.8

5star

 

[the harry]

Has to be the most prestigious award for the home and away season. Bontempelli has won this three times now, only Ablett Jnr with five has more.

Usually this is far more accurate than they other award. Bont was the best player this season.

Fairly good list the year:


Leigh Matthews Trophy 2024 (MVP)
1. Marcus Bontempelli
2. Patrick Cripps
3. Isaac Heeney
4. Nick Daicos
5. Jesse Hogan

Far more accurate than other awards? Based on what? It's the most accurate representation of who the coaches voted for.

 

[Underdog]

Like all awards in the industry, it has its strengths and weaknesses. We should stop thinking so binary when it comes to awards recognising player ability.

 

[Handsuper47]

just like the brownlow it's mostly a midfielders award

 

[Underarm]

Far more accurate than other awards? Based on what? It's the most accurate representation of who the coaches voted for.

This is even worse, it's the AFLPA award. Pure popularity contest.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

This is even worse, it's the AFLPA award. Pure popularity contest.

Yeah, at least all the coaches actually watch and analyse games.

At least 30% of players would have little idea of what's going on outside their own bubble and probably just roll with media hype and who their teammates vote for.

 

[conrad_437]

It's certainly not perfect, but I'd genuinely wager that the AFLPA award has been more accurately awarded to the genuine best player in a given year than any other AFL award.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Agree with the idea that it's overrated. Most players would give it less than five seconds' thought. The voting is often ridiculously lopsided, like the winner polls more than double what his nearest rival polls.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Not even voted on by a game by game basis, pretty much asking the players who their favourite player is, Brownlow and Coaches Award for more valuable

 

[Underarm]

It's certainly not perfect, but I'd genuinely wager that the AFLPA award has been more accurately awarded to the genuine best player in a given year than any other AFL award.

Bontempelli is winning 3 of the last 4 partly because he hasn't won a brownlow and the other players feel he deserves a consolation prize.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Rubbish award. It’s based on rep from previous years.

Bont has 3 MVPs, 0 Brownlow and 1 coaches award.

You don’t have to be Sherlock or figure out that doesn’t match up.

 

[Osho]

Is the Leigh Matthews Trophy awarded to the player with the most blind side king hits in the season?

Or the one with the most serious psychosis?

Or the most emotionless footy player?

 

[bzparkes]

Ah, an award based on the 'vibe'.

 

[conrad_437]

Bontempelli is winning 3 of the last 4 partly because he hasn't won a brownlow and the other players feel he deserves a consolation prize.

Remind me which year he wasn’t the undisputed best player?

 

[augie]

Remind me which year he wasn’t the undisputed best player?

Each if the last 4 years.

 

[RonnieRaven]

It depends who wins it.
If young freo player wins it zero credibility
If said person likes winner most prestigious

 

[RonnieRaven]

If you look at its history not the system it’s judged by it probably is the most credible

 

[Underarm]

Remind me which year he wasn’t the undisputed best player?

Undisputed? Which other major awards has he won?

 

[BEaston]

never knew tigs fans were this salty about Bont

 

[conrad_437]

Each if the last 4 years.

2021: Was certainly undisputed
2023: I'm not sure who you could argue was better
2024: Ditto. Probably closer than past years, but the overwhelming majority of opinion is that the Bont has been the best player.

 

[calyam]

The only home & away individual award that players desperately want to win is the Brownlow. Regardless of whether you agree with the voting system, the simple reality is that every player would rather win a Brownlow than the MVP or coaches award.

I've little doubt that Bont would trade all his MVP awards for a single Brownlow. And no doubt Ablett would trade all five of his to become a triple Brownlow medalist.

 

[augie]

2021: Was certainly undisputed
2023: I'm not sure who you could argue was better
2024: Ditto. Probably closer than past years, but the overwhelming majority of opinion is that the Bont has been the best player.

Lots of people believe he was the best player in the competition in each of those years. But undisputed is a massive overstatement. He just wasn't. It doesn't make him any less of a champion. It just means there are other players at his level. I don't think there has been an undisputed since Martin in 2017.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

If you look at its history not the system it’s judged by it probably is the most credible

But that's the problem with it, the lack of rigour, zero accountability. You could make it a poll on Big Footy or the sports bar at your local and they'd either come up with Bontempelli, or Daicos, Neale, Cripps etc. you'd get a credible winner. You could just take a glance at the Brownlow odds or at the Herald-Sun player of the year award and pick the player at the top, it wouldn't be an undeserving winner.

If I had to bet, I'd say the vast majority of players either glance at the media player of the year awards or the Brownlow odds, or they briefly discuss who they'd vote for in big groups: "Who are you voting for? Bont?" And then like 80% of a given club votes the same way.

Hot take for me is I don't rate the AFLPA MVP or their other awards especially highly, because I find it hard to believe that the players really give a stuff.

 

[BF Tiger]

Sure it might be a “vibe” award, but I don’t think that makes it any less valid.

An issue with the Brownlow is that it only recognised the three best players on the ground. Be consistently 4,5,6th best on ground but don’t get any recognition.

AFLCA is a bit better, with both coaches awarding 5-4-3-2-1 votes, but still not recognising consistently good players in the 6-10 range.

Both suffer because, for example, the Brownlow rates the BOG 50% higher than the 2nd BOG (ie 3 votes to 2 votes), when the reality one player might have got the nod over the other just because he was on the winning team.

I guess fantasy rankings/ Champion data try to normalise performance, but we all know some contested marks are greater than others, some tackles (laid or broken) are worth more and some goals are kicked in skill-filled pressure moments while others are pure luck or more the benefit of team-mates hard work up the ground.

So that’s why I’m happy for the AFLCA award to be rated the equal of other awards because sometimes the “eye test” is required.

 

[RonnieRaven]

But that's the problem with it, the lack of rigour, zero accountability. You could make it a poll on Big Footy or the sports bar at your local and they'd either come up with Bontempelli, or Daicos, Neale, Cripps etc. you'd get a credible winner. You could just take a glance at the Brownlow odds or at the Herald-Sun player of the year award and pick the player at the top, it wouldn't be an undeserving winner.

If I had to bet, I'd say the vast majority of players either glance at the media player of the year awards or the Brownlow odds, or they briefly discuss who they'd vote for in big groups: "Who are you voting for? Bont?" And then like 80% of a given club votes the same way.

Hot take for me is I don't rate the AFLPA MVP or their other awards especially highly, because I find it hard to believe that the players really give a stuff.

I agree in part
But all have faults
I’ve heard AA selector Conesy say he doesn’t watch every game
The coaches are busy coaching and have favourites
The umps have never played the game and are busy umpiring
Asking 700 players who the most valuable player is has its fault but there is positives that others don’t have