Osho
The significance of insignificance is significant.
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AFLW 2024 - Round 3 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Leigh Matthews Trophy most prestigious individual award
- Thread starter RCAB
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Also, for those saying it's a midfielders award...
The truth is, the best players these days are the midfielders - all individual awards for best player heavily feature midfielders for that reason.
The MVP has the most variety though. Since it began in 1982, it has had 7 forwards (8 if you count Leigh Matthews '82 season where he kicked 70+), 3 defenders and 3 rucks. It has seen the likes of Carey (x2), Dunstall, Ablett Snr, Paul Roos, Nick Riewoldt, Terry Daniher, etc, etc win - in other words, some of the best key position players the game has seen.
The truth is, the best players these days are the midfielders - all individual awards for best player heavily feature midfielders for that reason.
The MVP has the most variety though. Since it began in 1982, it has had 7 forwards (8 if you count Leigh Matthews '82 season where he kicked 70+), 3 defenders and 3 rucks. It has seen the likes of Carey (x2), Dunstall, Ablett Snr, Paul Roos, Nick Riewoldt, Terry Daniher, etc, etc win - in other words, some of the best key position players the game has seen.
AFLCA award has far more credibility.
Quick story.
Last round 1996, Ess v Dogs
Cracking game, Hird and Grant had blinders.
Ess win by 3 points, votes Hird 3, Grant 2.
Grant finishes 2nd in brownlow by 1 vote.
But is it the most accurate?
For instance, I wouldn't have described Bont as the best player in 2019. That was probably Cripps, who ended up winning the Player's MVP.
- Feb 5, 2018
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I tend to agree.
The Coaches Association Young Player of the year award is a FAR better indicator of talent than the rising star award as well.
Look at these names...
2024 Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne)
2023Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
2022Jai Newcombe (Hawthorn)
2021Noah Anderson & Caleb Serong (GOLD COAST SUNS & FREMANTLE DOCKERS)
2020Sam Walsh (Carlton)
2019Tim Kelly (Geelong Cats)
2018Tom Stewart (Geelong Cats)
2017Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
2016Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans)
2015Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
2014Jaeger O'Meara (Gold Coast Suns)
2013Jeremy Cameron (GWS Giants)
2012Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
2011Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle)
2010Stephen Hill (Fremantle)
2009Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn)
2008Joel Selwood (Geelong Cats)
2007Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
2006Ryan Griffen (Western Bulldogs)
2005Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs)
2004Daniel Wells (North Melbourne)
2003Chris Judd (West Coast Eagles)
Not a Lewis Taylor, Rhys Palmer, Jayden Stephenson or Danyle Pearce in the bunch.
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It's far easier to pick the young player of the year than it is to pick the rising star. Tim Kelly and Tom Stewart were 25 when they were selected and - as you can see going through the names - it's invariably someone in their second year, borderline AA already, easy choices. It's a worthy award (though honestly, I don't think players as old as Kelly and Stewart should be eligible) but comparing it to the Rising Star (which, clearly by its criteria is much more speculative about a player's future) is apples and oranges.
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That’s voting over two years
It’s easier to get it right with 2 seasons of judgement
Does anyone know what the final vote tallies were for the MVP?
I suspect it would have been reasonably close between the top 4 given Bont won it, given he certainly isn't considered in the top 3 for the Brownlow, nor was in the top few in the Coaches votes.
I suspect it would have been reasonably close between the top 4 given Bont won it, given he certainly isn't considered in the top 3 for the Brownlow, nor was in the top few in the Coaches votes.
Undisputed? He was almost a negative for the Dogs for nearly a quarter of the season.
Unlike Bont, Wines was actually good for the whole year.
Which quarter of the year was that?
Young player of the year... Given to a 25 year olds Tom Stewart and Tim Kelly.
Two years older than Zak Butters is now.
The last quarter of the season where he was playing injured.
Well yeah in the sense that it’s easier to reflect & decide at the end of the year an absolute best player. It’s not a game by game votes award, it’s just a general guess at who the players rated.
So if everyone is hyping in the media about a particular player, that player is likely to win the players MVP & also have a consensus hype base about who won.
I honestly hate the people who line up to pot shot the Brownlow and have to talk up the other awards like they’re some sort of insightful nose tapper.
None of them would agree Brayshaw or Miller were the best players in 2022. Or the many many midfielders that win these awards year after year. But suddenly the Brownlow is a shit award because Priddis & mids etc.
They all have their own system and that’s fine. One isn’t better. You don’t get an award for agreeing with the players MVP & not the Brownlow
None of them would agree Brayshaw or Miller were the best players in 2022. Or the many many midfielders that win these awards year after year. But suddenly the Brownlow is a shit award because Priddis & mids etc.
They all have their own system and that’s fine. One isn’t better. You don’t get an award for agreeing with the players MVP & not the Brownlow
And yet in the coaches votes they inevitably give max votes to the midfielder who got the most disposals.
At most a role player playing his most stats gathering game for the year might poll a 10 in a random week.
There’s no “role player carrying out instructions” or “tagger” or even “key defender” or even “not a midfielder” in the top 18.
Jez Cameron is 19th and polled 63 votes with 58 goals to the year - he polled 50 of those 63 votes in his 5 highest goal scoring games (5 games he kicked 30 goals in), so from his other 18 games he kicked 28 goals and polled 13 votes. So if it wasn’t a midfielder with lots of stats, it was a forward with lots of goals!
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Patrick Cripps is the king of ineffective disposals.
If we look at the stats for the All Australian midfielder nominees, we can see that he had the fewest metres gained with the second worst kicking efficiency. That's not a great combo.
Nick Daicos averages almost 150m per game more than Cripps, but with superior accuracy & efficiency.
Metres gained (avg)
347 Patrick Cripps
351 Lachie Neale
363 Andrew Brayshaw
373 Jason Horne-Francis
398 Caleb Serong
404 Isaac Heeney
407 Adam Treloar
422 Harry Sheezel
436 Zak Butters
436 Hayden Young
438 Marcus Bontempelli
444 Chad Warner
446 Zach Merrett
458 Jack Sinclair
493 Nick Daicos
520 Noah Anderson
553 Max Holmes
567 Errol Gulden
Kicking efficiency %
52.4% Caleb Serong
54.1% Patrick Cripps
54.7% Adam Treloar
54.8% Andrew Brayshaw
57.1% Marcus Bontempelli
57.3% Isaac Heeney
57.4% Chad Warner
57.4% Errol Gulden
58.3% Nick Daicos
58.8% Noah Anderson
58.9% Jason Horne-Francis
60.1% Hayden Young
61.3% Max Holmes
61.8% Zach Merrett
64.3% Zak Butters
70.1% Lachie Neale
70.6% Harry Sheezel
71.1% Jack Sinclair
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- May 5, 2016
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Agree with your sentiment and I can see both sides. McRae’s votes can easily be seen as selfish but it also depends on what he wants from his players as well.
Based on his last half dozen games I would say that it’s pretty clear that the instructions to Dangerfield for example - who’s kicking has obviously always been a point of contention anyway as we all know - has been to win the ball at all costs and get it forward. Just get it clear and take territory and we will do whatever we can from there and back ourselves to win it from there or try and lock it in further ulfield. For all anyone knows Daicos has a similar MO from McRae or did in that game and he felt he achieved it that night (I have no idea how much territory he gained that night fwiw I’m just saying he might have ticked the boxes of what was asked of him)
I rate this award best based on list of past winners.
Even when I have to admit that our most recent winner isn't the best example...
Even when I have to admit that our most recent winner isn't the best example...
You must be talking about the last four games of the season (rds 20-23) because in rounds 18 and 19 he polled 6 Brownlow votes. But surely you can’t be talking about rds 20-23 because he had two 30+ possession games in those four.
South of the Yarra
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McRae did this only a few weeks ago. He gave Nick Daicos 5 votes (Voss gave him none) in the Blues v Pies game in Round 21.
Daicos had 28 ineffective disposals, one goal, less clearances than Pendlebury, 50% disposal efficiency.
A pretty selfish decision by McRae and the votes that ended up winning him the award.
Yet Daicos received votes off nearly every major media outlet. Says more about Voss's bias.
Cleansweep17
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It took rigged votes by McCrae (who’s also directed his whole team to give it to Nick) and Heeney missing two games for Nick to win the award.
that’s just sad
I wonder how Daicos will go in the upcoming rebuilding phase of Collingwood when his teammates are crap.
South of the Yarra
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You just come across as a jealous bitter little troll.
Cleansweep17
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None of what I said didn’t happen so yeah
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You think a coach would instruct his team, with their season on the line, to give the ball to a player, so he could get an award.
Oh yeah. That happened.
