MEDAL DETECTING
Geelong Advertiser chief football writer Lachie Young takes a look at the leading candidates for tonight’s Carji Greeves Medal
TIM KELLY
WAS half a vote from winning the best-and-fairest award last year in his first AFL season and has gone to new heights in 2019.
Ranked 12th in the competition for inside-50s and 13th for total kicks, and was Geelong’s leading clearance winner. His first half of the year will be where he polls most of his votes, but he also enjoyed a very strong finals campaign.
Has placed highly in a stack of AFL awards, including a fifth in the Brownlow Medal and a fourth in the AFL Coaches Association Award.
His trade value has increased on last season and a podium finish tonight would only serve to further justify Geelong’s stance that he is worth a minimum of two first-round picks as part of a trade after he requested a move home to Western Australia yesterday.
TOM STEWART
THE dashing defender registered the most kicks in the competition in 2019, was the No.1 player in the league for metres gained and had the highest number of rebound-50s.
He also took the second highest number of marks and was ranked fifth overall for intercepts, resulting in a second straight All-Australian guernsey.
A proven vote-getter in the Carji Greeves Medal, Stewart has finished fifth (2017) and equal sixth (2018) in his previous two years at the Cats and was a consistent performer in the eyes of AFL coaches.
Has taken his game to new levels this season and a best-and-fairest would complete one of the more stunning rises the game has seen in recent years.
TOM HAWKINS
MADE the All-Australian team for just the second time this year, with the last time being in 2012 — when he also won the Carji Greeves Medal.
Won the club goalkicking award for an eighth straight season with 56 and was third in the competition for goal assists, marks inside-50 and total score involvements.
Kicked four goals or more seven times and took six marks or more on nine occasions. Despite a lean patch towards the end of the year on the scoreboard, the way Geelong’s best-and-fairest award works could suit him as those matches will be discounted when it comes to voting. Rated very highly internally so expect him to poll prominently.
OTHER TOP 10 CHANCES:
Mark O’Connor, Mitch Duncan, Joel Selwood, Jake Kolodjashnij, Gary Ablett
2018 REWIND LAST YEAR’S CARJI TOP 10
1. Mark Blicavs (234 votes); Eq 2. Tim Kelly, Patrick Dangerfield (233.5); 4. Tom Hawkins (229); 5. Joel Selwood (220.5); Eq 6. Mitch Duncan (216), Tom Stewart (216); 8. Jake Kolodjashnij (203); 9. Sam Menegola (200); 10. Zach Tuohy (194.5)