2013 Magarey Medal Preview by ABC-TV's Chris Kendall

ABC-TV, 5RPH and Sportsbeat's Chris Kendall presents a comprehensive analysis of the 2013 Magarey Medal, to be held Tuesday September 17 at AAMI Stadium. The feature article looks at the top chances from each club and presents CK's Top 5 chances overall.

Central District – Brayden O’Hara: The raking left footer starts the season slowly, but may pick up his first votes in the round four loss to Glenelg with 31 disposals and ten Inside 50’s. From there, watch for him in rounds six, nine (clear BOG vs Eagles with 28 disposals, six tackles and nine Inside 50’s), rounds 15 and 19. He finishes the year with a clear best on ground against Sturt in a stunning 41 possession, seven clearances and 15 Inside 50 match. Hard to miss in full flight and a genuine threat.

Roughie: James Boyd. Proven votegetter who has been somewhat down at times this season, but we have seen in the past that he catches the umpire’s eye, even in losses. Has a few votegetting matches up his sleeve, 27 dispsoals in the round one loss to West should still have him on the slips, while 39 touches in a narrow round three loss to Norwood should also win attention. 29 disposals and a goal should win votes in the round seven Sturt win, but that may be the last we hear from him until round 19 (26 touches in a 46 point win over Port and round 22 (27 disposals v Glenelg). Outside chance.


Glenelg – Jarryd Lyons: The wooden spooners will simply not threaten on the night, but Lyons did have some top games when not on Adelaide Crows duty. His name should be among those in round one, with a 27 touch, six clearance match in the 29 point win over South, and he was also dominant in the round three loss to Port with 26 possessions. A best on ground in the round three Central win with 25 disposals was followed by 29 possessions in the round four win over Sturt. He may also feature in the round 11 loss to Glenelg with 28 disposals and four Inside 50’s, but that will close the door on his tally. Outside of him, very few teammates are likely to poll, although Lachlan Button and Andrew Bradley should notch some preferences.


North Adelaide – Nathan Gordon: The first half of his opening SANFL season had some sensational moments, but he tapered right off in the second half. Should kick off with possible votes in round two after 27 disposals and two goals in a win over Central, followed by a BOG in round three after 33 touches and a goal. Should gain notice in the round four loss to West with 28 touches and four tackles, while 24 handlings and two goals in a win over South should win attention. Five goals against West in round nine and six goals against Glenelg in round ten ought to win the maximum both times, but he may find it hard from there. In a low count, and with George Thring ineligible, he may build a buffer.

Roughie: Nick Amato – Could be the big surprise of the count. A big second half in the round five South win may start his night, before a likely BOG in the round seven win over the Eagles after 29 disposals and eight clearances. 20 touches, 2 goals and five frees for indicated he was under the umpires eye in the round nine win over West, before racking up 26 touches, five tackles and four Inside 50’s in a big win over Glenelg in round ten. 35 disposals, seven clarances and a goal in a 76 point win over Sturt in round twelve will have him close to BOG, before strong games in rounds 15 through to 17 all have him in a votewinning position. If he can grab a minor vote in the 18 point loss to Sturt in Round 19 for 27 disposals and six clearances, he may be able to hold on.


Norwood – Matthew Thomas: The Power listed midfielder should start brightly with an opening round BOG versus Port after 30 touches, six clearances and two goals, followed by the maximum again in round three with 39 disposals versus Central. Likely to pick up then minors in rounds seven against South (26 possessions, two goals), thirteen versus Central (30 disposals) and round sixteen against Sturt following 33 touches and ten clearances. A possible BOG in round 17 against West after a 24 disposal, two goal game and the maximum against the Eagles in round 22 with 30 handlings, five clearances and six Inside 50’s, leaves him primed for more likely votes in round 23 against North after 28 touches and six tackles to wind it up. Major chance.

Roughie: Mitch Grigg. In an extremely even season for Norwood, there are a number of contenders, but some of Grigg’s games will be nearly impossible to ignore. Most likely to kick off his run with the round two match against Glenelg after 30 possessions, before a 22 disposal, 11 clearance game against Sturt in Round 9 should also have him on the umpire’s sheets. 24 possessions, seven clearances and a goal against West in Round 10 is also likely to feature before the maximum should flow his way in round 12 after 27 handlings, six clearances and two goals against South. 34 touches, ten clearances should see him at the top of the cards in round 13 (Central) and 29 disposals and two goals versus Glenelg in Round 14 is also likely to feature. If he is trailing at this point, however, his chances are gone as he played out the season with Adelaide.

Port Adelaide – Sam Gray: Would be a real fairytale result and Gray is right up there. Should start with the maximum votes in round three against Glenelg after a 20 possession, four goal effort before 31 disposals and a goal in the round five loss to the Eagles should bring minor votes. 26 touches and seven clearances in the round seven loss to West is likely to attract attention, prior to a best on ground 32 possessions in the round ten win over South. If he in touch at that point, watch out for rounds 11 (28 possessions, 1 goal in a five point win over Norwood), 12 (29 possessions one goal in a two point win over Central) and 17 (32 touches, five clearances in a three point victory over Glenelg), as all could yield the maximum votes. Minor votes in the round 21 loss to Sturt (29 touches, eight clearances) and round 22 loss to West (36 disposals, 16 marks, six clearances) could be the catalyst for a fantastic finish for the Magpies midfielder. Genuine threat.

Roughie: Zane Kirkwood.: In an even field at Alberton, Kirkwood looks set to just edge out Steven Summerton for runner up honours. His round eight 25 touches, 9 rebound 50’s in a 17 point win over North ought to win him minor votes, while the round ten 38 disposal effort against South should see him just behind Gray on the voting slips. 27 handlings and ten rebound 50’s in the heartstopping round eleven win over Norwood should also have only Gray ahead of him that day, and 34 touches in the round 12 victory over Central could also win attention. He was everywhere in a narrow loss to the Eagles in round 13 (25 possessions, eight rebound 50’s), and was also highly productive in a 22 point Round 15 loss to Sturt (31 touches). 25 possessions in a round 20 win over South should also catch the eye, and he should finish with the maximum against Glenelg in the round 23 win after 35 touches and 14 rebound 50’s. Might surprise.

South Adelaide – Nick Liddle: Their low finish on the ladder will make it hard, but Liddle is a proven eyecatcher. Could kick it off with minors in rounds four after 29 disposals in the win over Sturt, and while they lost to Norwood by 25 points in round seven, he was busy with 23 touches and nine clearances. Rounds eight (32 touches in a 25 point loss to Central) and eleven (most disposals on the ground with 27, in a 39 point loss to the Eagles) could bring minor votes. His first BOG’s should come in rounds 13 (33 touches, two goals in a ten point win over West) and 14 (31 possessions in a five point win over Sturt). Minors in round 16 (26 disposals in a 23 point win over Glenelg), and 22 (26 touches in a 12 point win over Sturt) should round out his season, but he will need a lowish count to feature.

Roughie: Joel Cross: Last year’s co-winner will suffer from the Panthers finishing so low on the ladder this year, plus losing votes to Liddle, but some games are hard to miss. 30 touches and two goals in the round four Sturt win should see him top of the slips, while 29 disposals and eight clearances should be noted in the round nine win over Glenelg. From there, he will be relying on picking up votes in a round 15 loss to Central (32 possessions), the round 16 win over Glenelg (29 handlings, 10 clearances) and the round 20 loss to Port (26 possessions) to be any show.

Sturt – Richard Tambling: In an even team that finished out of the finals, it’s hard to find too many candidates for double figure votes at Sturt, but Tambling’s season has been strong. Could start the ball rolling in the round seven loss to Central with a 25 touch effort, before 27 possessions in the round ten win over the Eagles should have him close to the maximum. 24 disposals and a goal in a low scoring five point loss to South in Round 14 is likely to be rewarded and while his round 19 game in the win over North was not high on possession (21), he certainly caught the eye through the middle a number of times. Outside of Tambling, watch for Ben Kane’s second half of the season to be noticed by the umpires.

West Adelaide – Travis Tuck: Won’t start his run until round six, when close to BOG against Glenelg for 27 handlings and eight clearances, but then should start moving with minor votes in rounds nine (20 possessions and a goal in a nine point loss to North), ten (21 touches, two goals in a 30 point loss to Norwood), and 12 (27 handlings, eight clearances in a 74 point win over Glenelg). Minor votes in rounds 13 (29 touches, 10 clearances in a ten point loss to South), 15 (21 disposals and a goal in a 51 point win over the Eagles) should precede a BOG in round 21 (29 touches, three goals in a 117 point win over South). Minor votes in the round 22 win over Port (22 disposals, nine clearances) should close out his campaign, but he will be right up there.

Roughie: Ben Macreadie: Could be a real surprise packet on the night. May start his run in round one with 25 possessions, four clearances and six Inside 50’s in a 15 point win over Central, before the possibility of more votes in the round three shellacking of South (27 handlings, six clearances, six Inside 50’s). 27 disposals and eight clearances in the round four win over North should draw attention, before fighting it out with Tuck for the three votes in the round six win over Glenelg with 31 possessions and seven clearances. Round seven’s win over Port may bring more votes after 28 possessions and nine clearances, but this may halt his run until round 15, when 24 touches in a 51 point win over the Eagles could see more votes. Round 18’s 56 point victory over Sturt was notable for his clearance work in atrocious conditions (nine clearances and 22 possessions) and such was the Bloods dominance in a 117 point Round 21 victory over South that his 25 touches may be noted. Could be the real smokey.


Woodville/West Torrens – Matthew Goldsworthy: In a very even count for the Eagles, Goldsworthy should bob up. Minor votes in the 27 point round one win over Sturt (21 possessions, two goals) and the round six South victory (22 touches, three goals), should be followed by BOG’s in round eight (20 touches, four goals in a 88 point win against Glenelg) and eleven (another 20 touch, four goal game in a 39 point win over South) . Possible minors in rounds 16 (22 touches, 2.3 in a 12 point win over Central), 17 (27 disposals, 1 goal in a 15 point loss to Sturt), followed by a BOG in round 20 (20 possessions, 4.4 in a 50 point win over North) could leave him as the late swooper.

Scott Lewis’s ineligibility makes the eligible Eagles runner-up very open. Andrew Ainger should garner some preferences form solid goal hauls, while Chris Kane and Luke Powell should also gather votes.

CK’s Top Five:

1. Sam Gray (Port Adelaide)
2. Matthew Thomas (Norwood)
3. Travis Tuck (West Adelaide)
4. Brayden O’Hara (North Adelaide)
5. Ben Macreadie (West Adelaide)

Best outsider: Nick Amato (North Adelaide)

Good comprehensive list from CK, but I think Matt Suckling will be right up there for Norwood.

My top 5 would be...

1. Sam Gray
2. Brayden O'Hara
3. Mat Suckling
4. Matt Thomas
5. Nick Liddle

Not sure whether or not Port have won enough games but Gray will pick up a few 2 and 1 votes in some of their losses, IMHO. Will be an evenly fought count on the night...

There's no doubt that CK's MM Guide is the most comprehensive analysis for the medal in the media.

redandblack wrote:There's no doubt that CK's MM Guide is the most comprehensive analysis for the medal in the media.

No doubt about that, redandblack...

Keep an eye out for FOOT-e TIMES SA, who will have a Mega-Magarey Medal Issue next week...

Admin wrote:[CK’s Top Five:

1. Sam Gray (Port Adelaide)
2. Matthew Thomas (Norwood)
3. Travis Tuck (West Adelaide)
4. Brayden O’Hara (North Adelaide)  
5. Ben Macreadie (West Adelaide)

Best outsider: Nick Amato (North Adelaide)

I thought clearances closed on 30 June. I must have missed this transfer.  

Excellent work Mr.K, hope we get see you on TV again next year no matter who has the coverage.

Reckon Jaensch will poll well for Sturt, not sure how many games he played but always seemed to play well when he played for us.

1. B.O'Hara (Central) - wrapped it up on the weekend
2. S.Lewis (Eagles)
3. B.MacReadie (West)
4. S.Gray (Port)
5. N.Liddle (South)

The special FOOT-e TIMES SA Magarey Medal Preview issue will be out Tuesday lunch.

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Just pick the top 5 finishes in order for the Magarey Medal.

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Results will be in our Special FREE Magarey Medal Preview issue due out
Tuesday Lunch.

pretty indepth stuff there.

reckon that suckling might fall a few short, missing the last few games might hurt but had a good season also.

umps love boyd, he will probably still get votes in byes