For something a little different this season, I shook up the voting system in our annual Mongrel of the Year award.
We went from the tried and sometimes true method of awarding votes for every game to having a secret ballot, where writers at The Mongrel were asked to submit their top ten players for the season in the following format.
10 points – best player
9 points – second best.
… you get the picture.
Of course, a couple of them didn’t read the instructions, but what can you do?
In addition to that format, I asked that each list MUST contain two defenders and two forwards, and NO, you could not sneak Nick Daicos in as a defender. Some tried… believe me.
Finally, in a rule I snuck in and didn’t tell anyone, because I am sneaky like that, I opted to remove the highest and lowest score of every player that received votes.
That meant that every player that scored a ten had one of those scores removed. It also meant that any player scoring a zero had that score removed. If someone “forgets” to add a player, that instance is rectified by having that anomaly removed – it balances things out, you see? I’m sure I’ll cop a mouthful from some people about that, but… you know… it’s okay.
So, without further ado, the final leaderboard from The Mongrel Punt’s 2023 Mongrel of the Year Award.
70 POINTS – MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
66 POINTS – NICK DAICOS
63 POINTS – CHRISTIAN PETRACCA
56 POINTS – ZAK BUTTERS
51 POINTS – TOBY GREENE
39 POINTS – CHARLIE CURNOW
11 POINTS – HARRIS ANDREWS
8 POINTS – ERROL GULDEN, SAM TAYLOR
7 POINTS – JAMES SICILY, TAYLOR WALKER, JACK SINCLAIR, CONNOR ROZEE
6 POINTS – NICK LARKEY
2 POINTS – DAN HOUSTON
1 POINT – JORDAN DAWSON
OTHERS WHO RECEIVED VOTES
Matt Rowell, Lachie Neale, Caleb Serong, Callum Wilkie, Tom Green, Tim English, Tom Stewart, Stephen Coniglio, Jacob Weitering, Dustin Martin.
It’s difficult to begrudge Bont this honour – he received four first-place votes and two second-place votes. Nobody left him out, with his lowest position on any list being fifth. I suppose the only question would be whether Daicos would have taken this out had he not been hurt for the last few rounds?
Daicos received two first-place finishes, whilst Christian Petracca had three. Zak Butters received two.
The highest position for any forward on the list was second – that was for Toby Greene, who received two second-place votes.
The highest position for a defender was sixth for Harris Andrews, who received two sixth-place votes.
It was a magnificent season for Bont, who finished first in contested possessions, second in centre clearances, and fourth in inside 50 disposals. His burst and penetrating kicking dragged the Dogs across the line a couple of times and it is a shame that he will not be strutting his stuff in September this year.
In second, Daicos demonstrated that injury is the only thing that can keep him from dominating this league. In just his second season, his incredible run from half-back early in the season, and then his continued ability to find the footy with repeat efforts in the middle speak of a generational talent.
Christian Petracca probably flew under the radar for many this year – we are simply getting used to how good he is. The number one score involvements player in the league, he was dangerous every time he touched the footy.
And finally, in fourth, Zak Butters. What a season for the young star, as he bashed and crashed to complement his sublime skill. I know I am not the first to state it, and I doubt I’ll be the last, but Butters is the type of player whose game looks ready-made for finals. I cannot wait to see what he can do.
And that be about it, ladies and gents. A worthy winner in spite of his team falling over. The 2023 Mongrel of the Year is Marcus Bontempelli. He joins the following winners.
2018 – Max Gawn
2019 – Brodie Grundy
2020 – Lachie Neale
2021 – Ollie Wines
2022 – Lachie Neale (2)
2023 – Marcus Bontempelli
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