Well, with the Brownlow once again destined to result in a top ten crammed with mids, you can trust The Old Mongrel to give you something a little different.
Maybe not better, but different.
Sometimes, when you ask readers for opinions and suggestions, you get some pearlers in response.
Of course, you get some shockers, as well (no names) but when you sift through them all, you can find some real gems. One such suggestion came from a man in our Mongrel Punt Footy Group on Facebook (it’s separate to the main page… a little more free and easy. You could join if you’re not a knob), where he suggested an award for the best small forward in the game each season.
Thanks, Zachary Chimes.
Little did he know, but I have dabbled in that area, using a couple of different formulas to give us the X-Factor Player of the Year for the last seven years… I’ve just been really slack with it. Like Sir Edmund Slackbladder, only not slack in the bladder… that you know of, at least.
Whilst his work inside 50 has seen the All-Australian selectors neglect him at times, Charlie Cameron has been rewarded for his consistency in our system, with the Brisbane forward collecting three of the first five awards we’ve undertaken. Not only was he kicking goals, but was also ranked highly in both score involvements and marks inside 50 – he used to get on the end of plenty of marks on the lead.
In recent seasons, I applied the formula a little differently, bringing it in line with the way our Wingman of the Year award is decided. It is a way for me to find our X-Factor Player of the Year without having to crunch numbers from week to week. It still incorporates stats, but also adds coaches’ votes and All-Australian selections to the mix.
Also, in the past, I have permitted midfielders to feature in this process, as long as they’ve averaged a goal per game That has now ceased. They have the Brownlow, MVP, and ALFCA Champion Player of the Year awards to keep them happy, as well as just about every media award on offer.
This award will now be for non-key forwards only.
And it gives us plenty to work with.
So, rules?
Players must average a goal per game to qualify. As a small forward, your job is to hit the scoreboard. If you cannot average a goal per game, you don’t make the cut.
If you are one of the two key forwards on a team, you cannot be considered. Let’s look at North Melbourne as an example. Their key forwards are Jack Darling, Nick Larkey, and late in the season, Cooper Trembath. To me, Cam Zurhaar is a third forward, albeit a very, very good one, so he makes the cut.
At Sydney, you have Joel Amartey, Jack Buller, and Hayden McLean as the keys. Isaac Heeney sits forward as the mid-size forward. He makes the cut, as well.
And at GWS, the key forward marking targets are Jesse Hogan, Aaron Cadman, and Jake Riccardi, so Toby Greene gets the green light… pardon the poor pun.
In regard to assessing whether players were mids or forwards, it was a bit of a grey area. I watch a heap of footy, and went by what I saw. Someone like Heeney, who hits the scoreboard, was an interesting one. Some may suggest he not be included, but when a bloke is leading the club in goals, he is likely to be spending a large amount of his time in the forward 50.
And that’s about it. Stats used are goals, score involements, goal assists, marks inside 50, one-percenters, and tackles inside 50. I reckon they’re your keys for non-key forwards. Add in your coaches’ votes and “viola”… we get our leaderboard.
Before we get into the 2025 results, the Top Five and winners for seasons 2018-24 are listed below. I’ve left off the scores, as they were tabulated under different criteria, so it would look a bit funny compared to the last two seasons.
2018
1 – LUKE BREUST (HAW)
2 – JACK GUNSTON (HAW)
3 – JORDAN DE GOEY (COLL)
4 – ROBBIE GRAY (PORT)
5 – JAMIE CRIPPS (WCE)
2019
1 – CHARLIE CAMERON (BRIS)
2 – MICHAEL WALTERS (FREO)
3 – JEREMY FINLAYSON (GWS)
4 – ANTHONY MCDONALD-TIPUNGWUTI (ESS)
5 – SAM LLOYD (WB)
2020
1 – LIAM RYAN (WCE)
2 – CHRISTIAN PETRACCA (MELB) *
3 – DAN BUTLER (ST K)
4 – CHARLIE CAMERON (BRIS)
5 – JACK GUNSTON (HAW)
2021
1 – CHARLIE CAMERON (BRIS)
2 -TOM PAPLEY (SYD)
3 – MARCUS BONTEMPELLI (WB)
4 – TOBY GREENE (GWS)
5 – BAYLEY FRITSCH (MELB)
2022
1 – CHARLIE CAMERON (BRIS)
2 – ISAAC HEENEY (SYD)
3 – BAYLEY FRITSCH (MELB)
4 – SHAI BOLTON (RICH)
5 – TYSON STENGLE (GEEL)
2023
1 – TOBY GREENE (GWS)
2 – KYLE LANGFORD (ESS)
3 – CHARLIE CAMERON (BRIS)
4 – KYSAIAH PICKETT (MELB)
5 – SHAI BOLTON (RICH)
2024
1 – DYLAN MOORE (HAW)
2 – IZAK RANKINE (ADEL)
3 – GRYAN MIERS (GEEL)
4 – KYSAIAH PICKETT (MELB)
5 – CAM RAYNER (BRIS)
AND NOW, THE TOP TEN FOR 2025
1 – JAMIE ELLIOTT (COLL)
2 – BEN LONG (SUNS)
3 – RHYLEE WEST (WB)
4 – PAUL CURTIS (NM)
5 – TOBY GREENE (GWS)
6 – ISAAC HEENEY (SYD)
7 – JACK HIGGINS (STK)
8 – KYSAIAH PICKETT (MELB)
9 – CAM ZURHAAR (NM)
10 – ZAC BAILEY (BRIS)
HALF-ARSED 2025 ANALYSIS
Aaaand the first complaints roll in… Jamie Elliott plays like a key forward, right?
Yeah… kind of, except that he is bite-sized, and has Brody Mihocek, Tim Membrey, and Dan McStay all competing with him in the air. Given that, even though Elliott is a supreme mark of the footy (61 marks inside 50 in 2025), he is not automatically the first cab off the rank – he is just better at what he does than anyone else is at what they do.
I have to be honest here – I was barracking for Ben Long to win it. Not to the point I’d cheat for him, but what he adds to the Suns often goes unheralded, and he was top-five in those assessed in two categories (goals and tackles inside 50), which propelled him into second place.
In a way, he was the Anti-Kozzie Pickett this season, with Kysaiah recording just 17 tackles inside 50. Long had 56, as he brought the heat.
Kozzie dipped to under a tackle per game inside 50 this season, and it cost him in the rankings. He appeared to put most of his effort into finding the footy and hitting the scoreboard, which is fine, but his activity inside 50 scares the bejeezus out of the opposition, and I’d like to see him rediscover that hunting instinct next season.
Rhylee West surprised me a little with his high finish. He is not the quickest bloke going around, but far out, he makes up for that with footy smarts. He was the number one player amongst those assessed for goal assists, and was third for tackles inside 50. He’s doing his job at the Kennel. It’s about time others stepped it up.
Paul Curtis could win this next year. He is good in the air, but those four missed games probably cost him second spot.
Where did the other big goal kickers fall down?
Jack Higgins – relatively low in score involvements and marks inside 50
Toby Greene – tackles inside 50
Cam Zurhaar – score involvements
Shai Bolton – didn’t hit the scoreboard often enough.
Big drop from Charlie Cameron. He has gone from perennial top four (with three wins) from 2019-22, to being unsighted this season. Maybe he is saving himself for finals? Or maybe the Lions have moved a few past him, now. Happens to the best, eventually.
Still, three X-Factor awards… more recognition than the All-Australian selectors gave him at his peak, right?
Just as we gave Jamie Elliott recognition this year, and the selectors opted not to.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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