The Chad may seem to have come out of the blue this season, but the young Swan was front and centre at the beginning of 2021, demonstrating the type of form that is now becoming so vital to the way Sydney plays its footy.
As we head into Round 20, The Chad, reigning Mongrel Punt Midfielder Champion, prepares to defend his title against Josh Kelly, Tom Green, Tim Taranto, and former champ, Jacob Hopper. Can the star-studded GWS midfield knock him over and take the belt?
Defence number two for Chad Warner.
The world loves a winner.
Except for the losers, I guess. But the rest of us love a winner, and following the 2021 season, one man reigned overall.
Christian Petracca stood on the podium with another two medals stemming from his best-afield performance in the Grand Final. The best player on the best team in the biggest game of the year – he was the undisputed champion of AFL midfielders..
However, with a new season comes new challenges… and new challengers to the title.
As we entered 2022, the Mongrel Punt Midfielder Championship Belt is fastened tightly around the waist of the Melbourne champ, but every battle, every week would call on him to defend it. And all it takes is a bad day for his grip to loosen on that which he made his at the conclusion of the 2021 season..
The Mongrel Punt Midfield Championship is a bit of fun – let’s be honest, but it’s a bit of fun that adds a little bit of interest to each and every game the champ competes in. Who, if anyone can beat the champ?
Each week, the champ defends his title in this system. In order to unseat him, firstly, the challenging team has to win. Like in Pro Wrestling, the title cannot change hands on a disqualification, so if you have a great performance, but your team loses, you can’t take the title. You have to beat the champ in a win. You have to outperform the champ in a win to take the title off him.
The individual win has to be comprehensive. If a challenger has 26 touches and a goal and the champ has something similar, we call it a draw and the champ gets the benefit of the doubt to retain the title. You either win decisively, or you don’t win at all.
So, who will dominate the midfield in the 2022 season and turn back challengers week after week? Who will reign like Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair? And who will be an interim champ… like Kane, or the Iron Sheik?
Let’s jump in and find out.
Note – at the conclusion of the weekly update, a full championship history, spanning from 2017 to the current day is available, including a full history of title reigns and most successful defences, etc… We are now at 8K+ words in this baby, and the history grows every week.
The Mongrel Punt Midfielder Championship Belt is a column for our Mongrel Members. They also get five other exclusive columns per week as well as access to HB’s game reviews early. Wanna join them and support the best damn independent footy site you’ll find?
