It’s been a big couple of weeks here, at The Mongrel.
We are about halfway through the season previews, and I just wanted to thank all those who have either joined as members to access all content, or have stuck with us and renewed for another year. I am to provide the type of content you just don’t find elsewhere.
Hmmm, maybe that’s because it’s not good enough for anywhere else? I’d never thought f it that way… damn.
Anyway, as some of you may be aware, for the past three seasons, we have committed resources to compile a formula that assess the best defensive players in the league. As part of our Defensive Player of the Year Award, we analyse every game and the defenders’ impact on their respective contests. The result, combined with our own Mongrel votes and the coaches’ votes, provides us a weekly total for each defender.
Long story short, these numbers combine to give us a total running score, with the highest scorer of the season awarded the DPOY title at the end of the home and away season.
Thus far, the winners of the award are as follows.
2020 – Luke Ryan (Fremantle)
2021 – Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
2022 – James Sicily (Hawthorn)
Interestingly, two of our three winners failed to make the All-Australian team in the season they won. Take that in whatever way you like.
Usually, the DPOY article is restricted for our Inner Circle Members, but as a taster, I am leaving this article open to all members.
What I am doing is compiling all scores for the past three seasons to give us a list of the Top-20 Defenders throughout this period. Eventually, I will have a running “Five-Year Defender” Award, that will hopefully have a name much better than that, I hope, but we’re still 18 months or so away from that coming to fruition.
Until then, we’ll have to settle for the Three-Year Defensive Player Award… which also has no catchy title at this stage – I really need to put my thinking cap on, huh?
So, here we go, members – thanks for signing up. Here are the top 20 defenders of the last three seasons.
This ends the free component of the article. The DPOY columns will be for Inner Circle members but this one is for all members. Want to join us?
