A new season and a new Wingman of the Year Award race to follow along each week at The Mongrel Punt.
Before we begin – a bit of history.
After becoming increasingly frustrated with the way several positions in the AFL were mistreated or simply forgotten about about when it came to recognition, I decided to do something a little different back in 2020 and begin a column that would focus solely on the wingmen in the game. Bear in mind that we were coming off a 2019 season that saw both Marcus Bontempelli and Tim Kelly named as the wingmen, despite neither playing the role for longer than a minute or two at a time before heading back into the centre bounce. I am sure I am preaching to the choir, but it was just another example of the AFL shoehorning players into roles they did not belong because they weren’t good enough to crack the All-Australian midfield…
… and it sucked. Did then, and still does now, with no genuine wingmen making the team in 2020, 21, or 22.
In 2020, Sam Menegola was named our wingman of the year.
2021 saw Paul Seedsman have his moment in the sun before concussion all but ruined his career. That 2021 season, though… that was a blinder from him.
And 2022 welcomed Karl Amon to the club.
Who will it be this season?
In Round One, we saw several players emerge as likely candidates. Some came out of the blue, whilst others were of the more seasoned variety. Whilst none were truly dominant to the levels where any records were going to be broken, a good start in this competition has proven valuable for all the winners over the journey.
So without further ado, let’s jump into the Round One results of The Mongrel Punt Wingman of the Year for 2023.
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