It seems like just a week ago that I was sitting here, writing the DPOY column and speculating how someone could close the gap between the leader and the chasing pack. And almost as though the Footy Gods were barracking for the gap to close, it miraculously did!
The way it closed, however, wasn’t something I got correct.
Allow me to make a comparison.
Last season, we had a bloke named Jordan Dawson leading our Wingman of the Year Award. He was miles out in front after nine rounds and it looked as though it was going to be a race for second place.
Then Matthew Nicks stepped in and changed everything, moving his future captain into defence. The pack gathered, the lead got smaller and smaller, and with a string of zeroes, Jordan Dawson was overtaken. The clubhouse leader was overtaken and ended up finishing outside the top ten.
Could the same thing happen to Nick Daicos?
He played the entirety of the Round 15 game on the ball, meaning he received no points at all in our Defensive Player of the Year Award. And just like last year with Dawson, the wolves have started circling.
One of the most glaring absences in the AFL’s award structure is the failure to recognise the best defenders in the game.
In 2020, The Mongrel had enough of the league dragging its feet and missing a golden opportunity to honour the unsung heroes of the league. As such, we introduced The Mongrel Punt Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Now in year four, the DPOY award captures the performances of the best defenders in the game, irrespective of their roles. We make provision for the contest-killers, the interceptors, the rebounders, the run-and-carry players, and even the defensive midfielders. Our formula uses statistics – both official and a few of our own, as well as a combination of votes to find a number each week for the defenders.
At the end of the season, we crown our Defensive Player of the Year, and what is ridiculous is that it automatically makes our award the longest-running award with a focus on the defenders. Hell, even if the AFL decided to extract the digit and start one right now, we’d have more history behind our efforts.
That’s actually pretty sad – the AFL should be doing a lot better, here.
Anyway, who will join Luke Ryan (2020), Jacob Weitering (2021), and James Sicily (2022) as winners of the best award on offer for the defenders in the league?
Now, I know some of you will ask – I am a member; why can’t I see this? This is for the Inner Circle Member tier – always has been. This is what these people generously pay a bit extra for, so I am more than happy to dive deep for them when it comes to this content. If you’re a Mongrel Member and you’d like to upgrade, go right ahead. If not, that’s cool, as well. But this is not a new thing – has been that way for over two years now. Wanna join them?
