A bit of an editorial before we begin.
This afternoon, I was treated to a quote from the esteemed Fox Footy commentator, Gerard Whateley, who said that there was no need in the AFL for an award to honour defenders.
Interesting take, Gerard. And I agree, to a point. I mean, just because they’re doing the job they’re paid for doesn’t mean they should be honoured.
You know who else doesn’t need awards?
Journalists.
This is particularly so when it applies to those who submit their own work in the hope they’ll be selected as a winner. That’s what the Walkley Awards are – did you know that? These blokes think so highly of themselves that they nominate THEMSELVES for an award. They are not voted in by their peers, or assessed by those watching them write – they practically throw themselves at the feet of those making an assessment and submit their own work for consideration.
Whateley has been a finallist, but he has never won.
And yet, when it comes to defenders in a competitive sport, Gerard believes “they don’t all need a ribbon.”
But he’s all on board with journalists getting a ribbon, apparently. He has won the Alf Brown Award several times… how many journo awards are there, anyway?
Twit.
Okay, now that is out of the way, there has been movement at the station over the past couple of weeks, with a Giant ascending to the throne, only for a hungry Lion to gobble up top spot again.
Injuries have seen some contenders crash back to earth, and this has opened the door for others. And it has also permitted the leaders to make their break.
The Mongrel Punt DPOY fills a hole in the AFL landscape.
With so much attention lavished on the midfielders and forwards, I found that outside of the All-Australian team, there was no real recognition for the best defenders in the game. It was the same for wingmen, and we now cover those players in our Robbie Flower Wingman of the Year Award.
The Defensive Player of the Year does not have the name of a great player attached to it (yet) but what it does have is six years of data analysing the best defenders in the game, ranking them on a weekly basis, and compiling that data into a leaderboard for each season.
We started this in 2020, with Fremantle’s interceptor/defender making the most of the shortened season to win the inaugural award. This accompanied his initial All-Australian selection, however, since then only none of our DPOY selections have worn the blazer – how they missed out is genuinely concerning when you look at who did make it in those seasons.
Previous winners listed below.
2020 – LUKE RYAN
2021 – JACOB WEITERING
2022 – JAMES SICILY
2023 – HARRIS ANDREWS
2024 – SAM COLLINS/LACHIE WHITFIELD (TIED)
How does it work?
Each week, defenders are ranked in a range of categories pertinent to their roles as defenders. These include disposals combined with efficiency, one-percenters, intercepts, rebound 50s, metres gained, tackles, as well as votes from a range of sources.
There is particular focus on the purest of the defensive art – the spoils, and players who excel in that area tend to score consistently throughout the season, as evidenced by Andrews, Weitering, and Collins winning the award.
That said, the man who shared the award with Collins in 2024, Lachie Whitfield, proved that there is definitely scope for a running, rebounding defender to take the award home, too. We are as close to an equal-opportunity DPOY award as you’ll find.
Yep, that’s it for non Inner-Circle members. Sorry people – see below.
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 three years now. Wanna join them and tell Gereard Whateley to go screw himself?
