A blend of youth and experience made up Essendon’s best performers this season. David Hille, Mark McVeigh, Andrew Welsh and Matthew Lloyd have been consistent in a season which saw them undertake various roles and new challenges under first-year coach, Matthew Knights. Emerging stars Sam Lonergan, Kyle Reimers, Patrick Ryder and Angus Monfries provided support to their more experienced teammates.
Given the large contingent of contributors, predicting a winner for this year’s Crichton medal is a tough ask. The winner will have had to impress the three members of the match committee who give a maximum of 10 votes to up to eight players in each game.
While the best and fairest award is set to feature on the nights, players will also be vying for other awards. Among the list of honours include the Bill Hutchison Award, Lindsay Griffith’s Rising Star Award, Most Courageous, Striving for Excellence and Most Improved awards.
Hille is expected to poll well in the votes after producing a break-through season in which he established himself as one of the more consistent, dominant big-men in the competition. In 2008 Hille featured among the club’s top five in goals, marks and handballs, and carried the majority of the ruck work once again. He played all but two games this season and was particularly impressive in his round 12 dual with West Coast’s Dean Cox. Supporters considered Hille unlucky not to feature in the All-Australian side however a Crichton medal is sure to erase any bad memories.
Lloyd reclaimed his status as leading goal kicker at the club this season. However it wasn’t just his dominance between the sticks that left fans marvelling. High-flying marks, bags of goals, and strengthened on-field leadership have featured in Lloyd’s season as he set an example to Essendon’s emerging forwards. Lloyd’s ventures further up the ground this season also paid dividends.
Similarly adaptable to a new role this season was Welsh who proved his worth as an effective tagger. Welsh proved capable of containing some of the competition’s best midfielders while finding plenty of the ball himself. The 25-year-old’s match influencing efforts were evident in performances on Chris Judd, Sam Mitchell and Matt Priddis.
Stanton’s solid season in the midfield is also expected to poll some votes. Stanton, 22, played all 22 games this season to rank among the AFL’s top 10 for kicks (321). He recorded 164 handballs, 122 marks, 71 tackles and was equal third in Essendon’s goal tally (18). His ability to run out all four quarters with gusto has continued to attract plenty of attention this season.
The hard-working McVeigh is also expected to secure votes for his work in the midfield this season. A solid pre-season saw McVeigh produce some career-best football before a hamstring injury sidelined the midfielder. Despite missing a number of games through injury, McVeigh may have done enough in his 14 games this season to be a favoured contender for the elusive mantle of club Best and Fairest.
The continued development of exciting youngsters Lonergan, Ryder, Henry Slattery and Reimers is certain to have put a smug smile of Essendon fans this season. Along with Monfries and Watson, these young-guns have done enough to suggest that they will be around Windy Hill for the long haul.
Lonergan has quickly become renowned for his hardness at contested ball situations and has added much-needed grunt to the team. His aggressiveness at the contest has brought him admiration among fans. To accompany his hard playing style, Lonergan also has the speed to run the lines, and the poise to capitalise on his chances. If the Crichton medal does prove elusive for Lonergan this time around, he should be a strong candidate for the Lindsay Griffith’s Rising Star Award.
However standing between Lonergan and the Rising Star Award are fellow hard-nut Kyle Reimers and the cool-headed Patrick Ryder. Reimers has impressed many with his eccentricity and playing flair. When the Bombers were up and running midway through the season it was that extra spark from Reimers that stood-out. Unfortunately, he was among the many who succumbed to injury in 2008 and his absence was notably felt late in the season. With a solid year of AFL football under his belt Reimers can only go up from here on in.
With Dustin Fletcher’s retirement from football drawing inevitably nearer, Patrick Ryder has helped Bomber supporters breathe a sigh of relief in 2008. The 20-year-old from West Australia looks to have all the makings of a great defender and reads the ball in the air with great precision. Strong match-ups on Geelong’s Cameron Mooney and Brisbane’s Jonathan Brown were among Ryder’s best performances this season. Ryder’s versatility was highlighted through his support in the ruck and his ability to drift up-field when the team was light on forward stocks. His calmness in tight situations should have also earned him some attention from the match committee.
With so much experienced and emerging talent the stage is set for an entertaining evening of awards. For those who cannot make it to the Crown Palladium, Essendon is providing the opportunity to witness the event ringside, via broadband. To cover broadcast costs there is a $10 fee for Bomber.TV members and $15 for non-Bomber.TV members. Click here for more information.
