By RUSSELL BENNETT
WE said this time last year that the EDFL’s split in to the two divisions – East and West – did nothing to make it easier when selecting our team of the year.
That might’ve been a little white lie.
This year, with all 15 clubs back under the one umbrella, picking the best of the best (as close as possible to their normal playing positions) was a downright nightmare.
The quality of the side is perhaps best summed up by who (just) missed the cut – last year’s EDFL West best and fairest winner, Luke Walker.
‘Tex’ had another strong year, and perhaps he’s being judged by the incredibly high standard he’s set in recent seasons. But everyone in the on-ball brigade this year well and truly earned their selections.
Ruckman Matt Gray again proved to be the premier big man of the competition. Though his skills are sublime, it’s his work-rate around the ground that really sets him apart.
The same could be said for the centre-half back of this year’s team – Nathan Lieshout. The Bunyip skipper has also been named captain of this side. No key defender has had more of an impact in both intercepting opposition attacks, and creating attacking plays for his own side.
His marking – both contested and uncontested – and probing long kicks have really set the standard for centre-half backs in the league, and his leadership has been vital for a side that finished fifth in the EDFL West last season and has rocketed to a grand final berth this year.
Antonio Benvenuto, Aaron Creasey, Jay Wells, Tye Holland and Dylan Heylen have all been outstanding for their respective sides this year. While they weren’t a part of this year’s finals campaign, each of their teams depended on their output each and every week.
The reigning EDFL West premiers have five players in this year’s side – down from nine last year – with Travis Marsham again named as coach.
But that doesn’t take away from the Cobras’ so far unbeaten season, far from it.
It just means that the likes of Tim Payne, Nathan Muratore, Ryan Gillis and Ricky Clark have faced even stronger competition for spots than they did last year.
Anthony Giuliano may seem to some like a surprise inclusion, but he’s been crucial to Cora Lynn’s success up forward this season – setting up goal, after goal, after goal if he doesn’t finish them himself.
While Calum Shiels and Chris Urie have been selected (slightly) out of position, they’ve been incredibly versatile this season and they were two of the first selected.
From this year’s EDFL interleague side, which defeated Maryborough Castlemaine by 45 points back in May, 14 players made the Gazette’s Team of the Year.
CHAMPION Buln Buln ruckman Matt Gray has won his second Alf Walton Medal – a decade after he won it last.
Gray won the Ellinbank and District Football League’s senior best and fairest award as a 20-year-old in 2005 before heading to Warragul in the Gippsland League for an extended stint.
He was last year crucial in Buln Buln’s EDFL East premiership win and showed no signs of slowing down this year either.
Gray has long had a reputation as one of the local area’s best mobile big men – from his clearance work, to his ball use out wide.
And on Monday night at The Downtowner in Warragul, that reputation was only enhanced.
He set the early tone of the count along with last year’s EDFL East winner Tye Holland before Cora Lynn champion Ricky Clark made his push. Gray ultimately finished with 28 votes to win by three from Clark on 25.
Bunyip gun Nathan Lieshout finished with 19 votes and Holland 18 after another superb season leading the way for Longwarry.
Gray polled votes in 12 games and Clark 10. They were tied on 22 votes after Round 14 before Gray finished his season with a pair of best on ground performances.
Lieshout didn’t poll a vote until Round 6 but had a particularly strong second half of the season.
In his acceptance speech, Gray was typically humble.
“I thought I might grab a couple of votes early but I didn’t think I’d get up to 28 – nowhere near it,” he said.
“You play against some really good quality footballers every week and you mark those guys as players you have to watch.
“I certainly wouldn’t put myself in that category – I can’t believe it.”
The big man said he’s loved his time back in the EDFL since returning from Warragul, and he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else at this point.
“It’s a really good family environment around the league and I’ve got two young kids now so playing in a bigger league with a lot more distance involved was difficult,” he said.
“I love being back at Buln and I’ll definitely finish my career off there.”
The count for the Gerard Heenan Medal also went down to the wire. For the first time in the history of the reserves best and fairest medal – which dates back to 1954 – there was a three-way tie with Kooweerup player-coach Brett Hobson, Cora Lynn’s Justin Markulija and Buln Buln’s Matt Nooy all finishing on 14 votes.
Nilma Darnum livewire Jay Wells and Bunyip’s Mitch Young were also recognised for topping the goal-kicking in the seniors and reserves respectively. Nyora’s Dylan Heylen won the league’s Most Valuable Player award while prodigiously-talented Lang Lang youngster Dylan Wilson won the Arthur Pollard Award for the second year in a row. The award is presented to the junior player who polled the most senior votes.
In the other awards presented on the night, Poowong was named Most Disciplined Club while Neerim Neerim South picked up the Club Championship.
Alf Walton Medal – Top 10 vote-getters
Matt Gray (Buln Buln) – 28 votes
Ricky Clark (Cora Lynn) – 25
Nathan Lieshout (Bunyip) – 19
Tye Holland (Longwarry) – 18
Brendan Hermann (Nar Nar Goon) – 16
Dylan Heylen (Nyora) – 16
Joel Gibson (Warragul Industrials) – 16
Jack Blakey (Bunyip) – 15
Mick Urie (Neerim South) – 15
Jimmy Bradshaw (Warragul Industrials) – 14
