Charlie
30th September 2004, 12:38 AM
Welcome, once again, to the Troy Luff Medal countdown for 2004. Tonight we complete the home and away season, a sure sign that we are nearing the end of our count for the year. Tonight, we have the added enjoyment of reviewing two wins; over Essendon at Stadium Australia and wooden spoon winners Richmond at the MCG.
Before we do that, however, we should review the leader board. Of course, it has long since become a two-horse race, with Barry Hall setting the pace and Brett Kirk doing his best to stay on his tail:
55 ? Barry Hall
45 ? Brett Kirk
25 ? Leo Barry
24 ? Ryan O?Keefe
22 ? Jude Bolton, Paul Williams
14 ? Paul Bevan
11 ? Amon Buchanan
10 ? Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly
9 ? Ben Mathews
Aside from the leaders, it?s exciting to see Paul Bevan and Amon Buchanan inside the top ten. Neither player was expected to offer the club as much as they did in 2004, and they have received the recognition they are due.
In round 21, the Swans played their last home game for the home and away season at Stadium Australia. The Bombers, like the Swans, were in need of a win if they were to be relatively sure of a finals spot. The winner would have a strong chance of a home final, while the loser would have to be satisfied if they could scrape into eighth spot.
The Swans had an anxious wait in the week before the game, when Barry Hall was once again forced to defend himself at the tribunal. The charge was baseless, and thankfully the tribunal was lucid enough to allow Barry to play his 150th game. His presence would be decisive; he took 13 marks and kicked six goals. It was a game where the Swans marking quartet up forward ? Hall, Nick Davis, Michael O?Loughlin and Ryan O?Keefe ? would dominate. They kicked 14 of the team?s 17 goals and took 28 marks, while at the other end Matthew Lloyd was again blanketed by the Swans defence.
The votes:
5 ? Barry Hall
4 ? Stephen Doyle
3 ? Ryan O?Keefe
2 ? Jude Bolton
2 ? Brett Kirk
2 ? Amon Buchanan
Barry Hall is now almost certain of at least sharing the Troy Luff Medal. Congratulations to all five.
The Swans travelled to Melbourne to take on the Tigers with no excuse not to win; Richmond had fallen to the bottom of the ladder, with 13 straight losses. The game at the SCG before that losing streak began, however, was no doubt fresh in the mind of all players and fans. Early on, it seemed that Richmond would once again be uncomfortably competitive; Richardson was threatening to break loose and the Tigers led for much of the first half. At half-time, the Swans were up by only 12 points, but the Richmond resistance wilted from then on, and the Swans went on to record their biggest win of the season ? 64 points.
This time, it was Nick Davis who was the star up forward, kicking 5 goals, while O?Loughlin, O?Keefe and Hall were all multiple scorers. Jude Bolton, Leo Barry and Ben Mathews were others who stood out.
The votes:
5 ? Nick Davis
4 ? Ryan O?Keefe
3 ? Brett Kirk
2 ? Stuart Maxfield
1 ? Ben Mathews
1 ? Leo Barry
Well, that means that at the very least, Barry Hall will share the Troy Luff Medal! Congratulations Barry! His season has been excellent, he has proven his superstar credentials and this is a richly deserved award. Check back tomorrow to see if Brett Kirk can pull off a Troy Luff Medal tie.
The leader board:
60 ? Barry Hall
50 ? Brett Kirk
31 ? Ryan O?Keefe
26 ? Leo Barry
24 ? Jude Bolton
22 ? Paul Williams
14 ? Paul Bevan
13 ? Amon Buchanan
10 ? Nick Davis, Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly, Ben Mathews
Check back tomorrow, as we conclude the Troy Luff Medal countdown with the two finals matches. All attention will turn to Kirk... Barry Hall had a quiet finals series, but were Kirky?s performances good enough?
Charlie
Before we do that, however, we should review the leader board. Of course, it has long since become a two-horse race, with Barry Hall setting the pace and Brett Kirk doing his best to stay on his tail:
55 ? Barry Hall
45 ? Brett Kirk
25 ? Leo Barry
24 ? Ryan O?Keefe
22 ? Jude Bolton, Paul Williams
14 ? Paul Bevan
11 ? Amon Buchanan
10 ? Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly
9 ? Ben Mathews
Aside from the leaders, it?s exciting to see Paul Bevan and Amon Buchanan inside the top ten. Neither player was expected to offer the club as much as they did in 2004, and they have received the recognition they are due.
In round 21, the Swans played their last home game for the home and away season at Stadium Australia. The Bombers, like the Swans, were in need of a win if they were to be relatively sure of a finals spot. The winner would have a strong chance of a home final, while the loser would have to be satisfied if they could scrape into eighth spot.
The Swans had an anxious wait in the week before the game, when Barry Hall was once again forced to defend himself at the tribunal. The charge was baseless, and thankfully the tribunal was lucid enough to allow Barry to play his 150th game. His presence would be decisive; he took 13 marks and kicked six goals. It was a game where the Swans marking quartet up forward ? Hall, Nick Davis, Michael O?Loughlin and Ryan O?Keefe ? would dominate. They kicked 14 of the team?s 17 goals and took 28 marks, while at the other end Matthew Lloyd was again blanketed by the Swans defence.
The votes:
5 ? Barry Hall
4 ? Stephen Doyle
3 ? Ryan O?Keefe
2 ? Jude Bolton
2 ? Brett Kirk
2 ? Amon Buchanan
Barry Hall is now almost certain of at least sharing the Troy Luff Medal. Congratulations to all five.
The Swans travelled to Melbourne to take on the Tigers with no excuse not to win; Richmond had fallen to the bottom of the ladder, with 13 straight losses. The game at the SCG before that losing streak began, however, was no doubt fresh in the mind of all players and fans. Early on, it seemed that Richmond would once again be uncomfortably competitive; Richardson was threatening to break loose and the Tigers led for much of the first half. At half-time, the Swans were up by only 12 points, but the Richmond resistance wilted from then on, and the Swans went on to record their biggest win of the season ? 64 points.
This time, it was Nick Davis who was the star up forward, kicking 5 goals, while O?Loughlin, O?Keefe and Hall were all multiple scorers. Jude Bolton, Leo Barry and Ben Mathews were others who stood out.
The votes:
5 ? Nick Davis
4 ? Ryan O?Keefe
3 ? Brett Kirk
2 ? Stuart Maxfield
1 ? Ben Mathews
1 ? Leo Barry
Well, that means that at the very least, Barry Hall will share the Troy Luff Medal! Congratulations Barry! His season has been excellent, he has proven his superstar credentials and this is a richly deserved award. Check back tomorrow to see if Brett Kirk can pull off a Troy Luff Medal tie.
The leader board:
60 ? Barry Hall
50 ? Brett Kirk
31 ? Ryan O?Keefe
26 ? Leo Barry
24 ? Jude Bolton
22 ? Paul Williams
14 ? Paul Bevan
13 ? Amon Buchanan
10 ? Nick Davis, Adam Goodes, Tadhg Kennelly, Ben Mathews
Check back tomorrow, as we conclude the Troy Luff Medal countdown with the two finals matches. All attention will turn to Kirk... Barry Hall had a quiet finals series, but were Kirky?s performances good enough?
Charlie