With the 2017 B&F dinner nearly upon us (Friday), is anyone game to predict the results. Maybe top 5 (with order optional) plus other awards.
Bear in mind that the scoring system for the Bob Skilton favours players who played all, or at least a majority of games. So Rampe, McVeigh and Tippett (!) will struggle to score highly, regardless of how well they played when they were in the team. Even the three games that Kennedy missed could cost him yet another B&F title, while Papley, Heeney and Lloyd were other reasonably consistent contributors who also missed a few games. (In Lloyd's case he only missed one, but was concussed very early in another.)
My predictions (or really guesses) are as follows:
1 Franklin - although he had a few quiet games, even when he wasn't hitting the scoreboard his work rate and pressure were generally very good. And there were several games that he took by the scruff of the neck. I predict he'll score 50/50 for the round 23 game!
2 Grundy - the outside world may underrate Reg but not the Swans coaches. A very solid, consistent year in which he was never embarrassed and often quite wonderful.
3 JPK - it's brave to suggest he'll "only" finish 3rd, given he's clearly a coaches' favourite when it comes to awarding B&F votes. I just think the three games he missed, plus another couple of unusually quiet games, might see Bud'n'Reg finish ahead.
4 Parker - his start to the season was very slow but his second half was mostly strong and he at least played every game.
5 Lloyd - the quiet achiever in the team. He was one of the better players during the first six weeks when barely anyone else showed up.
Other top ten finishers (not in order) - Hannebery, Reid, Jones, Smith, Mills.
I've picked these based on them playing every (or almost every) game and being pretty consistent for most of the year. Rampe could sneak in, despite missing all those games - there won't be too many players who score heavily for most of the games he missed - while Hewitt is another who was ever present and pretty consistent.
Players' Player - Franklin won it last year and I think he'll go back to back. Even though the coaches, along with anyone else who votes for any footballing award, tend to reward the efforts of midfielders above all others, it's pretty clear how much the players love playing with Buddy and I think they really appreciate his contributions.
Best Finals Player - they only award this in seasons where the team played at least two finals, and it's questionable whether they actually played two in 2017. But they'll probably hand the award out anyway. My tip is Grundy. Admittedly the defence didn't have to work very hard against the Bombers but Reg was still solid, despite Daniher's early screamer. Against Geelong he kept Hawkins pretty quiet, despite the Cats' midfield rampage. He's found himself a spot in the afl.com.au 2017 Finals series team, the only Swan to do so. Kennedy is probably the only other contender, given his BOG in the Essendon game, but he didn't do a whole lot to stem the tide against the Cats.
Best First Year Player - this one's been pretty easy to pick for the last two seasons, with Heeney and Mills stand-outs. There's a slightly longer field in 2017, with Newman, Hayward and Melican playing a similar number of games and all standing out at times. I am not 100% sure whether there's an age restriction applied in the Swans' version of this award that would make Newman ineligible but I think not. It's very hard to guess which of the three the coaches will favour but I'll plump for Melican.
Most improved - although I've never heard the club explain how they determine this award, I think it's done simply by who scores the biggest increase in B&F votes compared to the previous season (presumably excluding new players and eliminating the effect of prior year major injuries). On that basis, I think Jones is the leading contender, though Hewitt or Towers could be in with a shot too.
Best clubman - too hard to guess from an external vantage point
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