THE Sportspower Player-of-the-Year is heating up, with a three-way tie at the top of the table after 11 rounds of Western Border football.
Casterton Sandford is well represented, with Callum Currie and Will Macdonald tied with West Gambier’s Lawry Bradley-Brown for the outright honours.
Millicent’s consistent Tom Hutchesson is just two votes in arrears, while leading goal kicker Brayden Kain flies the flag for South Gambier.
And there are few votes between the remaining players who make up the top 10, which all bodes well for a close contest as the season winds down.
It is not hard to understand why the votes are so tight, with some solid and consistent performances across the board, win or lose.
Kain is a prime example, where his Demons have struggled with just two wins on the board.
But week in, week out the young brigade finds a way to deliver the ball deep into the forward line and he finishes off well.
He overtook Currie for the goal kicking honours a few weeks back, after the star Cat was outed for two matches.
However, he still leads the pack by some six goals, showing his ability in front of the big sticks.
Currie is of course a stand out for the Cats this season and has shown plenty of ability up forward, with a strong grab in any conditions.
Macdonald was always going to make a splash in the league when word came out about him returning to Casterton and he has not let the punters down, while Hutchesson simply continues to
entertain with his quality brand of football, also finding plenty of goals this year as the Saints sit high up the ladder.
While Round 11 handed out a couple of big defeats, the big game between East and North lived up to expectations.
The Tigers claimed the win in the end, but not without a hard fight.
Josh Ransom was a standout performer for the Bulldogs, while Hamish Telford was just as prominent for the Tigers.
Both had a big influence on the final outcome, with Telford gaining the honours for the weekly award.
West v Cast/Sand
3. Will Macdonald (Casterton Sandford): Another standout performance from the Cats’ ruckman, giving his team first use of the ball, along with solid work through the midfield highlighted by some big marks.
2. Callum Currie (Casterton Sandford): Could do no wrong in a marking contest, taking some impressive grabs which helped him on his way to a game-high five-goal haul.
1. Lawry Bradley-Brown (West Gambier): The in-form Roo provided some resistance against the Cats’ onslaught, with solid work around the ground and three goals to cap off another big effort.
East v North
3. Hamish Telford (North Gambier): Played an influential role along the wing and through the mid-field for the Tigers, gaining plenty of possessions and delivering the ball well.
2. Josh Ransom (East Gambier): One of the more influential players for the Bulldogs, worked hard around the ground for valuable possession in a tight contest.
1. Mayson Ashby (North Gambier): Showed his class time and time again, with strong marks and quality delivery.
Millicent v South
3. Blake Kenny (Millicent): Took care of the dangerous Brayden Kain, limiting the leading goal kicker to just two majors for the day.
2. James Weir (Millicent): Another impressive effort in the Saints’ defensive zone, against a dangerous forward pack.
1. Tom Hutchesson (Millicent): A polished effort from the on-baller, who popped up with three goals to cap off a good day.
