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READ MORE - Weekend football teams
READ MORE - BFNL DECADE THAT WAS - the 2012 season
TAKING a look back through the weekly best players across the BFNL and combining it with the notion that league votes tend - although not always - to favour players in winning sides, Adam Baird may well be on his way to going one better than his Michelsen Medal runner-up finish of last year.
In what was a Golden Square quinella last season, Baird had to settle for second place to team-mate Jack Geary in the BFNL's Michelsen Medal.
Now, granted this is far from an exact science and the premise of the formula may well be scoffed at, but Baird currently finds himself well out in front based on a rankings system that uses the club-supplied weekly best players and puts an increased value on contributions to winning teams, as the umpires may well do.
The ranking system that aims to flesh out some of the potential leading league medal contenders across the AFLCV's four senior competition's uses the Addy's traditional formula of 6 votes for being named best, 5 for second best and so on combined with a winning team weighting given there's a likely better chance of securing some league votes.
In the Bendigo league, Square's goalkicking midfielder Baird is well out in front on 114.0 points.
Baird has played 12 games for the Bulldogs - he missed one due to captaining Vic Country earlier this month - and featured in his side's best players 10 times, including among its top three in seven victories.
Despite his team having won just four games and sitting seventh, it's another star midfielder, Kyneton's Rhys Magin, who ranks second with 93.0 points.
The consistent Magin has been either Kyneton's first or second best player in all four of its wins and only twice in his 13 games has he been left out of the Tigers' list of six better players.
Another on-baller in Sam Heavyside from the ladder-leading Strathfieldsaye follows with 92.0 points, before the first of the non-midfielders in Gisborne key forward Pat McKenna, another Vic Country representative, with 85.0 points.
Meanwhile, other leaders under this ranking system are North Bendigo's Joel Helman in Heathcote District; Bears Lagoon-Serpentine's Matthew Gibbs in Loddon Valley; and Birchip-Watchem's Nathan Gordon in North Central.
TOP 20 LEAGUE RANKINGS:
BENDIGO LEAGUE:
1 - ADAM BAIRD
(Golden Square)
Points: 114.0 In Best: 11
.............................................
2 - RHYS MAGIN
(Kyneton)
Points: 93.0 In Best: 11
.............................................
3 - SAM HEAVYSIDE
(Strathfieldsaye)
Points: 92.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
4 - PAT McKENNA
(Gisborne)
Points: 85.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
5 - LIAM BARRETT
(Golden Square)
Points: 82.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
6 - LACHLAN SHARP
(Strathfieldsaye)
Points: 81.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
7 - JON COE
(Golden Square)
Points: 79.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
8 - MATT GOODYEAR
(Gisborne)
Points: 76.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
9 - CAM McGLASHAN
(Eaglehawk)
Points: 75.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
10 - BEN McPHEE
(Eaglehawk)
Points: 75.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
11 - JAKE PALLPRATT
(Sandhurst)
Points: 73.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
12 - MATT FILO
(Castlemaine)
Points: 70.0 In Best: 12
.............................................
13 - BRODIE COLLINS
(Eaglehawk)
Points: 69.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
14 - JONO LANYON
(Kangaroo Flat)
Points: 68.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
15 - JOSH FORMOSA
(Strathfieldsaye)
Points: 66.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
16 - BRYCE CURNOW
(Strathfieldsaye)
Points: 65.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
17 - JAKE THRUM
(Golden Square)
Points: 64.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
18 - HUGH ROBERTSON
(Strathfieldsaye)
Points: 60.0 In Best: 5
.............................................
19 - JAYDEN HOOPER
(Maryborough)
Points: 59.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
20 - ETHAN MINNS
(Gisborne)
Points: 58.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
HEATHCOTE DISTRICT:
1 - JOEL HELMAN
(North Bendigo)
Points: 108.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
2 - ZACH ALFORD
(North Bendigo)
Points: 87.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
3 - LOGAN PROUT
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Points: 81.0 In Best: 10
.............................................
4 - NICK KNIGHT
(Colbinabbin)
Points: 79.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
5 - BEN WEIGHTMAN
(Mount Pleasant)
Points: 79.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
6 - BEN SOUTHAM
(Colbinabbin)
Points: 77.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
7 - MITCH BENNETT
(Mount Pleasant)
Points: 74.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
8 - MATTHEW POLLOCK
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Points: 69.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
9 - JEREMY MUNDIE
(LBU)
Points: 68.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
10 - RHYS WOODLAND
(LBU)
Points: 67.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
11 - AARRYN CRAIG
(North Bendigo)
Points: 65.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
12 - BRADY HORE
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Points: 64.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
13 - TODD BRYANT
(Colbinabbin)
Points: 63.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
14 - HADLEIGH SIRETT
(Colbinabbin)
Points: 62.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
15 - BAILEY BOYACK
(Elmore)
Points: 61.5 In Best: 10
.............................................
16 - JACOB GARDINER
(LBU)
Points: 60.5 In Best: 5
.............................................
17 - CODIE PRICE
(Heathcote)
Points: 59.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
18 - MARCUS ANGOVE
(LBU)
Points: 57.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
19 - MATT RIORDAN
(Colbinabbin)
Points: 52.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
20 - SAM KERRIDGE
(White Hills)
Points: 49.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
LODDON VALLEY:
1 - MATTHEW GIBBS
(Bears Lagoon-Serpentine)
Points: 100.0 In Best: 10
.............................................
2 - ADAM WARD
(Marong)
Points: 92.5 In Best: 11
.............................................
3 - TERRY REEVES
(Mitiamo)
Points: 89.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
4 - SCOTT MANN
(Pyramid Hill)
Points: 89.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
5 - LIAM JACQUES
(Bridgewater)
Points: 82.5 In Best: 10
.............................................
6 - BRODIE LEONARD-
SHANNON
(Bears Lagoon-Serpentine)
Points: 80.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
7 - JAMES SALA
(Pyramid Hill)
Points: 74.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
8 - TYLER ROMERIL
(Newbridge)
Points: 69.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
9 - DOUG THOMAS
(Mitiamo)
Points: 68.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
10 - DYLAN MORRIS
(Maiden Gully YCW)
Points: 67.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
11 - KYLE MANLEY
(Marong)
Points: 67.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
12 - STEVEN GUNTHER
(Pyramid Hill)
Points: 66.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
13 - JAKE HALL
(Calivil United)
Points: 65.0 In Best: 10
.............................................
14 - NICK WATERSON
(Maiden Gully YCW)
Points: 63.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
15 - COHEN KEKICH
(Maiden Gully YCW)
Points: 62.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
16 - WILLIAM JEFFS
(Calivil United)
Points: 61.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
17 - MATT WATERSON
(Maiden Gully YCW)
Points: 60.5 In Best: 5
.............................................
18 - CHRIS McLEAN
(Newbridge)
Points: 60.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
19 - BILLY MICEVSKI
(Pyramid Hill)
Points: 60.0 In Best: 7
.............................................
20 - CHRIS SANDERS
(Calivil United)
Points: 58.5 In Best: 9
.............................................
NORTH CENTRAL:
1 - NATHAN GORDON
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 124.0 In Best: 10
.............................................
2 - MITCHELL GLEESON
(Charlton)
Points: 103.0 In Best: 10
.............................................
3 - THOMAS FINLAY
(Charlton)
Points: 88.5 In Best: 10
.............................................
4 - JAMES WALL
(Donald)
Points: 81.0 In Best: 9
.............................................
5 - WADE DONNAN
(Sea Lake Nandaly)
Points: 74.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
6 - JACKSON GUAN
(Wedderburn)
Points: 71.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
7 - MATT ELLIOTT
(Sea Lake Nandaly)
Points: 71.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
8 - FRASER HOUSE
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 69.5 In Best: 7
.............................................
9 - STEFAN PYE
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 66.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
10 - STEPHEN PAULKE
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 65.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
11 - RIAN McGOUGH
(Donald)
Points: 65.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
12 - CONLAN GUNN
(St Arnaud)
Points: 63.5 In Best: 8
.............................................
13 - TRENT DONNAN
(Sea Lake Nandaly)
Points: 63.0 In Best: 8
.............................................
14 - KANE DONNAN
(Sea Lake Nandaly)
Points: 62.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
15 - BRYCE DELMENICO
(Sea Lake Nandaly)
Points: 61.5 In Best: 6
.............................................
16 - JAYDEN JONES
(Wedderburn)
Points: 61.0 In Best: 5
.............................................
17 - DALE HINKLEY
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 60.0 In Best: 5
.............................................
18 - SAM SIMMONS
(Birchip-Watchem)
Points: 56.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
19 - MATT COLEMAN
(Donald)
Points: 54.0 In Best: 6
.............................................
20 - PATRICK PURCELL
(Donald)
Points: 51.0 In Best: 7
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