PROVEN votegetter Joel Helman and former AFL star Sam Kerridge top the fancies for this season HDFNL Cheatley Medal.
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Votes for the league's highest individual football honour will be counted on Wednesday night, with the gun North Bendigo on-baller and White Hills coach Kerridge sure to be prominent.
Main dangers appear to be class Lockington-Bamawm United forward Jarod Bacon, after a dominating finish to the season, and Leitchville-Gunbower young gun Logan Prout.
A win for Helman would give him back-to-back league medal wins, after he won the Central Murray league's best and fairest award in 2018, before returning to the Bulldogs.
Star Mount Pleasant forward Ben Weightman is sure to figure prominently, as could Heathcote's Codie Price, while an even-spread of Colbinabbin chances are led by Nick Knight, Ben Southam and Todd Bryant.
Weightman finished equal sixth in last season's count.
Helman's Bulldogs team-mates Zach Alford and Aarryn Craig are also in the mix.
Kerridge has been a pivotal influence in White Hills' rise from seventh in 2018 to finalists this season.
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NETBALL
MIDCOURTERS Kym Bell (Huntly) and Abbey Hay (Elmore), Colbinabbin goal shooter Jess Geary, and the White Hills duo of goal attack Rhian Moresi and defender Anna-Grace Close head a wide-open field of contenders for the Esther Cheatley Medal.
Bell and Close both featured prominently in 2018, finishing one and four votes respectively behind dual medal winner Brydie Lawford (Colbinabbin) in last year's count, and have enjoyed even better campaigns this time round.
A win to Close would be reward for consistency after back-to-back top three finishes in the award.
She will have to contend with plenty of opposition in her own ranks, with the Demons enjoying another powerhouse season, backed by strong contributors across the board.
Goal attack Moresi has been among the standouts and has shown a propensity for attracting the umpires' eyes, after she was named best on court in last season's premiership win.
Geary, defender Lou Dupuy and class midcourter Olivia McEvoy head the chances at Colbinabbin, while Hayes and defender Caitlin McLachlan should figure prominently for the third-placed Bloods.
Others likely to poll well include Huntly skipper Ash Jenkyn, White Hills coach lauren Bowles, Heathcote coach Lorrae Closter, who was fifth in last season's race with 15 votes, Elmore recruit Ruby Barkmeyer, and North Bendigo newcomers Dayna McGough and Rachel McKenzie.
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