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AFTER taking a little persuasion from coach Matt Dillon to play on, North Bendigo's Aarryn Craig has produced a season that has topped the Addy's Heathcote District league player rankings.
Craig - a three-time premiership player at Atkins Street - was a pillar of consistency for the Bulldogs, featuring in the best players in 11 of North Bendigo's 12 games this year.
Craig racked up 105.0 ranking points, which aim to reflect both performing consistently and playing key roles in helping teams to win games and are based off the weekly best players named by clubs after each game.
How the points work:
Winning team - 1st best (16.0 points); 2nd best (13.5); 3rd best (11.0); 4th best (8.5); 5th best (6.0); 6th best (3.5).
Losing team - 1st best (7.0); 2nd best (6.0); 3rd best (5.0); 4th best (4.0); 5th best (3.0); 6th best (2.0).
Drawn game (both teams) - 1st best (10.0); 2nd best (8.5); 3rd best (7.0); 4th best (5.5); 5th best (4.0); 6th best (2.5).
"For as long as I've been at North Bendigo (since 2018) it's pretty rare that Craigy would play a quiet game," Dillon said this week.
"His season this year has been phenomenal. We've moved him back into the middle and up forward at times and he has carried a big load, especially in those games where we've been missing our Melbourne boys out of the midfield in Koe (Ngawati) and Harry (O'Meara).
"His ball-use is A grade, he has great footy smarts and his attack on the footy really does make him the complete footballer."
"I think he probably was always going to play this year, but we had to work on him a little bit given where he's at in his life with a young family and having already achieved what he has," Dillon said.
I think he probably was always going to play this year, but we had to work on him a little bit given where he's at in his life with a young family and having already achieved what he has
- North Bendigo coach Matt Dillon on Aarryn Craig
"It look a little bit of persuasion for him to keep going, but in terms of the footy he played for someone in his early 30s was superb.
"He keeps himself in really good order with the amount of work he does away from the club. I remember him turning up for his first night of pre-season and he won the running... he gives himself every chance to play high quality football."
North Bendigo had the top two players in the rankings, with athletic forward Dylan Klemm - who was named the Bulldogs' best player six times - coming in at No.2.
Undefeated Lockington-Bamawm United and Mount Pleasant each had the most players in the top 50 with eight.
THE TOP 50:
1 - Aarryn Craig
(North Bendigo)
Rank points: 105.0
Times in best: 11
No.1: 2 Top 3: 6
............................................
2 - Dylan Klemm
(North Bendigo)
Rank points: 91.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 6 Top 3: 6
............................................
3 - Tyler Miles
(Huntly)
Rank points: 80.5
Times in best: 10
No.1: 2 Top 3: 9
............................................
4 - Jarod Bacon
(LBU)
Rank points: 73.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 5
............................................
5 - Sam Kerridge
(White Hills)
Rank points: 72.0
Times in best: 6
No.1: 4 Top 3: 5
............................................
6 - Liam Collins
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 69.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 4 Top 3: 6
............................................
7 - Jordan Ford
(North Bendigo)
Rank points: 67.0
Times in best: 10
No.1: 2 Top 3: 3
............................................
8 - Jay McDonald
(Huntly)
Rank points: 66.0
Times in best: 12
No.1: 1 Top 3: 4
............................................
9 - Lochlan Sirett
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 62.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 2 Top 3: 4
............................................
10 - Jed Brain
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 61.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 3 Top 3: 4
............................................
11 - Patrick Gardiner
(LBU)
Rank points: 61.0
Times in best: 6
No.1: 0 Top 3: 3
............................................
12 - Ben Southam
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 61.0
Times in best: 5
No.1: 3 Top 3: 4
............................................
13 - Ben Barton
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 60.5
Times in best: 7
No.1: 0 Top 3: 3
............................................
14 - Nick Knight
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 60.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 0 Top 3: 5
............................................
15 - Ben Weightman
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 58.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
16 - James Harney
(Elmore)
Rank points: 58.0
Times in best: 9
No.1: 1 Top 3: 7
............................................
17 - Thomas Leech
(LBU)
Rank points: 55.0
Times in best: 5
No.1: 2 Top 3: 3
............................................
18 - Billy Price
(Heathcote)
Rank points: 54.5
Times in best: 10
No.1: 2 Top 3: 5
............................................
19 - Bryce Hinneberg
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 53.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 0 Top 3: 4
............................................
20 - Stephen Tuohey
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 52.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
21 - Bart Phillips
(LBU)
Rank points: 52.5
Times in best: 5
No.1: 2 Top 3: 2
............................................
22 - Tom Holman
(LBU)
Rank points: 51.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
23 - Tom Brereton
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Rank points: 48.0
Times in best: 10
No.1: 2 Top 3: 6
............................................
24 - Rhys Deacon
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 48.0
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 4
............................................
25 - Dylan Gordon
(Elmore)
Rank points: 47.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 3 Top 3: 4
............................................
26 - Jesse Tuohey
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 47.5
Times in best: 5
No.1: 1 Top 3: 5
............................................
27 - Lachlan Ezard
(Colbinabbin)
Rank points: 47.5
Times in best: 5
No.1: 0 Top 3: 3
............................................
28 - Nathan McLellan
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Rank points: 47.0
Times in best: 10
No.1: 0 Top 3: 6
............................................
29 - Koe Ngawati
(North Bendigo)
Rank points: 47.0
Times in best: 5
No.1: 0 Top 3: 3
............................................
30 - Jordan Formosa
(Huntly)
Rank points: 46.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 4
............................................
31 - Tyler Phillips
(LBU)
Rank points: 46.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
32 - Jeremy Mundie
(LBU)
Rank points: 46.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
33 - Jake Condon
(Heathcote)
Rank points: 44.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 3 Top 3: 5
............................................
34 - Doolan Nihill
(White Hills)
Rank points: 44.0
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 2
............................................
35 - Jesse Collins
(LBU)
Rank points: 43.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 0 Top 3: 2
............................................
36 - Zack Holmberg
(Elmore)
Rank points: 43.0
Times in best: 6
No.1: 2 Top 3: 5
............................................
37 - Jack Fallon
(White Hills)
Rank points: 42.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 4
............................................
38 - Ryan Semmel
(Huntly)
Rank points: 42.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
39 - Billy Mahony
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 41.5
Times in best: 7
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
40 - Lee Pollock
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Rank points: 41.0
Times in best: 9
No.1: 3 Top 3: 4
............................................
41 - Hayden Wright
(White Hills)
Rank points: 41.0
Times in best: 6
No.1: 1 Top 3: 3
............................................
42 - Rhys Irwin
(White Hills)
Rank points: 40.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 0 Top 3: 2
............................................
43 - Nick Kellow
(Elmore)
Rank points: 40.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 1 Top 3: 5
............................................
44 - Travis Baird
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 39.5
Times in best: 5
No.1: 1 Top 3: 2
............................................
45 - Thomas Pain
(Heathcote)
Rank points: 39.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 2 Top 3: 4
............................................
46 - Mitch Cricelli
(Elmore)
Rank points: 38.5
Times in best: 6
No.1: 2 Top 3: 3
............................................
47 - Eli Pearce
(White Hills)
Rank points: 37.0
Times in best: 4
No.1: 0 Top 3: 4
............................................
48 - Adam Baird
(Mount Pleasant)
Rank points: 36.5
Times in best: 4
No.1: 0 Top 3: 3
............................................
49 - Josh Hawken
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Rank points: 36.0
Times in best: 8
No.1: 0 Top 3: 4
............................................
50 - Ayden Walton
(Leitchville-Gunbower)
Rank points: 36.0
Times in best: 7
No.1: 2 Top 3: 4
............................................
PLAYERS IN THE TOP 50:
LBU - 8
Mount Pleasant - 8
Colbinabbin - 7
White Hills - 6
Elmore - 5
L'ville-Gunbower - 5
Huntly - 4
North Bendigo - 4
Heathcote - 3
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