Pre-Season Preview Spectacular

So, the first pre-season match is out of the way with a few handy performances, a number one draft pick as a runner and the amazing snapping man Jared Rivers injuring himself again. The Demonblog TAB is open for business.

Now, I apologise if you're of the head in the sand "everything will be alright if I believe it will be" persuasion, but there's no predictions that follow which have us making the finals. You have been warned - stop reading now if you're the sort of teenybopper/Uri Gellar-esque spoon bender who believes in negative energy and all that gash. I believe in honest realism and I'm writing, so deal with it.

On that cheery note, let's boogie.

Allen Jakovich Medal for Player of the Year
Previous Winners
2005 - Travis Johnstone
2006 - Brock McLean
2007 - Nathan Jones
2008 - Cameron Bruce

Now, I don't want to say Demonblog is on everyone's lips but have you noticed how every year the winner of this award doesn't do quite as well next year? Are opposition coaching staff scanning these match reports for the sort of accurate in-depth analysis you don't get from the newspaper journalists who just make up their votes based on whoever got the most touches? Probably not, it's hardly the Madden Curse, and McLean's poor 2007 had a fair bit to do with busting his foot in the first quarter of the first game of the year but it's worth keeping in mind if you're going to back Bruce to repeat.

$2.50 - McLean
$2.90 - Green
$3.50 - Bruce, McDonald
$5 - Jones
$8 - Bate, Moloney, Davey
$10 - Morton
$12 - Miller
$15 - Buckley, Wonaeamirri
$20 - Garland, Whelan
$22 - Rivers, Sylvia, Robertson
$25 - Johnson
$30 - Bell, Petterd
$35 - Dunn, Bartram
$40 - Grimes, Martin
$50 - Wheatley
$60 - Maric, Warnock, Frawley
$100 - Newton, Jamar, Valenti
$250 - Watts, Jurrah, Blease, Meesen, Strauss, Spencer, Zomer
$500 - Bail, Bennell, Cheney, Jetta, McNamara, Hughes, Healey, McKenzie

This is not to say that I think the likes of Johnson will have middle of the road seasons, but past analysis of the Jakovich Medal voting from the last four years shows that I'm unwittingly harsh on ruckmen and generous on defenders.

Marcus Seecamp Medal for Defender of the Year

Previous Winners (Most votes for a defender in the overall tally. Must play the vast majority of games in the backline to qualify.)
2005 - Nathan Caroll/Ryan Ferguson (and we made the finals. Hillarious!)
2006 - Jared Rivers
2007 - Paul Wheatley
2008 - Matthew Whelan

Now, this is an interesting one. We've had a big split over the years between running and key position defenders winning, so there's seemingly no bias one way or the other but you'd think it would be easier for a running defender to get noticed by an amateur hack in the outer like yours truly. There's also likely to be a larger focus on the backline when, like in the last two seasons, they spend all day repelling attacks rather than when we're playing well (remember that?) and all the action is at the other end.

$3.50 - Whelan
$5 - Garland
$9 - Rivers
$12 - Buckley
$15 - Wheatley
$18 - Petterd, Bartram (both ripe for disqualification though - BEWARE!)
$20 - Bell, Warnock
$22 - Frawley
$50 - Any other player

Paul Prymke Plate for Pre Season Performance
Previous Winners
2005-2007 - No Award
2008 - Aaron Davey

No votes for intra-club matches. Bad news for THE CELEBRATOR Wonaeamirri, but a clean slate for everyone else starting next week against Hawthorn. Then it's off to either Adelaide or whatever Optus Oval is called this week for a game against Port Adelaide or Sydney

Jeff Hilton Medal for Rookie Of The Year
Previous Winners (Highest player in the overall tally to play their first game that season OR to have played only in the last three rounds of the preceding season.)

2005 - No players eligible
2006 - Matthew Bate
2007 - Ricky Petterd/Michael Newton
2008 - Cale Morton

Good news if you're Jack Grimes - your solitary appearance in a meaningless Round 22 clash will no longer cost you a chance at winning the award. From this year on anyone who played their first game in the last three rounds of the season before will be eligible to win.

$4 - Grimes
$8 - Jetta, Jurrah
$10 - Spencer
$12 - Blease, Strauss, Watts
$16 - Bail
$20 - Cheney, Bennell
$25 - Zomer, McNamara
$30 - Hughes
$30 - Healey, McKenzie

Strawbs O'Dwyer Medal for Ruckman Of The Year
Previous Winners
2005 - Jeff White
2006 - Jeff White (2)
2007 - Jeff White (3)
2008 - Paul Johnson

While Jamar is servicable in the ruck he does bugger all around the ground, and that's where the votes are coming from. Spencer will play against Hawthorn next week, so he could be an outside chance - but at 203cm I hardly expect him to be galloping around like a gazelle and racking up possessions everywhere. And Meesen? Well, it's anyone's guess what will happen there - could be value if you're brave.

$1.90 - Paul Johnson
$3 - Mark Jamar
$10 - Jake Spencer
$25 - Meesen
$30 - Any other player

Top Goalkicker

Miller
Wonaeamirri
Robertson
Watts
Jurrah
Davey
Bruce
Green
Zomer

Take your pick

First Long Term Injury

$2 - Any played not listed
$5 - Rivers, Moloney
$10 - McLean
$14 - Whelan
$15 - Robertson

First Suspension

Yes, the NAB Cup counts. Even if somebody had done a Big Setant and kicked their teammate in the clacker at Casey Fields yesterday they would have won.

$2 - Any played not listed
$6 - Moloney
$9 - Miller, Whelan
$12 - Garland
$15 - Green, Jones, Bate
$18 - Davey
$25 - Meesen, Jurrah
$100 - Watts

First Win of the Season

Round 1 vs North Melbourne ($4)
Round 2 vs Collingwood ($9)
Round 3 vs Port Adelaide ($20)
Round 4 vs Richmond ($14)
Round 5 vs Adelaide ($12)
Round 6 vs Geelong ($20)
Round 7 vs West Coast ($18)
Round 8 vs Footscray ($17)
Round 9 vs Hawthorn ($20)
Round 10 vs St. Kilda ($15)
Round 11 vs Collingwood ($13)
No win before Round 11 ($20)

Last Win of the Season

Round 12 vs Essendon ($30)
Round 13 vs Brisbane ($32)
Round 14 vs West Coast ($15)
Round 15 vs Port Adelaide ($15)
Round 16 vs Geelong ($30)
Round 17 vs Sydney ($18)
Round 18 vs Richmond ($12)
Round 19 vs North Melbourne ($10)
Round 20 vs Fremantle ($4)
Round 21 vs Carlton ($9)
Round 22 vs St. Kilda ($8)
No win after Round 11 ($30)

Number of total wins in the regular season

$3 - 3-4
$8 - 5-6
$30 - 1-2
$50 - 7-8
$75 - 9-10
$200 - 11-12
$300 - 13-14
$600 - 15-16
$700 - 17-18
$800 - 19-20
$1000 - Zero, 20-22

Major Sponsor

$1.01 - Any Other Sponsor
$1000 - Ray's Tent City

There might be a post before the game next week, but I think I said that in October as well and we all know what happened next. Your predictions on the winners of the above categories in the comments please.

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