By DAVID NAGEL
AN INJECTION of class into the first edition of the South East Football League has brought a touch of the unknown to the top-25 players in the competition. But two well-known local superstars still sit atop our list.
Berwick’s Ashley Smith, Doveton’s Jarrad Boumann and Hampton Park’s Andrew Shipp bring AFL-listed quality to the table, while 2014 VFL-listed players, Doveton’s Russell Gabriel and Berwick’s Ben Kearns, add further class to the number-12 ranked country league in Victoria.
There are 10 changes from our original list last year, run under the banner of the Casey Cardinia league, six forced with players moving on, while early-season injuries to Beaconsfield’s Tyson Mitchem and joint Norm Walker Medallist, Pakenham’s Dom Paynter, open up two spots that would not have been available.
Numero uno… well, there can only be one man, Beaconsfield’s magnificently athletic ruckman Scott Meyer, who replaces Narre Warren leader Michael Collins at the top after claiming back-to-back Norm Walker Medals and his first premiership medallion.
The SEFL is dripping with class… but Scotty’s number one!
1. Scott Meyer
BEACONSFIELD – RUCKMAN
The number-three ranked player from last year elevated himself into a new stratosphere with back-to-back Norm Walker Medals, the league Most Valuable Player Award and – most importantly to him – his first ever premiership medallion.
For those who doubt the value of a good big-man, come and watch Scotty strut his stuff, his unbelievable leap, brilliant ground coverage and skills, the envy of men much smaller in stature, make him the complete package.
Meyer’s late-season thrust to his second Norm Walker Medal went hand-in-hand with the Eagles’ 10-game charge to a premiership… and it’s no coincidence.
The scary thing is, now in his late 20s, the gifted left-footer is reaching an age where most big-men reach their prime.
Is Norm Walker number three – and premiership medal number two – on the way?
2. Michael Collins
NARRE WARREN – MIDFIELD
The best player in the league for the last decade has lost his crown but expect a new-look Collo when the Magpies step out for their season opener against arch-rival Cranbourne this week.
The six-time premiership player, dual premiership captain and seven-time best and fairest winner has put in a gut-busting summer, shedding 11 kilos in preparation for a season that could set him apart from all his peers.
The departure of six-time premiership winning team mate Nick Scanlon has opened the door for Collo to win title number seven, more than anyone else in club history.
It would be a fitting label for the most inspirational, robust and champion player of our time.
3. Ashley Smith
BERWICK – MIDFIELD/HALFBACK
What a coup for the Wickers.
Delisted by the West Coast Eagles at the end of last season the 36 pick from the 2008 National Draft has returned home to bring a touch of the big time to the South East Football League.
Still just 24, Smith is super quick, having won the 20-metre sprint test at the AFL draft camp, and possesses a dangerous and raking right-foot. He played 45 games for the Eagles, predominantly off half-back, but last year reinvented himself as a forward. Don’t leave him loose outside 50 or he will nail you.
Rhys Nisbet, flip a coin, you’ve got plenty of versatility here.
4. Marc Holt
CRANBOURNE – FULL-FORWARD
Holty at four… but the bloke’s a champion!
We agree with the cries from Casey Fields but the simple fact is the great man, who has kicked 100 goals in the last three years and more than 800 for his career, enters another season under an injury cloud – and that drops him to four.
Holt’s greatest strength is, just that, his strength with his ability to outmuscle opponents and make one-grab marking look so ridiculously easy the hallmark of his game.
Last season he won a second consecutive VCFL Medal for his match-winning eight-goal haul against Bellarine, and matched that output with perhaps the greatest performance of his glittering career against Narre Warren in the preliminary final.
A gun!
5. Kain Baskaya
NARRE WARREN – ANYWHERE
Let’s take nothing away from last year’s two grand finalists, Beaconsfield and Cranbourne, but if Kain Baskaya doesn’t go down with a knee injury in the second semi-final – the Magpies more than likely win the premiership.
That’s how important this bloke is in the Magpies’ quest to win their seventh premiership since 2006.
The best swingman in the competition can wrestle with the strongest, run with the quickest, and has a granite-like hard edge that has defined the Magpies style of play over the last three years.
As brave as brave can be taking intercept marks across half back.
6. Russell Gabriel
DOVETON – RUCKMAN
Four years with Frankston and three times named in the VFL Team of the Year.
That’s what we’re dealing with here with Gabriel, a 198cm ruckman of very high class who returns to Doveton after winning the 2009 Norm Walker Medal in his only other season at the club.
A former captain of the Dandenong Stingrays and a Victoria Metro representative in the Under-18 National Carnival, Gabriel brings some much-needed size and strength to a Doveton line up that was decimated in this area last year.
A huge powerful unit, Gabriel will also trouble the very best of defenders this year when he drifts forward.
His Round-3 match-up with Meyer looms as one of the key individual duels of the season.
7. Brandon Osborne
CRANBOURNE – FULL-BACK
The unsung hero of the South East Football League.
As good as his captain Marc Holt and Narre Warren’s Kerem Baskaya are as full-forwards, this bloke’s just as valuable at full-back, the ultimate defender who very rarely lowers his colours.
The amazing thing about Osborne is the consistency of his closing speed, strong enough to play on the big brutes it is his speed that allows him to be the most flexible and important defender in the competition.
His battle with Baskaya in the final term of last year’s preliminary final was a classic, under the pump he delivered, getting the Eagles home and giving him the edge in the battle for positions seven and eight on this year’s list.
8. Kerem Baskaya
NARRE WARREN – FULL-FOWARD
An imposing brute force that still has this innate ability to impact games, especially big ones.
What you see is what you get with Kerem; he is strong enough to win one on ones but smart and quick enough to get to the front, and then its game over, because there’s no stopping him from there.
Has kicked six goals in the Magpies last two grand final wins, in 2012 and ’13 and, like Marc Holt, has kicked a century of goals in his last three seasons.
The familiar figure of Kerem launching from 50, and then celebrating each goal with a raised-clenched fist is awesome to watch… and will continue to be so for about another 100 times this season.
9. Josh Tonna
NARRE WARREN – MIDFIELD/FLANKER
The complete midfield package.
Tonna’s combination of a fine work-ethic, courage, and a laser-like left foot make him one of the most damaging midfielders in the competition.
He can play wide on a wing or mix it in close, and if he gets the ball inside 50, jot it down as a goal, either to himself or to full-forward Kerem Baskaya, who has been the beneficiary of some brilliant delivery in recent times.
It hasn’t happened often at Narre Warren in recent seasons but, when the chips are down, Tonna is one who really does rise to the challenge. A future skipper of the club.
10. Steve O’Bryan
PAKENHAM – MIDFIELD/KEY POSITION
Alongside Michael Collins has the strongest mind, the biggest heart, and the best leadership qualities of any player in the competition… a pretty handy player to round out our top-10.
Through necessity has never really settled into a position in his two years at Toomuc Reserve, playing midfield, forward, back, and even in the ruck at times to cover for the Lions lack of height.
As versatile as they come, the clean-marking O’Bryan will need to have a great year if the Lions are to line up for their third finals’ campaign on the trot.
11. Matthew Wade
TOORADIN – MIDFIELD
Wade, who breaks hearts with his ability to run hard for four-quarters, had a season to remember in 2014.
He was named vice-captain of the VCFL-2 team, finished top-five in the Norm Walker Medal and was named captain of the Casey Cardinia league Team of the Year. A well-respected and gut-busting runner through the midfield and off half-back.
12. Madi Andrews
BERWICK – MIDFIELD
One of the hardest-working and most prolific ball winners in the game, the Berwick skipper doesn’t know how to give up and has become the clubs heart and soul. His third-placed finish, behind joint-winners Scott Meyer and Dom Paynter, in last year’s Norm Walker Medal backed up a runner-up finish behind Meyer in 2013. Should benefit even further from a class-injection into the Berwick midfield this year.
13. Jarrad Boumann
DOVETON – KEY POSITION
We didn’t see the best of Boumann in his one season with the Doves back in 2013, but he’s back to make amends. Delisted by Hawthorn at the end of 2012, the 196cm key-position player had injury concerns in 2013 that ate away at his confidence. A full season with Wangaratta Rovers in the powerful Ovens and Murray League last year has the Doves confident that the 25-year-old is ready to hit his stride.
14. Dylan Quirk
NARRE WARREN – ROVER
Probably a bit stiff to not be a higher on the list but the Magpie rover is still an emerging force, jumping from 18 to 14 this year. Quirk, who won numerous best-and-fairest awards as a junior, claimed his first senior award last year, at the ripe-old age of 20! The in-and-under ball-magnet finished fourth in the Norm Walker Medal and was named as starting rover in the Casey Cardinia league Team of the Year.
15. Damien Johnston
BEACONSFIELD – MIDFIELD/FLANKER
Missed the first six rounds of 2014 but became a real driving force in Beaconsfield’s push to a premiership. A good size at around six-foot-one in the old (185.42cm), the Eagles’ youngster combines a really hard edge with sublime skills off either side of his body. Has a similar running gait to his namesake, Geelong champion Steve, and is a quick thinker in heavy traffic.
16. Michael Theodoridis
CRANBOURNE – HALF-FORWARD
As strong as an ox and with the speed and leap of a gazelle… there’s no hiding from the fact that the ‘Golden Greek’ is the hardest match-up for a defender in the league. The former basketballer only started playing football a few years ago, but with 84 goals as a second-forward last year we can already see the potential he possesses. Hits the ball at great pace and is a true excitement machine.
17. Jackson Parker
NARRE WARREN – WING
It’s doubtful there’ll be a better sight in the SEFL this season than watching ‘Jacko’ tuck the ball under his arm and take on his opposition wingman.
It’s a sight we’ve become accustomed to over the years, with three, four, five bounce runs becoming par for the course. In a game that is becoming more and more regimented by the minute, Parker’s ability to break the lines and turn defence into instantaneous attack is a joy to behold.
18. Daniel Mislicki
BEACONSFIELD – MIDFIELD
The Eagles’ inspirational skipper played the game of his life in last year’s grand final, booting five goals in a clear best-on-ground display in his club’s first premiership win in a decade. Don’t expect ‘Slick’ to rise to those lofty heights on a weekly basis but, as usual, he’ll be the one at the bottom of packs, competing hard and never complaining as he continues to gain respect.
19. Ben Kearns
BERWICK – MIDFIELD
Berwick’s latest edition to what now looks to be the equal of any midfield in the competition is Kearns, who played two years at Gippsland Power, a few games with Casey Scorpions in the VFL, before joining Morwell for its back-to-back premiership win in the Gippsland League last year. Kearns, also a Collingwood VFL listed player last year, is super quick, has a big bag of tricks and a terrific goal-sense. He proved his threat around goals by booting five goals on debut for Casey against Frankston in 2013.
20. Matt Lee
NARRE WARREN – MIDFIELD
It seems he’s already had one or two breakout seasons but reports from Fox Road suggest this bloke’s about to take his footy to a whole new level. The silky-skilled right-footer didn’t have the best season in his still tender career last year but, with a renewed focus, look for him to bounce back with a bang.
21. Michael Boland
CRANBOURNE – RUCK
For a man who dominated Cranbourne’s best-and-fairest award last year he’s probably a little low at 20, but we’re rating ‘Fluff’ as the third best ruckman behind Meyer and Gabriel to start the season. Still young in his mid-20s, Boland’s athleticism and work-rate were key factors in getting the Eagles to their fourth-consecutive grand final. Set for a massive year.
22. Blair Allan
ROC – MIDFIELD/FORWARD
In the Michael Collins mould of a big-bodied midfielder, Allan’s first season at Starling Road ended with a best-and-fairest award, a place in the Casey Cardinia Team of the Year and some well-earned respect from around the league. With added depth around the contest, expect further improvement from Allan as he shares the workload and helps push the improving Kangaroos towards a place in this year’s finals.
23. Curtis Barker
CRANBOURNE – MIDFIELD
Cranbourne’s midfield maestro has copped plenty over the years for a perceived lack of condition, but that’s unfair because he’s always in the thick of the action when the Eagles need him most. The most creative heavy-traffic ball user in the competition, Barker sets the standard when it comes to game-smarts and the ability to release his team mates into space. One for the football connoisseur.
24. George Angelopoulos
NARRE WARREN – ROVER
The two-time Noble Park premiership rover is going to become a favourite-son at Kalora Park with his passion and ferocious attack on the ball the hallmarks of his game. Short, but stocky, Angelopoulos will add some real grunt to the Magpies midfield, giving hard-ball winners like Dylan Quirk, Col McNamara and Michael Collins a chop-out during the season. One of the more colourful characters in the Eastern Football League for some years, expect some fireworks from a firebrand performer.
25. Andrew Shipp
HAMPTON PARK – FULL-FORWARD
Our last pick has been selected more out of intrigue than anything else with the now 35-year-old former Fremantle, Frankston and Gembrook star about to embark on his first full-season since 2012. Shipp, who played 34 games for ‘Freo’ after being drafted at 64 in the 1998 AFL draft, will spend most of his time as a stay-at-home full-forward, giving the Redbacks the target they have missed since Kerem Baskaya left for Narre Warren in 2012. Please fire Andrew because there are a lot of young stars out there keen to put some egg on this selection’s face!
