Football of the Year race heats up

The race for the 2019 Albany AdvertiserFootball of the Year Award is down to five players as a chasing pack try to reel in current leader Logan Stubber with three rounds left in the Great Southern Football League season.

Dominant Railways midfielder Stubber led at the halfway mark of the season, having polled 16 votes in the first seven games.

However, his lead has been trimmed to three votes, following Dave Parker’s best-afield performance in his 150th game for Royals at the weekend.

The 2014 winner is a strong contender to win a second Football of the Year gong, given his form for the ladder-leading Lions.

Mt Barker veteran Sam Lehmann has continued his superb season and is one of three players on 13 votes that remain in contention to catch Stubber.

The 34-year-old Bulls star has stormed into contention with eight votes in the past five games.

North Albany ball winner Nathan Crudeli moved to 13 votes after his best-on-ground effort in his side’s win over Denmark-Walpole on Sunday.

Tyler Stone polled two votes for his dazzling four-goal display in the Magpies’ loss and is also on 13 votes. Stubber has already surpassed last year’s winning total of 18 votes and after a quiet few weeks returning to polling at the weekend, collecting two in his stand-out performance against the Bulls.

Voting now goes in-house for the last three rounds before the award is presented at next month’s Kleemann Medal presentations.

2019 Albany Advertiser Football of the Year Award - Round 12

20: L Stubber (RAIL)

17: D Parker (ROY)

13: S Lehmann (MB)

N Crudeli (NA)

T Stone (DW)

9: C Ward (ROY)

8: R Gaerth (DW)

C Frost (RAIL)

7: J Heil (ROY)

D MacDonald (DW)

6: P Taylor (MB)

C Marwick (ALB)

K Shephard (RAIL)