BFL captains predict how 2022 will unfold, with Les Ash Medal, leading goal-scorer and finalists.

After two years of stop-start football, all 10 sides in the BFL are raring to go ahead of Saturday’s season opener. Find out each captain’s predictions for the year.

Torquay has been tipped by 70 per cent of the BFL captains to repeat as the league leaders in the annual captains’ survey at this week’s season launch.

Following a 12-0 campaign last year, the Tigers have been tipped by seven captains to make a grand final this season, with all nine other captains also seeing them making finals in 2022.

Barwon Heads, the side that finished 2021 in third place on the ladder, has been tipped to make a grand final by two captains.

Ocean Grove rounded out the list with one vote.

Torquay (nine votes), Barwon Heads (nine), Ocean Grove (seven), Drysdale (seven) and Moddewarre (six) have all been tipped to make the top five at season’s end.

One of last year’s finalists, Anglesea, and Newcombe managed to claim a vote each.

A finals campaign would be Drysdale’s first since 2013 and would be the ideal start to the coaching careers of Tom Ruggles and Ben Carmichael, who have taken over as co-coaches for this season.

Torquay stars James Darke and Lucas Anderson have been tipped to take out the Les Ash Medal and leading goalkicker awards respectively.

Four captains see Darke taking out the best and fairest, while five envision Anderson repeating as the competition’s leading goalkicker.

Darke won the top honour for the third time last year, three votes clear of Barwon Heads’ Nathan Brown.

Anderson was a star in front of the goals last season, finishing with 56 majors from 10 games.

Drysdale’s Mathew Hebbard came in second with two votes following his 37-goal effort last season from nine games.

Inverleigh to lead the league again, according to GDFL captains

Inverleigh is the favourite to make this year’s GDFL senior decider, with seven of the 12 captains predicting the side to make this year’s grand final in the captains’ survey at Wednesday night’s season launch.

The Hawks finished last season 12-0 before Covid called an end to the year and 58.33 per cent of the league’s captains believe that form will be replicated.

East Geelong, who finished last season in fifth, received the next most votes to make a decider with three.

Hawks coach and star goalkicker Adam Donohue is tipped to replicate his form in front of the sticks, with five captains envisioning him winning the leading goalkicker award.

Donohue took out the honour last season with 54 majors, four ahead of Belmont’s Brent Jacques, who received three votes in this year’s survey.

GDFL season launch.Football Left : Ryan Ganz and Josh Viney from Geelong West Giants , Jordan Camm from Thomson , Charlie Farrell from Nth Geelong ,Mathew De Vries from Corio ,Jack Fiolet from Inverleigh Hawks ,Mason Rhodes from Anakie ,Alex Jolley from Belmont Lions ,Tom Henry from Winchelsea ,Rich Ryan from East Geelong ,Brad Charlton from Werribee Centrals ,Jack Yates from Bell Post Hill and Daniel Measures from Bannockburn Picture: Mark Wilson

Donohue is also the favourite, according to the captains, to take out the Whitley Medal, receiving three votes.

Bell Post Hill’s Matt James and Dylan Witney, along with Bannockburn’s Jack Brauman, each tied on two votes a-piece.

Last year’s top five of Inverleigh, Bannockburn, Bell Post Hill, Werribee Centrals and East Geelong are all tipped to make the finals again, however Thomson, who finished last season in seventh, has been picked by two captains to make a jump up the ladder.

St Mary’s and Colac set for grand final rematch according to captains

The stage is set for another classic grand final in the Geelong Football League, with reigning premiers St Mary’s expected to face Colac in a repeat of 2019’s showstopping climax.

The two sides are red-hot favourites to meet in the season after a poll was taken at the annual season launch ahead of round one.

No other side polled a vote, but the defending champions led the count seven votes to five over Colac.

South Barwon is expected to put up a fight, receiving nine of a possible 11 votes to make finals, while St Joseph’s, Bell Park and Grovedale all received four votes.

Geelong West received three votes to make the top five, while Leopold and Newtown & Chilwell polled once each.

Captains at GFL season launch. Patrick Cleary (North Shore), Tom Gordon (Leopold), Brent Vermeulen (St Albans), Alex Hickey (St Joseph's) Matt Caldow (South Barwon), Harry Benson (South Barwon), Darcy Lang(Colac), Matt Spence (Lara), Lachlan Bond (Newtown and Chilwell), Lachie Patten (Bell Park), Brady Campi (Grovedale) and David Peel (GW Giants). Picture: Alan Barber

GMHBA Stadium is widely preferred to host the grand final, securing nine votes from the captains, while West Oval got two votes and St Albans a single tick of approval.

St Mary’s star Harry Benson was widely tipped to win the Mathieson Medal, with six of the 12 votes going his way, but Leopold’s Marcus Thompson also received three tips to have the best individual season.

Colac pair Darcy Lang and Jarryn McCormack, Bell Park’s Lachie Patten and Newtown & Chilwell’s Blake Sutterby all polled one vote each.

It is Grovedale’s Tom Gillett’s goal-kicking award to lose, according to the captains.

2021’s leading goal-scorer received six of the votes, while Colac’s Adam Garner scored two and Leopold’s Mitch Patten, South Barwon’s Andrew Bosely and Lara’s Mitch Day received one each.

Originally published as BFL captains predict how 2022 will unfold, with Les Ash Medal, leading goal-scorer and finalists.