South Adelaide’s Nick Liddle among the favourites for the Magarey Medal
CAN South Adelaide midfielder Nick Liddle join his Panthers’ teammate Joel Cross as a Magarey Medal winner? Will Norwood have another champion? Or can a Bulldog spoil the party?
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DUAL Magarey Medallist Joel Cross believes his South Adelaide midfield mate Nick Liddle deserves his name on the list of winners of the state league’s most prestigious individual award.
Cross described the veteran’s season as fantastic and claimed he had not had a bad game all season.
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Liddle has been rated among the favourites for the award, which will be decided on Wednesday night with the vote count at Adelaide Oval.
“He has been terrific all year and has been ultra consistent which you need to win,” Cross said. “Hopefully we have won enough games to help Lids.”
Winner of the award in 2012 and 2015, Cross said he had had some slow games in the middle of the season and Liddle’s season had been far superior.
He rated Central District rover Travis Schiller, a standout performer for the Bulldogs and the highest possession winner in the league this season, as a strong candidate to claim the honour along with the Norwood boys.
His reference to the Norwood boys is last year’s champion Mitch Grigg and Matthew Panos, who have been outstanding this season and been the driving forces behind the Redlegs claiming the minor premiership and title favouritism.
Redlegs coach Jarrod Cotton said it was difficult to split his pair of stars and he was hoping for a tie.
“Mitch’s early season form, he was red hot,” Cottons said. “Matt has had some big games and big quarters, and the middle of the season he was very good.
“Both of them have been super consistent throughout the year. (Lewis) Johnston and (Matt) Nunn should get votes as well.
“We are all focusing on winning the premiership, but it is nice for the footy club if we have the Medallist.”
Cotton mentioned Sturt captain Zane Kirkwood, Woodville-West Torrens’ James Boyd, North Adelaide’s Jarred Allmond, Cross and Liddle has being players who should attract plenty of votes.
“Kirkwood always polls well and Sturt has won enough games, the Eagles have won a lot of games, Cross had a good second half of the season and polls consistently, Liddle has been very good and Allmond has had a good year,” he said.