Port Adelaide midfielder Robbie Gray earns his third consecutive John Cahill Medal
ELITE midfielder Robbie Gray remains the best player on the Port Adelaide Football Club list — at a time of significant change at Alberton.
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ELITE midfielder Robbie Gray remains the best player on the Port Adelaide Football Club list — at a time of significant change at Alberton.
Gray’s “untouchable” status, as the Power prepares to test the AFL trade market for a new squad, is underlined by his third consecutive win of the John Cahill Medal as the Port Adelaide club champion.
Gray, 28, polled 230 votes in his 19 of a possible 22 AFL games this season — his lowest count in the past three years. This compares with 243 votes across 21 matches last year and 398 in a full run of 25 games in 2014 when Port Adelaide reached the preliminary finals.
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Gray becomes the first Power player to win three consecutive John Cahill Medals with a 24-point lead on fellow midfielder Ollie Wines — and a 40-point advantage on defender Jasper Pittard, who produced his most consistent season in his seven seasons at Alberton.
The count at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre — that marked the end of a disappointing season for the Power — effectively became a match race to honour between Gray and Pittard.
Gray led from Rounds 1-4, Pittard from Round 5-18 and Gray reclaimed the lead without a challenger for the last five rounds of the 22-game home-and-away season.
Pittard’s reward at the count was the Fos Williams Trophy as the best team man, as voted by his peers.
Gray joins premiership captain Warren Tredrea (2001, 2004, 2005 and 2009) and premiership midfielder Kane Cornes (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012) as the only Power players to win three or more club championships.
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The victory reinforces Gray is Port Adelaide’s true A-grader, a title surprisingly ignored by the All-Australian selectors this year without a nomination in their 40-man squad — despite the AFL coaches recognising Gray’s work, particularly as a goalscoring midfielder, in their team of the year.
Significant from the count is the fall in votes — and rankings — of many well-established Power players. Most telling was vice-captain Hamish Hartlett’s fall from eighth in last year’s count (132 votes in 22 games) to 17th this season with 63 votes in 15 matches.
This may give greater understanding as to how Hartlett — who signed a significant five-contract extension 11 months ago — has lost his status as a must-keep player at Alberton to be on the trade table next month.
The top-10 leaderboard at last night’s count recognised Gray for his brilliance; Pittard for his consistency and for fading late in the season and 2011 winner Jackson Trengove, who ranked seventh in recognition of his spirited work as a makeshift ruckman this season.
Also to be noted is first-year defender Darcy Byrne-Jones ranking ninth with 134 votes. The best under-21 player, who earns the Gavin Wanganeen Award, was not Byrne-Jones but Jarman Impey who made great strides in establishing his AFL credentials this year — as a half-forward rather than as a defender.
Brownlow Medallist and inaugural Port Adelaide captain Gavin Wanganeen missed the club champion count after surviving a car crash with a wild donkey in the APY Lands.
Wanganeen was to present the trophy named in his honour to the Power’s best under-21 player.
Wanganeen was in the APY Lands as part of Port Adelaide’s indigenous program and thankfully has returned to Adelaide this evening with no injury.
Norm Smith Medallist and Power 2014 premiership midfielder Byron Pickett also was in the car that was written off in the crash and also escaped injury.
HONOUR ROLL
PORT ADELAIDE
John Cahill Medal: Robbie Gray
Fos Williams Award (best team man): Jasper Pittard
Gavin Wanganeen Award (best under-21): Jarman Impey
Coaches’ Award (most improved): Jasper Pittard
John McCarthy Award (for community service): Jack Hombsch
PORT ADELAIDE MAGPIES
A.R. McLean Medal: Kane Mitchell (25 votes)
Fos Williams Memorial Trophy (most dedicated): Luke Reynolds
Anthony Williams Memorial Trophy (most courageous): Anthony Biemans
Originally published as Port Adelaide midfielder Robbie Gray earns his third consecutive John Cahill Medal
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