Local footy: Best 20 players in EDFL Premier Division ranked
A decorated captain and league medallist, former VFL star and ex-AFL midfielder with five club best-and-fairest awards feature in our list of the best 20 players in the EDFL’s top competition. Did we get it right?
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Fifty players could have earned a spot in Leader Local Footy’s Essendon District Football League Premier Division top 20.
The easiest decision arrived when it was time to select the league’s No.1 player.
Keilor skipper Kane Barbuto had some serious competition, but putting him in any other position would have been unfair.
His standing as the leading player in the EDFL’s top flight is not in dispute after a glittering 2019 campaign.
The contested-ball beast became a premiership captain after his team completed a perfect 20-0 season. He was also awarded the Reg Rose Medal for a best-afield display in the decider after racking up 28 possessions and booting three goals.
A few weeks later he polled 28 votes, attracting votes in 11 of 18 games, as he was crowned the Reynolds Medal winner, the EDFL’s highest individual honour.
Barbuto finished 10 votes clear of teammate David Isbister and Strathmore’s Nick O’Brien.
He was also named captain of the Team of the Year and claimed the Blues’ best-and-fairest for a second time.
“It’s been built on hard work and an appetite to compete,” Keilor coach Mick McGuane said of Barbuto’s rise.
“He’s fierce when it comes to winning his own footy, he’s got a desire to lead his teammates in the right manner and he does it with absolute credibility in the way he plays the game.
“He’s a see ball, win ball type of player that inspires his teammates because of his assault on the contest, and he’s a fair player. There’s no malice in him. He plays the game for the right reasons.
“On the back of the hard work he puts in, which a lot of people take for granted to get to that level and performance … he’ll train when others are sleeping. He’ll do the work when the others are resting, whether it is rain, hail or sunshine.
“He’s prepared to do the work and that’s the reason get the success you deserve when you’re prepared to do that.
“I’ve always said to our players that there’s only one time you’ll see success before work, and that’s in the dictionary. It’s important to do your work first and the success will come.”
Star recruits since the end of the 2019 season, such as Aberfeldie pair Nick Meese and Peter Faulks, were not considered.
Retired champions Luke Blackwell and Luke Foster also had to be overlooked, along with the likes of James Breust, Charles Lill and Jaryd Cachia, who have left the competition.
A long list of players were desperately unlucky to miss – Nic Cattapan, Josh Cubillo, Victor Carboni, Caleb Hislop, Luke Davis (all Aberfeldie), Matthew Clark, Brett Stillman, Billy Iles, David Isbister (all Keilor), Addam Maric, Nick Maric, Dean Micevski (all Greenvale) Andrew Vavra, Kyle Weightman (both Strathmore), Matthew Stillman, Damandeep Aujla (both Pascoe Vale) and Travis Dulic (Glenroy) were also in contention.
1. Kane Barbuto (Keilor): Keilor’s captain and brilliant midfielder was crowned the Reynolds medallist in 2019 after an outstanding season. He has been a good player for a long time in the EDFL but elevated his game to new levels in recent years, putting together what could be viewed as a perfect campaign last season. Barbuto’s hunger for the contest, ability to hurt teams on the scoreboard and leadership ability is unmatched and he is deserved of the No.1 position.
2. Dean Galea (Keilor): One of the best forwards in suburban football after a fine career at VFL level and a constant headache for defenders. Galea has been named at full forward in the EDFL’s Team of the Year in five of the past six seasons – the exception came in 2015 when he was selected at centre half-forward. He has booted 403 goals from 113 EDFL games for Keilor and Avondale Heights, finishing with 101 majors in 2016 as the Blues tasted premiership glory. He is also a two-time club best-and-fairest winner, more-than difficult to outmark and is a superb kick for goal.
3. Adam Iacobucci (Strathmore): Has put together a resume to envy over eight seasons of sustained excellence. The hard-running midfielder has won Strathmore’s best-and-fairest award a remarkable five times and been named in the Premier Division Team of the Year on six occasions since 2012. He was a member of the Mores’ last flag in 2014. Iacobucci has established himself as one of the league’s most respected players and leaders during his 143 games with the Mores.
4. Ryan Allan (Aberfeldie): Doesn’t have the individual accolades of some players on this list, but Allan has been recognised as the EDFL’s pre-eminent defender for several seasons. He is capable of taking down the competition’s best forwards and also making an impact in the attacking half. The former VFL player is an expert at halving one-on-one contests, consistently difficult to beat and a superb reader of the play. His battled with Dean Galea have also given EDFL watchers plenty of joy. Allan has been selected in the Team of the Year in three of the past four seasons and is a triple premiership player at Aberfeldie.
5. Luke Jarrad (Strathmore): The former SANFL star is a commanding presence across the half-back line for the Mores, regularly setting up forward 50m forays for his team with his superb foot skills while short-circuiting opposition attacks. Since joining Strathmore in 2017, Jarrad has been picked in the Team of the Year in all three seasons, won a club best-and-fairest (2018) and logged top-five finishes in the Reynolds Medal in three consecutive years (runner-up in 2018). A genuine star.
6. Andrew Browne (Keilor): The gun ruckman left Keilor at the end of 2018 for junior club Mansfield but will return to the reigning premier in 2021. The 30-year-old, who played 12 games for Richmond, boasts an unmatched list of accolades from his six completed seasons in the EDFL. He claimed the Reynolds Medal in 2013, is also a two-time best-and-fairest winner and grabbed the Reg Rose Medal for best on ground in the 2016 grand final. He has been picked in the Team of the Year four times.
7. Josh Toy (Aberfeldie): A rebounding defender with superb foot skills, Toy is among the most consistent players in the Premier Division, underlined by Team of the Year nods in the past five seasons. After a heart condition cut his AFL career short, Toy has played 122 games in seven seasons at suburban level, featured in three premierships and is a dual best-and-fairest at a club which has contested the past seven grand finals.
8. Matthew Watson (Pascoe Vale): The key forward has given the Panthers wonderful service over the past two seasons, bagging 125 goals and stamping his mark on the EDFL’s top flight with 73 in 2018. He won Pascoe Vale’s best-and-fairest in 2018 and has been named at centre half-forward in the Team of the Year the past two seasons. Watson played 23 AFL games for Carlton between 2011-2015.
9. Nick O’Kearney (Keilor): Would be much higher on this list if not for a horror run with injury. The former St Kilda rookie claimed Keilor’s best-and-fairest in 2018 despite playing only 15 games before his season was cut short by a broken neck. O’Kearney made a stunning return early in 2019 by racking up 44 possessions and booting four goals in his first game back against Glenroy. One of the competition’s elite midfielders.
10. Jordan Schroder (Essendon Doutta Stars): The JJ Liston Trophy winner has taken on an enormous workload through the midfield for the Stars in recent years. He is one of the best stoppage players in the comp, knows how to find the ball, has great hands and can be damaging inside or outside. Was picked in the Team of the Year in 2018 and has finished top-three in his club’s best-and-fairest the past two years, winning the award in 2018.
11. Fort Caruso (Greenvale): The Greenvale star is a workhorse who pushes himself to exhaustion in the middle of the ground. But he is also highly skilled, boasting neat foot skills and having the ability to hit the scoreboard. Caruso was a Team of the Year player in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and runner up in the Jets’ best-and-fairest in 2017 and 2018. One opposition coach noted Caruso had a “fierce desire to win”. Greenvale is lucky to have him.
12. Nick O’Brien (Strathmore): Has only had two seasons in the EDFL, but the ex-Bomber is a formidable player in the middle of the ground for the Mores alongside Iacobucci. O’Brien has finished runner-up in Strathmore’s best-and-fairest in the past two years, while he was equal runner-up in the Reynolds Medal behind runaway winner Barbuto in 2019. O’Brien also finished second in the SANFL’s Magarey Medal in 2016, but he is a top-quality performer.
13. Sam Cattapan (Aberfeldie): Aberfeldie’s reigning best-and-fairest winner delivered his best season in 2019, averaging more than 30 possessions a game and earning selection as the rover in the Team of the Year. He also takes on significant roles for his team and has manned the likes of Barbuto. Best footy is ahead of him.
14. Todd Stevenson (Keilor): The classy utility is one of the hardest players to match up on in the competition. Dangerous in the air and on the ground, Stevenson can perform key roles in any area of the ground and influence the contest. Had 13 mentions in Keilor’s best from 18 games in 2019, was named on the wing in the Team of the Year and finished second in the best-and-fairest.
15. Jayden Foster (Aberfeldie): The mobile forward has kicked 85 goals in the past two seasons and causes myriad headaches for rival defenders. Highly rated by opposition coaches, the former AFL-listed player was named in the Team of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
16. Fabian Deluca (Greenvale): The former AFL big man has been among the EDFL’s top performers for several years. He’s getting on a bit but still provides incredible service to Greenvale’s midfielders and is a difficult man to nullify for opposition clubs. Has been the Team of the Year ruckman the past two seasons and finished equal sixth in the Reynolds Medal in 2019.
17. Sam Zumbo (Greenvale): A rebounding half-back flanker of immense quality, a strong intercept player and comes with a beautiful left-foot kick. Zumbo has been named in the Team of the Year in the past two seasons and won Greenvale’s best-and-fairest in 2018.
18. John McKenzie (Maribyrnong Park): Underrated midfielder but is Maribyrnong Park’s leading player now after the departure of some key personnel in recent years. McKenzie works hard on the inside of the contest for his team and was rewarded with a best-and-fairest in 2019. He was also named in the Team of the Year in 2017 and 2019.
19. Scott Clarke (Maribyrnong Park): The Port Melbourne premiership player has been one of Maribyrnong Park’s leading players in the past two seasons, earning the Team of the Year nod at full-back in 2019. Clarke finished second in the Lions’ best-and-fairest in 2018 and 2019 and can deliver at either end of the ground.
20. Jacob Thompson (Greenvale): Deserves to be rated among the leading forwards in the competition. Thompson is a strong mark, quick across the ground and dangerous in the 50m arc. Booted 51 goals in 2017 and 41 last season despite missing a handful of games.
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