SFNL: The top 40 Division 1 players from the home-and-away season
From never-say-die defenders to clever forwards and star midfielders, we have ranked our top 40 from the Southern league Division 1 season. See who made the list and where they rank.
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It didn’t take long for Cranbourne coach Steve O’Brien to notice a lift in Zak Roscoe.
It was Round 7 and his star on-baller was averaging over 30 disposals and nearly three goals a game.
“He’s taken his game to another level this year, there’s no doubt about that,” O’Brien said.
Roscoe polled 16 votes in the league best and fairest last season but many of his rivals are confident he will have accumulated that many by the time of O’Brien’s comments.
11 weeks on, he is this season’s No.1 home-and-away performer, ahead of a host of fellow stars, including Cheltenham’s Josh Fox, Dingley’s Lucas Walmsley and St Paul’s McKinnon’s Matt O’Brien.
SEE THE TOP 40 PLAYERS OF THE 2023 SFNL DIVISION 1 SEASON.
*Note: Top 40 is based off ONLY 2023 *
40. NICK WATERSTONE, CHELTENHAM
A regular contributor in a star-laden Rosellas side. Waterstone has been named among Cheltenham’s best eight times but only one has been against a bottom four side.
39. ANDREW GREEN, CRANBOURNE
A quiet achiever, Green has had a tremendous season. His perennial underrated status is confirmed by his miniscule three mentions among the Eagles’ best from 17 outings. Has the makings to find a lot of the footy on RSEA Park this finals campaign.
38. DEAN GILES, PORT MELBOURNE COLTS
Giles would have to be in contention for a Team of the Year position after a colossal 2023. He’s only been named in the best six times this season but has been a lynch-pin in the finals-bound Colts.
37. MATT KREYMBORG, ST PAUL’S MCKINNON
The experienced Bulldog would typically sit at the pointy end of a list like this but a quieter year by his standards has him at 37. The two-time Ellis Medal winner finished with 19 majors after 10 in the last two rounds.
36. TOBY ARMS, SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS
An injection into the ruck this year has allowed Arms to blossom as a senior footballer. He rarely outsizes his opponent but his desire to compete is obvious. He has shown improvement in the area already, but if Arms is to hit the scoreboard more, he could go to another level as a player.
35. EREN SOYLEMEZ, PORT MELBOURNE COLTS
A promising young player that improved immensely this season with 24 goals. Soylemez holds no fear when it comes to the contest while showing the polish required on the outside. He has the upside to potentially rocket up this list this time next year.
34. CAM DICKIE, DINGLEY
Amid an engine room full of decorated stars, Dickie is the Dingoes’ best clearance player. He’s pounced on 92 clearances in total this season, 24 more than the Dingoes’ next best.
33. FINN RYAN, CHELTENHAM
Ryan, a VFL-listed Frankston Dolphin, made 16 appearances this year for a return of 33 goals. He kicked 12 of those 33 in the final three rounds against the bottom three sides.
32. DIMITRI FASOULIS, BENTLEIGH
Fasoulis rocketed to 32 with a commanding final six weeks of the season. He kicked 21 majors in the final six rounds to finish 2023 with 41. He was held goalless just three times – against only Cranbourne and Cheltenham.
31. GLENN OSBORNE, CRANBOURNE
In a season where he celebrated his 200th senior match, Osborne is producing one of his most consistent to date. The reliable defender has missed the Eagles’ best only twice since May.
30. STEPHEN MULLER, ST PAUL’S MCKINNON
The Bulldogs’ spearhead finished 2023 with 46 goals from 17 matches. He kicked four or more on six occasions with a best of eight.
29. JARRYD BARKER, CRANBOURNE
Another one of Steve O’Brien’s dependable players, Barker has done very little wrong this year. He has kicked 13 majors and been listed among the Eagles’ best on four occasions.
28. KRISTEN FEEHAN, DINGLEY
The agile key defender should walk into the Division 1 Team of the Year. He averages 20 disposals a game while getting the job on the opposition’s best forward. With Josh Fox, Marc Holt, Matt Wetering and Chan Hargraves as potential upcoming opponents, you could argue he is the Dingoes’ most important player this finals series.
27. NICHOLAS BUFALO, BENTLEIGH
Bufalo will gather a lot more attention for his output once Bentleigh improve its results. He carried a heavy workload offensively this season, averaging over a goal and 20 disposals per game.
26. LUKE VERMA, CHELTENHAM
Verma has been exactly what the Rosellas wanted. A tough, ferocious inside midfielder that can distribute the footy to their runners. He’s had a scatter of strong performances this year but enters the finals series in top form.
25. OLIVER MORAN, CHELTENHAM
The Rosellas young star plays his role to perfection each and every week. He has grossed 15 goals this season, hitting the scoreboard in seven of his past eight matches.
24. NATHAN FREEMAN, DINGLEY
The ex-AFL Magpie and Saint would be well and truly in the mix of the top 10 if it wasn’t for his eight-match absence. He has played two matches upon return but he did his best work in the three weeks before, collecting 45, 45 and 53 disposals. He finished the year with an average of 35.7 possessions a game.
23. MATT WETERING, SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS
Wetering’s place on this list epitomises its scaling, as he is comfortably a top-10 player in the competition at his best. Knee injuries have hampered his 2023 but when he has played, the Dees focal point has kicked 43 goals from 15 matches.
22. DYLAN WEICKHARDT, CHELTENHAM
Weickhardt started the season in sizzling form before having a quieter finish. The ex-Sandringham Zebras vice-captain will be one of the more important players this September if the Rosellas are to break their Division 1 premiership drought.
21. JACKSON PEET, DINGLEY
Peet has chipped away at another solid season by averaging 25 disposals a game. The Dingoes’ captain sets the tone, ranked No.1 at the club for contested possessions and tackles.
20. DARCY BROWN, MORDIALLOC
Prior to being brought down by a knee injury, the resilient Brown was earning praise of his peers through a difficult year for Mordialloc. His class was obvious, being named in the Bloodhounds’ best 10 of a possible 12 occasions.
19. BRANDON OSBORNE, CRANBOURNE
Osborne has been the most consistent defender across the league this season. He doesn’t demand the individual plaudits others do with another premiership evidently his intention.
18. LUKE TAPSCOTT, CHELSEA HEIGHTS
2023 would be one of the rare seasons without team success for ‘Tappy’, but his individual productivity has remained the same. His performances have been so strong, one coach has tipped him to win the league medal.
17. CODY STACKELBERG, CHELSEA HEIGHTS
With Tapscott, Stackelberg was under-appreciated this year due to Chelsea Heights’ overall results. He remained a concern for opposition coaches despite the Dees’ record.
16. LACHIE LAMBLE, DINGLEY
The dashing wingman can’t be judged by his numbers as it’s his impact that elevates him above others. Lamble’s dare with ball in hand will be a key in the Dingoes’ pending results with the wide wings at RSEA Park suiting him perfectly.
15. CHAN HARGRAVES, PORT MELBOURNE COLTS
Hargraves finished the season with 56 goals in 18 matches, including 17 in the last two games of the year. The Colts’ spearhead went goalless on just four occasions, but kicked bags of five, six, seven and 12 throughout the year.
14. DANIEL HELMORE, SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS
A lock for the Springvale Districts best and fairest after a terrific year. Helmore’s contribution across 2023 has been thorough but the Dees can attribute two wins – his six majors against Port Melbourne Colts and his sealer against Cranbourne – directly from his boot. A truly selfless star.
13. MITCH BROWN, MORDIALLOC
There was a four-week period where Brown was the most influential player in the competition. After a reasonably slow start to the year for his standards, Brown kicked five, six, 10 and eight majors in four consecutive best-afield displays. Withdrawing his ex-AFL status, 44 goals in 13 matches for a side that finished with four wins is an excellent return. Despite a severe shoulder injury, it’s understood Brown is going around again in 2024.
12. MARC HOLT, CRANBOURNE
Much like Mitch Brown, if history is excluded from this season, Holt is worthy of his ranking. The herculean forward kicked 57 goals this year with at least one in each of his 16 matches and multiple in all but two games. He enters finals with 17 goals from a fightnights work.
11. KIRK DICKSON, CRANBOURNE
Excluding the one game in which he was injured, Dickson has kicked multiple goals in all of his matches. His final round addition of eight boosted his season tally to 44. A consistent headache for opposition coaches for his ability to dominate in the air and match it at ground level.
10. LOCHIE BENTON, DINGLEY
Benton never disappointed this home-and-away season. He averaged 26 disposals with his higher-end performances coming against top-quality sides. The 20-year-old has all the attributes to play a higher level of footy.
9. BILLIE SMEDTS, PORT MELBOURNE COLTS
While his numbers don’t launch off the page like many would expect, Smedts oozed class this home-and-away season. He contributed solidly in each area and still looked a level above.“Even though we won, I thought Billie Smedts was still outstanding,” one opposition coach said this year.
8. NICK BURKE, CHELTENHAM
The first of three Rosellas inside the top 10, Burke is a pure and natural footballer. He doesn’t stuff the stat-sheet as well as others do but he is certainly worth the price of admission this finals series.
7. ALEC MCCOMB, CHELTENHAM
The elegant yet destructive young gun has enjoyed a career-best season to date. He finds the footy at will and has kicked 28 goals from 14 matches. In a team loaded with stars, he is often the first target identified by opposition coaches.
6. LUCAS WALMSLEY, DINGLEY
Walsmley was Dingley’s most consistent performer this home-and-away season. The two-time league best and fairest winner averaged nearly 30 disposals and considered elite in majority of midfielders’ key areas. His best performance came against St Kilda City, where he found the footy 53 times.
5. JOSH FOX, CHELTENHAM
With a minimum of two finals to be played, Fox is likely to reach the 80-goal mark, which is enormous in modern-day local footy. His contributions throughout the home-and-away season have netted 72 majors from 18 matches, averaging an even four-per-game. While he is often the final piece of electric Cheltenham ball movement, Fox’s presence is irreplaceable.
4. MATT O’BRIEN, ST PAUL’S MCKINNON
O’Brien took an enormous leap in 2023, going from a promising youngster to a must-stop superstar. He did his best work around stoppage, averaging 33 disposals and seven clearances per game. His best game came in the penultimate round of the year when he had 38 disposals and kicked two goals.
3. SHEM TATUPU, ST KILDA CITY
His staunch and stoic attributes were highlighted so deeply across his 11 games that he remains on the podium despite an early finish. With the mid-season exodus around him in mind, St Kilda City’s average losing margin with Tatupu is 56 and without him is 130. He averaged 28 disposals, 15 clearances, 31 hit outs and 156 ranking points a game.
2. JUSTIN TAYLOR, PORT MELBOURNE COLTS
Often unrecognised for his contribution, it’s hard to see Taylor not finishing the season without Team of the Year honours. He averaged 32 disposals (No.3 in the league), 10 tackles (No.1), 16 ground ball gets (No.1), 18 contested possessions (No.1) and seven clearances (No.2, behind only Tatupu). With the Colts winning 12 matches, he should be a contender for the league medal.
1. ZAK ROSCOE, CRANBOURNE
Roscoe typifies the new-age midfielder through his ability to accumulate the footy in conjunction with hitting the scoreboard. He averages 27 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. Opposition coaches and players would expect carnage when they face Roscoe – it’s just the depth of carnage that varies.
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