AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) is pleased to announce Steve “Bully” Abala, Rob Cross and Andrew Hodges will make up its three-person panel to decide on the best player in this season’s Men’s Premier League Grand Final.
The TIO Chaney Medal will be presented by Michael O’Loughlin, a past champion of the Sydney Swans and the NTFL Grand Final ambassador, on Saturday night following the men’s grand final and will go to the player adjudged best on the ground.
Abala, is an NTFL great whose credentials span six clubs and representative games. He is well respected, having won premierships as both a player and coach and in 2017 he was named as coach of the Wanderers Football Club Team of the Century.
Cross is an experienced broadcaster with more than 18 years in the industry. He is a sports commentator who hosted AFL radio coverage in Sydney before moving to Darwin in 2015, where amongst many things he now heads-up Channel 7 Darwin’s coverage of the NTFL.
Hodges is a passionate footy person and is well known across the NT, having played in both Alice Springs and Darwin. In his current role as Manager of NT Thunder, he keeps an eye open for talented players and was the last coach to lead Wanderers to a Men’s Premier League premiership.
Last season it was Darwin Buffaloes’ co-captain, Jarrod Stokes who picked up the award for his effort in almost snatching premiership glory for his team, and with no restriction on how the judges vote the Chaney Medal is again up for grabs by any player who takes the field.
As is stated in the NTFL By-Laws (2018-19 edition) each member of the panel will award votes to the players they deem to be the best and fairest participating in the match.
Each judge will watch the game independently and then vote 5-4-3-2-1, whereby five votes are awarded to the player they determine to be the best performer, four votes to the second best and so on.
An AFLNT official will then collate and tally all votes and a full tally of votes will be released early next week.
In the case of a tie, a count back will take place, and the winner will be declared on the basis of whoever received the most ‘five votes’. If the result is still tied, then it will be declared on the most ‘four votes’ and so on.
In all other grand finals this weekend it will be the field umpires who collectively award votes to the player they judge to be the best and fairest from the match.
Each grand final will have a best on ground medal:
Men’s Premier League – TIO Chaney Medal (as voted by a panel)
Men’s Division 1 – Clark Medal
Men’s Division 2 – Gear Medal
Under 18 Boys – Haritos Medal
Under 16 Hickman – Jeffrey Medal
Under 16 Leverence – Cooper Medal
Under 14 Gundersen – A.T Shaw Medal
Under 14 Lew Fatt – Damaso Medal
