With just six rounds to go until the Division 2 finals, the battle is on for the top spot in the coaches’ Most Valuable Player Awards.
Whittlesea’s Taidgh Bland and South Morang’s Tye Hall have been in a close contest for most of the season.
In round nine the pair were tied on 43 votes each. But over the past couple of rounds, Hall has taken the lead with 53 votes against Bland’s 50.
Taidgh Bland entered the voting in round six in third place and quickly moved to the top spot over subsequent weeks.
It was the clash between South Morang and Watsonia in round 11 that secured the lead for Tye Hall. He received MVP Award votes in his last six matches to lead the pack by three votes.
But judging by the Eagles and Bland’s form, the top spot in the voting could easily change.
Northern Football League writer Giacomo Bruno was full of praise for Taidgh Bland and his on-field work rate.
“Taidgh Bland looks hard to stop after yet another influential performance in their side’s triumph over the Burra last week,” Bruno wrote.
At round 12 the votes stood at 53 for Tye Hall and 50 for Taidgh Bland. Bringing up the field are Jordan Perry (Northcote Park – 39 votes), Daniel Annetta (Watsonia – 38 votes) and Joshua Boulton (Watsonia – 35 votes).
In each match, the senior coach of each NFNL club gives votes to the players they consider to be best on the ground in the game in which their team plays. The maximum votes a player can receive in one match is 10 votes.