A host of Swans loom as contenders for the Bob Skilton Medal ahead of the 2018 Club Champion Dinner on Friday night.
The Sydney Swans will suit up and grace the red carpet for the Club’s night of nights set to be held at the Star Events Centre.
Will star forward Lance Franklin claim his first Bob Skilton Medal to ice a season full of records, milestones and highlights?
Will gun midfielder Luke Parker collect back-to-back gongs and his third in total, or will Dane Rampe or Jake Lloyd become the first defender since Andrew Schauble in 2000 to earn the prized medal?
Is captain Josh Kennedy set to have the Bob Skilton Medal draped around his neck for a fourth time, or will young gun Isaac Heeney continue his meteoric rise?
We run an eye over those in contention to join Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Peter Bedford and a long list of other esteemed names in Club Champion folklore.
Josh Kennedy
Kennedy again carried the torch at the coalface of the contest, leading the Swans in average contested possessions and clearances per game and running second in disposals. The second-year skipper inspired Sydney to an unforgettable comeback win over Geelong in Round 6, played a central role in the Swans’ gallant finish to the regular season and lifted his troops from trouble on a number of other occasions. The 30-year-old clashed with a string of midfield bulls in his ninth season in red and white, meeting the likes of Cat Patrick Dangerfield, Tiger Dustin Martin and Docker Nat Fyfe and holding his own. Kennedy played all 23 games and amassed six Brownlow Medal votes to finish equal fourth in Swans ranks.
Lance Franklin
The four-time Coleman Medallist produced another season to remember in his fifth year as a Swan. But we must look past Franklin’s 900th career major, 300th Swans goal, the fact he’s now placed eighth on the all-time VFL/AFL goal-kicking leaderboard and his All-Australian selection and captaincy. In bringing his Bob Skilton Medal chances into focus we must narrow things down to his round-by-round performances in 2018, a task that makes for happy reading for Swans fans. The 31-year-old topped the Swans in front of goal, snaring bags of eight (Round 1), six (Round 20) and five (Round 22) on his way to a total of 57 majors. Franklin also averaged a Swans-high 6.7 marks and 4.7 inside 50s per game, while he led the way for Sydney in the Brownlow Medal count (16 votes) despite missing four games.
Lance Franklin celebrates a goal in the Swans' stirring win over the Dees in Round 21.
Luke Parker
Parker was enormous for the Swans in the midfield and forward line to put himself in hot pursuit of Sydney’s highest individual honour. The vice-captain ranked among the top three Swans in average disposals, clearances, inside 50s and tackles per match. Sam Reid’s injury-plagued season and the Swans’ fresh-faced forward line placed a premium on Parker’s impact as a forward – and midfield coach Brett Kirk was full of praise for the 25-year-old’s influence on the scoreboard. Parker booted 25 majors to join Franklin (57) and Will Hayward (28) on the podium, registering one three-goal performance and seven doubles and troubling the scorers on eight other occasions. He missed just one game and polled 10 Brownlow Medal votes, finishing second among the Swans behind Franklin (16).
Dane Rampe
Rampe was as reliable as ever in his sixth AFL campaign, continually absorbing waves upon waves of pressure in defence, proving squeaky-clean by hand and foot and consistently negating the influence of the opposition’s most damaging key forwards. The vice-captain gathered a Sydney-high 147 one-percenters at an average of 6.4 per game, recorded the second-most rebound 50s for a Swan and disposed at 80 per cent efficiency. In three of his most impressive shutdown performances of the season, Rampe kept star Cat Tom Hawkins to just two goals in Round 6, imposing Eagle Josh Kennedy to a pair of majors in Round 13 and dangerous Giant Jeremy Cameron to one goal in Round 22. Rampe, additionally, laced up the boots for all 23 games and accrued one Brownlow Medal vote.
Dane Rampe reels off a kick in the Swans' thrilling win over the Roos in Round 17.
Jake Lloyd
The rebounding defender was one of Sydney’s most reliable players in 2018, topping the Swans in average possessions and rebound 50s per game and operating at 79 per cent disposal efficiency. Lloyd, who became the quickest player in Swans history to notch 100 AFL games as Sydney edged Hawthorn in Round 8, tallied the most Swans disposals on nine occasions and reeled in 30-plus touches eight times. The 25-year-old produced a number of games that demanded attention, including a performance stamped with 41 touches, a goal and three Brownlow Medal votes as Sydney trumped Fremantle in Round 9. Lloyd played all 23 games and collected six Brownlow Medal votes to finish equal fourth in Swans ranks.
Isaac Heeney
The QBE Sydney Swans Academy product took out the 2018 AFL Mark of the Year and could be set to soar again at Friday’s Club Champion Dinner. Heeney made significant contributions as a midfielder and forward this season, finishing among the top five Swans in contested possessions and disposals and slotting 19 goals. The 22-year-old missed just one game and posted seven Brownlow Medal votes, rounding out the podium with Franklin (16) and Parker (10).
The 2018 Club Champion Dinner will be streamed live on SwansTV from 7pm on Friday, October 5.
