Rowbottom becomes joint leader of NEAFL MVP Award

Sydney midfielder James Rowbottom has become the new joint leader of the NEAFL MVP Award after guiding Sydney to an impressive victory against Gold Coast on Saturday.

The 18-year-old first year draftee polled nine votes after yet another starring performance, collecting 31 disposals, 12 tackles, 10 clearances and seven inside 50s as the Swans ran way with a 58-point victory.

He now sits in equal position with Southport’s Matt Shaw, who did not play in Round 8.

Shaw’s teammate Tyler Roos moved to third place, three votes behind the dual leaders, after he too polled nine votes in the Sharks’ six-point win over Redland.

Roos, 23, is flourishing in his new midfield role with another 30-disposal game, which also sees the young gun leading the competition for total disposals to this point.

Meanwhile, Brisbane’s Jacob Allison was awarded the most votes (eight) in the Lions’ win over the GIANTS, with Jackson Hately (36 disposals, 10 clearances) attracting seven in his side’s 42-point loss.

Up in Darwin, three players – Canberra’s Angus Baker and NT Thunder duo Dylan Barry and Nathaniel Paredes – were all awarded seven votes.

The NEAFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented to the player uniquely judged the best in the competition by a combination of umpire and coaches votes.

The votes are submitted post-game cast on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. As such, the maximum amount of votes a single player can earn per match is 10 – courtesy of the maximum five votes from both umpires and coaches.

The progress of the MVP voting is published on the NEAFL website for the first 12 rounds of the season, but withheld from that point on until the winner is revealed at the end of season awards night.

 
NEAFL MVP VOTES – Round 8

Gold Coast v Sydney
9: James Rowbottom (Sydney)
5: Ryley Stoddart (Sydney)
4: Darcy Cameron (Sydney)
3: Will Brodie (Gold Coast)
3: Connor Nutting (Gold Coast)
2: James Rose (Sydney)
2: James Bell (Sydney)
1: George Horlin-Smith (Gold Coast)
1: Jacob Dawson (Gold Coast)

Brisbane v GIANTS
8: Jacob Allison (Brisbane)
7: Jackson Hately (GIANTS)
6: Allen Christensen (Brisbane)
4: Ryan Bastinac (Brisbane)
2: Aiden Bonar (GIANTS)
2: Lachlan Keeffe (GIANTS)
1: Nick Shipley (GIANTS)

NT Thunder v Canberra
7: Angus Baker (Canberra)
7: Dylan Barry (NT Thunder)
7: Nathaniel Paredes (NT Thunder)
4: Mitch Maguire (Canberra)
3: Alex Paech (Canberra)
2: Alex Smout (Canberra)

Redland v Southport
9: Tyler Roos (Southport)
8: Adrian Williams (Redland)
4: Craig Malone (Redland)
3: Rhys Clark (Southport)
2: Mackenzie Willis (Southport)
2: Damian Steven (Redland)
1: Michael Manteit (Southport)
1: Matt Doran (Southport)

NEAFL MVP LEADERBOARD – Round 8

36: James Rowbottom (Sydney)
36: Matt Shaw (Southport)
33: Tyler Roos (Southport)
26: Craig Malone (Redland)
24: Alex Smout (Canberra)
24: Colin O’Riordan (Sydney)
23: Ben Keays (Brisbane)
23: Ryan Bastinac (Brisbane)
21: Adam Gulden (Sydney Uni)
20: Mitch Maguire (Canberra)

Don’t forget to download our free NEAFL App, featuring live Champion Data stats, player bios and more! Available now from the Google Play and Apple stores.

Have your say! Follow the NEAFL on Twitter (@neaflofficial), Instagram (@neaflofficial) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/neaflofficial).