That may not make sense right now, but bear with me.
For a player to qualify for post-season elimination action, they must hit a game quota, which can vary depending on clearances, registrations and other factors.
Let’s say that number is six.
Now let’s also say that players could be considered for the league’s top individual honour if they’d hit a half-dozen games, solely decided on stats-plus-aura equals winner winner chicken dinner.
Not many in the GVL have more of both than Kyabram’s Bailey Tome.
Sporting a fresh, rippling mullet giving off major Sampson vibes, Tome possesses seriously impressive power and his latest run out was a total demonstration of it all.
Tome, in his sixth GVL appearance in 2024, was a genuine run-and-gun rocket in the Bombers’ 55-point beating of Mooroopna, racking up a game-high 189 ranking points.
Bailey Tome’s averages from six GVL games
Disposals: 30.7
Contested possessions: 19.2
Clearances: 11.3
Tackles: 10.8
Ground ball gets: 13.5
Ranking points: 158
The Mt Gravatt export had 39 disposals (22 contested), 15 ground ball gets, 14 clearances, nine tackles and nine score involvements.
It’s a silly good stat line, but Kyabram spectators know it’s nothing new.
Readers, brace yourself for his season record because things are about to get wacky.
Tome averages 30.7 disposals at 75 per cent efficiency, 19.2 contested possessions, 11.3 clearances, 13.5 ground ball gets, 10.8 tackles and 8.7 score involvements from his six games in the league.
Tome’s sporadic showing for Kyabram is due to being VFL-listed at Northern Bullants, playing 12 games in the state’s top tier this season.
If the majestic mullet man had played all 16 GVL games for the Bombers, he’d surely be close to the top in the Morrison Medal race, right?
So, who else is up there in the half-season hero charts?
Echuca’s Gus Byrne had limited involvement during the Murray Bombers’ premiership campaigns in 2022-23 with VFL commitments for Geelong taking up most of his time, but this year it appears injury has hamstrung his capabilities as the bottle greens line up a three-peat.
Regardless, Byrne has still averaged 18 disposals, 2.4 contested marks, 2.1 goals and 10 score involvements from his seven games so far.
Another splitting his time between VFL and GVL is Seymour on-ball bull Ben Rigoni.
The 2022 Morrison Medal is trying his luck at Coburg again in 2024, but has still put up some tidy averages from his Lions’ appearances including 22.5 disposals, 11.8 contested possessions, 7.2 ground ball gets, 9.2 tackles and four inside 50s.
Fellow Seymour star David Mundy featured four times, with a mean output of 23 touches, six clearances and five intercept possessions.
All would be within a shot of half-season hero immortality, but going on stats, my money’s on Tome.
