By Ant Wingard @AntWingard
Surfers Paradise midfielder, Cassidy Haberfield, has moved into second place in the Syd Guildford Trophy after his seven-vote performance in the Demons’ loss to Palm Beach Currumbin in Round 8.
Haberfield, the QAFL’s 2016 Rising Star, has moved into the leaderboard’s top two after a stellar month where he has lived up to his rising star status.
Following their narrow 11-point loss to the Lions, the Demons have now won just one game from their past four, but that hasn’t stopped Haberfield from earning the plaudits from the coaches; earning 26 votes throughout the time span.
After winning the league Rising Star award two seasons ago, Haberfield moved to Victoria to train with Coburg in the VFL last year, playing 14 VFL Reserves matches with the Lions. This year, he has returned to his boyhood club in a bid to help the side climb back up the ladder.
Haberfield was the lone Demon to poll more than three votes in the Gold Coast derby with Palm Beach Currumbin, as Lions quartet Jason Burge (nine), Thomas Thynne (six) and Dale Heuhaus (three) reaped the benefits of a win in the clash.
Jason Burge has also moved inside the top ten after posting the most votes for the second week in a row.
Labrador’s domination of Sandgate was reflected well in the votes, with five of the Tigers’ contingent featuring among the votes.
The clash ended up a 73-point clinic in favour of Labrador and was a win engineered by defensive stalwart Wayde Mills, who earned the maximum ten votes in the contest.
After a slow start to the season, Mills, who won the Syd Guildford Trophy back to back in 2016 and 2017, earned his first votes of the season in inspiring fashion as the Labrador defence conceded just four goals to the Hawks.
Fellow Tigers Dyson Budarick (eight), Rhys Coombe (six), Joel Baxter (two) and Adam Clarke (two) also polled votes in the contest.
An eight-goal haul to Matt Fowler was enough to help earn the prized forward the perfect ten votes from the coaches in the Cat’s 80-point win over Wilston Grange over the weekend.
As his side produced a clinic on the scoreboard, Matt Fowler kicked a round-high bag of eight, including three in the Cats’ blitzkrieg 11-goal third term, against the Gorillas, taking his season tally to 19 with the feat.
Fowler’s performance was mirrored by teammates Liam Nelson, Nick Kempe (both seven), Blake Nelis and Evan Panozza (both two) in the votes.
The Syd Guildford Trophy is awarded to the player judged the best in the competition by the QAFL’s nine coaches.
Voting is conducted by each coach post-game on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. As such, the maximum amount of votes a single player can earn in a game is 10.
In a change from previous years, votes are cumulative. Updates of the Syd Guildford Medal voting will be published on the AFL Queensland website for the first 14 rounds of the season, however following Round 14, votes will go blind.
The winner will be announced at the Grogan Medal Dinner on September 16.
See the full Round 8 votes below.
Surfers Paradise v Palm Beach Currumbin
9 – Jason Burge (PBC)
7 – Cassidy Haberfield (SP)
6 – Thomas Thynne (PBC)
3 – Dale Neuhaus (PBC)
3 – Jack Taylor (SP)
2 – Rene Le Feuvre (SP)
Labrador v Sandgate
10 – Wayde Mills (Lab)
8 – Dyson Budarick (Lab)
6 – Rhys Coombe (Lab)
2 – Joel Baxter (Lab)
2 – Adam Clarke (Lab)
1 – Jordan Harding (Sand)
1 – Benn McElligott (Sand)
Broadbeach v Wilston Grange
10 – Matthew Fowler (BB)
7 – Liam Nelson (BB)
7 – Nick Kempe (BB)
2 – Dale Eames (BB)
2 – Blake Nelis (WG)
2 – Evan Panozza (BB)
LEADERBAORD
31 – Blake Erickson (BB)
29 – Cassidy Haberfield (SP)
28 – Jarryd Douglas (PBC)
25 – Campbell Wearne (Morn)
23 – Dyson Budarick (Lab)
22 – Thomas Thynne (PBC)
20 – Jason Burge (PBC)
20 – Nicholas Crowley (PBC)
20 – Ryan Harwood (WM)
20 – Andrew Smith (Mt G)
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