By Abby Collins
The 2024 season has passed halfway and the QAFL is boasting more talent than ever.
With former AFL stars such as Tom Hickey, Nakia Cockatoo and Rhys Mathieson making their mark and young guns rising through the ranks, this year’s league has become a nail-biting watch each weekend.
As we dive into the midseason review a few questions loom:
Can anyone stop Matt Hammelmann from securing his third consecutive Ray Hughson Medal, will Aspley achieve the premiership three-peat and what impact will the mid-season coaching change have on the under-performing Labrador Tigers?
And what of the Grogan Medal and Syd Guilford Trophy?
Are they destined to be awarded to a former AFL player or can someone from outside the elite ranks claim Queensland football’s highest individual honours?
Aspley coach Adrian Pilgrim reckons Tom Hickey or Rhys Mathieson could be the firm favourite while Brent Moloney believes Will Fletcher, Tom Simpson or Jay Foon could be the best players in the league right now.
Looking at the statistics from the first 12 rounds there is some clear talent across the competition.
Heading into Round 13 Morningside and Aspley sat comfortably eight points above the rest of the competition with 44 each, Palm Beach Currumbin coming in third with 36, followed by Redland-Victoria Point and Wilston Grange who were chasing the 12 points that separate them from the ladder leaders.
The top five had some distance between themselves and the rest of the competition. Surfers Paradise and Labrador held onto hope, the Demons were on 24 points while the Tigers stunned the competition with their last Round 13 win over the Panthers and have now bumped themselves up to 24.
The statistics of the season show an interesting story, Morningside were sitting on top in plenty of key areas including contested marks (237), hit-outs (599) and marks inside the forward 50m (204). While this is a team effort, big-name preseason recruit for the Panthers, Nakia Cockatoo is undoubtedly having an impact.
Cockatoo shows off his aerial abilities in his contested marks, taking out the third spot on the individual leaderboard with 24 this season.
Over at the Hornets’ nest, the game is based on clearances. The team leads the charge with 535 across their personnel, Tom Templeton sits third on the individual ladder with 83 under his belt.
Aspley is also home to other leading QAFL players, Liam Dawson is top of the individual charts for contested marks with 35, could this mean another best on ground medal is coming his way for the third consecutive year?
Another Hornet name that should be household at this point is Stackelberg, Cody Stackleberg is third for tackles (64) and inside 50’s (65), while brother Connor is second in F50 marks (57) and second behind Hammelmann in goals with 45 under his belt.
Third placed Palm Beach Currumbin was the yard stick of the competition until Surfers Paradise rained on their parade, handing them their first loss of the season in Round 7.
The team has landed one of the top recruits this year with Tom Hickey in the ruck. Hickey leads the charge in clearances with 124 so far, the next closest to him is Jay Foon from Labrador with 84.
The Lions’ Blair Rubock is always one to watch, chasing closely behind Hammelmann and Connor Stackelberg for the Ray Hughson medal with 40 goals and 38 forward 50 marks.
There are no surprises that Redland-Victoria Point are sitting snug under the competition leaders in fourth.
Hammelmann is looking like he could get the Ray Hughson Medal for a third season in a row at the rate he is going.
Leading in goals, behinds and forward 50 marks this season, Hammelmann remains the premier key forward in the state league.
Wilston Grange is hanging on to fifth with dear life, sitting at the top of the disposals ladder, they have also recruited well in the off season.
Ex Brisbane Lions AFL player Rhys Mathieson has been making his mark for the Gorillas.
Mathieson has the highest rate of effective disposals across the competition and is arguably one of the most feared ball carriers to his opponents.
A big surprise of this season is the ladder placement of Labrador, despite being in the top spaces statistically the team is not having a lot of luck against the top teams. Maybe with their new coaching direction we will see a ladder climb from the Tigers?
Labrador’s top talents in Jay Foon and Tom Simpson each top a number of the individual charts. Foon has been instrumental in clearances (84), disposals (348) and tackles (66), while Simpson is a constant attacking threat with his inside 50’s (81) and disposals (350).
It seems a lot of top talent lies outside the leading teams, the Syd Guildford Trophy might find a home with Surfers Paradise’s Ben Woodburn or second to bottom of the table, Sherwood’s Will Fletcher. Morningside has a couple of top contenders with Tommy Horne and Brad Hodge. Noosa also makes the list with a preseason recruit, Mitchell Conn.
The season started with more than just player changes, Matthew Leuenberger, former Brisbane Lions top 10 draft pick, was welcomed with open arms to step in as Head Coach of the Noosa Tigers.
Another coaching switch up came after Round 12, when veteran Clint Watts and Labrador parted company.
Long time Assistant Coach Nick Jackson stepped into the Head Coach position and had an immediate impact with a 95-point victory over Morningside. Can the Tigers keep it up and make a tilt at the finals?
It sparked a rush of unpredicted outcomes in Round 13, with all four top teams losing to those outside of the top six.
Aspley lost to Maroochydore, Palm Beach Currumbin took another loss to Surfers Paradise and Redland-Victoria Point went down to Sherwood.
It seems the ladder is set to undergo some construction as we head into the second half of the season.
