Norwood’s Matt Thomas has stormed home to win the 2013 Magarey Medal.
Thomas, the first Redleg to be adjudged the league’s fairest and most brilliant player since Andrew Jarman in 1997, polled just eight votes in the first 13 rounds of the season.
But the 26-year-old midfielder attracted a staggering 18 votes in Norwood’s last eight matches of the year to leapfrog Port Adelaide rover Sam Gray, who finished second with 21 votes.
Delisted by the Power on Monday, Thomas was rated as best-on-ground in six matches while also polling four second preferences.
The Victorian is the 11th Norwood player to win the Magarey Medal, joining Redleg greats such as Garry McIntosh (1994/95), Andrew Jarman (1997) and Michael Aish (1981).
A burly (186cm and 87kg) ball-winner, Thomas averaged 25.5 possessions in his 15 SANFL matches while also recording an impressive disposal efficiency of just under 80 per cent.
Thomas was also aided by the fact two of the four AFL matches he played this year were when Norwood had the bye in the SANFL.
In contrast, his Redlegs team-mate Mitch Grigg – who finished in third place overall with 18 votes – missed Norwood’s last seven matches after making his AFL debut for the Crows on July 21.
Gray set the pace early, polling 17 of his 21 votes inside the opening 12 rounds of the season.
The pint-sized Magpie (176cm and 75kg) was still leading by two votes ahead of Thomas after 18 rounds but only managed one more vote – against West in Round 22 – for the rest of the season.
Last year’s hard-luck story James Boyd – who polled the most votes but was ineligible due to suspension – finished in equal fourth place with consistent Magpies defender Zane Kirkwood.
The Bulldogs rover finished with 17 votes, just four ahead of Central team-mate Brayden O’Hara who also finished inside the top 10 with 13 votes.
Rising North Adelaide star Max Thring was his team’s best on the leaderboard with 14 votes while clever goalsneak Matthew Goldsworthy was the Eagles’ highest vote-winner with 12.
Last year’s joint winners South’s Joel Cross and Central’s Brad Symes attracted 12 and eight votes respectively.
West Adelaide’s chances of landing its first Magarey winner since James Ezard in 2009 were hampered by the fact star midfield trio Chris Schmidt (10), Ben Macreadie (10) and Travis Tuck (7) shared 27 votes between them.
2013 MAGAREY MEDAL LEADERBOARD
Matt Thomas (Norwood) 26 votes
Sam Gray (Port) 21 votes
Mitch Grigg (Norwood) 18 votes
James Boyd (Central) 17 votes Zane Kirkwood (Port) 17 votes
Max Thring (North) 14 votes
Brayden O’Hara (Central) 13 votes
Mat Suckling (Norwood) 12 votes
Joel Cross (South) 12 votes
Matthew Goldsworthy (Eagles) 12 votes
CLUB BY CLUB (Top Three)
Central
James Boyd 17 votes Brayden O’Hara 13 votes Brad Symes 8 votes
Glenelg
Jarryd Lyons 9 votes Tom Logan 6 votes Jason Davenport 4 votes
North
Max Thring 14 votes Andrew Moore 8 votes Lewis Johnston 7 votes
Norwood
Matt Thomas 26 votes Mitch Grigg 18 votes Mat Suckling 12 votes
Port
Sam Gray 21 votes Zane Kirkwood 17 votes Steven Summerton 9 votes
South
Joel Cross 12 votes Nick Liddle 8 votes Nathan Daniel 5 votes
Sturt
Ben Kane 10 votes Matthew Jaensch 8 votes Angus Kurtze 6 votes
West
Ben Macreadie 10 votes Chris Schmidt 10 votes Travis Tuck 7 votes
Woodville-West Torrens
Matthew Goldsworthy 12 votes Angus Rowntree 11 votes Luke Jarrad 7 votes
