The Limestone Coast is well represented in the AFL with plenty of home-grown players starring on the national stage.
The SE Voice’s sports journo Will Boston takes a look at how our locals fared in Round 24.
Tom McDonald
Tom McDonald ended the season on a strong note on Friday against the Pies with 19 disposals, eight marks and 15 kicks.
McDonald did a bit of everything in the game as he had four intercept marks and six rebound 50s as well as recording six spoils.
Going up forward he was solid with two score involvements and a score launch.
With expectations high at the beginning of the season McDonald and the Dees could not live up to them, finishing 14th with a record of 11-12.
Toby Pink
Toby Pink finished his debut season in the AFL with a solid game against the Hawks despite the result.
Pink ended the game with nine disposals, three marks, one tackle and a goal.
He chipped in all across the ground as he had two spoils, two score involvements while also having a contested mark and a mark inside 50.
After a solid first season Pink will look to improve at North Melbourne next season.
Jeremy Cameron
Jeremy Cameron finished the home and away season with a huge game against the Eagles on Saturday, registering 14 disposals, nine marks and a tied career high of nine goals – seven of which he kicked before half time.
Cameron was very accurate in front of goal as he has a set shot accuracy of 81.8% off 11 shots.
To add to that Jezza also had a season high of 14 score involvements in the win.
He was a major target for the Cats as he had seven marks on the lead.
After finishing the season third on the ladder, Cameron and the Cats are set to play the Power tomorrow night in Adelaide in the first qualifying final.
Brad Close
Brad Close ended the home and away season with a solid performance against the Eagles on Saturday.
Close had 11 disposals, three marks and a tackle in the 93 point victory.
Like always Close was great in the forwardl ine as he had seven score involvements and two goal assists.
After not scoring in four games in a row, Close will need to be back at his best this week when the Cats face the Power in the finals.
Lachie Neale
Lachie Neale finished the home and away season with a big game to help his chances of winning another Brownlow.
Neale had a season high 40 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances and a goal in the win.
Going up forward the co-captain was great as he had two goal assists and 11 score involvements, and was also great around stoppages as six of his seven clearances came from stoppages.
Neale and the Lions are set to play the Blues on Saturday night in an elimination final.
Mason Redman
Mason Redman finished his season with a good performance against the Lions, notching up 22 disposals, nine marks and two tackles.
Once again Red Dog’s marking ability was great as he recorded four intercept marks.
Moving forward Redman improved after a few down weeks, finishing with five score involvements and a score launch in the game.
After a strong start to the season the Bombers burned out late in the year and failed to make finals, finishing with a record of 11-11-1.
Jordan Dawson
Jordan Dawson ended the season strong against the Swans on Saturday night for the Crows.
The captain had 25 disposals, two marks, six tackles, three clearances and a goal in the loss.
Like he had been doing all season Dawson was excellent at setting up scores for his team, having eight score involvements, a goal assist and a score launch in the game.
With a season that had high hopes, Dawson and the Crows could not match them as they missed out on finals again, ending the season 8-14-1.
Darcy Fogarty
Darcy Fogarty did not have the best game to finish the season against the Swans with 11 disposals, five marks and nine kicks.
Despite not kicking a goal The Fog still did well at setting up scores for his side, being involved in seven scores in the game.
He was still solid in the forward line as he had a contest mark and two marks on the lead.
In an up and down season Fogarty still had a solid year where he has begun establishing himself as one of the top forwards in the league.
Mitch Hinge
Mitch Hinge ended the season with a solid performance against the Swans, finishing with 17 disposals, two marks and two tackles in the game.
In defence Hinge was solid as he had 11 pressure acts and three spoils.
Moving forward he was good as he had two score involvements and a score launch while also having four rebound 50s.
After taking on a big role this season Hinge handled it well as he had a career year and by far his best season.
Rowan Marshall
Rowan Marshall ended his season on a high with a solid game and a big win over the Blues.
Marshall had 19 disposals, three marks, two tackles, four clearances, a goal and 37 hit outs.
Like always Marshall was great at getting involved in the team’s scoring as he had six score involvements and two score launches.
He was very dominant in the ruck as he had 12 hit outs to advantage with a hit out win percentage of 45.1%.
Despite the Saints having a tough season, Marshall still overall had another very good season.
