G&GR Force Player of the Year

At the end of each game throughout the 2010 Super 14 season over at the forum, readers have submitted their 3-2-1’s for each Australian team. All of these votes will accumulated and an overall 3-2-1 assigned for each match to the three leading point getters for each Aussie team. This is a throw back to the old fashioned best and fairest type voting that various media organisations, and indeed players, would do at the end of the match.

We think so much of the posters on this site that last year we introduced the G&GR Wallaby Player of the Year award, decided by way of the same method (votes made after each test match). King George won the title last year and was so overcome with emotion he soon realised that there was no longer anything he needed to accomplish in World Rugby, and retired.

Let’s hope that same doesn’t occur with this years inaugural (and once off it would seem) Super 14 winners.  Yesterday it was the Reds, next up, let’s go to the Force and look back through the season and how it all unfolded.

Round 1 v Brumbies

3 James O’Connor
2 David Pocock
1 Pek Cowan

Brumbies 24 (Josh Valentine, Stephen Moore, Huia Edmonds tries; Stirling Mortlock 3 cons, 1 pen) defeated Western Force 15 (James O’Connor 5 pens)

***

Round 2 v Hurricanes

3 Matt Hodgson
2 Nathan Sharpe
1 James O’Connor

Hurricanes 47 (David Smith 2, Cory Jane, Michael Paterson, NeemiaTialata, Ma’a Nonu, Tyson Keats tries; Willie Ripia 1 con, 2 pens, Piri Weepu 1 con, Aaron Cruden 1 con) defeated Western Force 22 (Josh Tatupu, Dane Haylett-Petty, Chris O’Young tries; James O’Connor 2 con, 1 pen)

***

Round 3 v Chiefs

3 Brett Sheehan
2 James O’Connor
1 Matt Hodgson

Chiefs 37 (Hika Elliot, Lelia Masaga, Colin Bourke, Tim Nanai-Williamstries; Stephen Donald 4 con, 3 pen) defeated Western Force 19 (Ryan Cross try; James O’Connor 1 con, 3 pens, Brett Sheehan 1 pens)

***

Round 4 (BYE)

***

Round 5 v Reds

3 Matt Hodgson
2 James O’Connor
1 Nathan Sharpe

Reds 50 (Anthony Faingaa 2, Digby Ioane 2, Scott Higginbottham 2, Luke Morahan tries; Quade Cooper 5 conv, pg; Ben Lucas conv) defeated Force 10 (Nick Cummins try; James O’connor conv, pg)

***

Round 6 v Waratahs

3 Matt Hodgson
2 Scott Staniforth
1 James O’Connor

Waratahs 14 (Drew Mitchell try; Daniel Halangahu 2 pens, Berrrick Barnes 1 pen) defeated Western Force 10 (Scott Staniforth try; James O’Connor conv, pen)

***

Round 7 v Bulls

3 Nathan Sharpe
2 Chris O’Young
1 James O’Connor

Bulls 28 (Pierre Spies, Zane Kirchner tries; Morne Steyn try, 2 con, 3 pen) defeated Western Force 15 (James O’Connor 5 pen)

***

Round 8 v Stormers

3 Matt Hodgson
2 Chris O’Young
1 David Pocock

Western Force 16 (David Pocock try; James O’Connor conv, 2 pg; David Hill dg) defeated Stormers 15 (Peter Grand 5 pg)

***

Round 9 v Highlanders

3 James O’Connor
2 Nathan Sharpe
1 Ryan Cross

Western Force 41 (Ryan Cross 2, Cameron Shepherd 2, Justin Turner tries; James O’Connor try, 4 con, 1 pen) defeated Highlanders 27 (Chris King, Steven Setephano, Fetu’u Vainikolo tries; Mat Berquist 4 pen)

***

Round 10 v Blues

3 James O’Connor
2 David Pocock
1 Matt Hodgson

Blues 38 (Joe Rokocoko 3, Tony Woodcock, Alby Mathewson, Rudi Wulf tries; Luke McAlister 4 con) defeated Western Force 17 (David Pocock try, Penalty try; James O’Connor 2 con, 1 pens)

***

Round 11 v Crusaders

3 David Pocock
2 Nathan Sharpe
1 Ben McCalman

Western Force 24 (Ben Whittaker, Pek Cowan, Matt Hodgson tries; David Hill 3 con; Hill 1 pen) defeated Crusaders 16 (Kane Fotuali’i try, dg; Dan Carter 1 con, 1 pen, 1 dg)

***

Round 12 v Lions

3 David Hill
2 David Pocock
1 Mark Bartholomeauz

Western Force 33 (Scott Staniforth, Mark Bartholomeusz tries; Hill try, 3 con, 4 pen) defeated Lions 12 (Herkie Kruger 4 pen)

***

Round 13 v Cheetahs

3 Mitch Inman
2 David Pocock
1 Nathan Sharpe

Cheetahs 29 (Bjorn Basson 2, Sarel Pretorius tries; Naas Olivier try, 3 conv, 1 pen) defeated Western Force 14 (Ryan Cross, David Pocock tries; J O’Connor 2 conv)

***

Round 14 v Sharks

3 Nathan Sharpe
2 David Pocock
1 James O’Connor

Sharks 27 (Lwazi Mvovo, Ryan Kankowski, Jacques Botes tries; Ruan Pienaar 3 con, 2 pen) defeated Western Force 22 (Nick Cummins try; James O’Connor 1 con, 3 pen; Brett Sheehan 2 pen)

***

Compared to the Reds this was a much tighter competition, with four guys in contention at the end. And those four guys are the ones you would expect to be there, namely Nathan Sharpe, Matty Hodgson, James O’Connor and David Pocock. In the end it was the youngest of the four who took the title, James O’Connor. Check out the list below and, well done to O’Connor and all, but just remember that Pocock played the first game and didn’t play again until round 8! Not a bad effort.

Position	Player	Points
1st	James O’Connor	17
2nd	Matt Hodgson	14
2nd	David Pocock	14
2nd	Nathan Sharpe	14
5th	Chris O’Young	4
6th	Brett Sheehan	3
6th	David Hill	3
6th	Mitch Inman	3
9th	Scott Staniforth	2
10th	Pek Cowan	1
10th	Ryan Cross	1
10th	Ben McCalman	1
10th	Mark Bartholomeauz	1

So you can really see the drop off after the top four and it probably says much about the season and the inability of others to step up when needed. Or perhaps they were just out injured. I’m surprised the young guys like McCalman and Inman were so down, but then again there are some fairly dominant players further up the ladder to compete with.