DAREBIN’s resurgence in 2024 gained another accolade on Monday night when star midfielder Ange Gogos held off a fast-finishing Keeley Hardingham to win the rebel Coaches Most Valuable Player award.
Gogos, who turned 35 earlier this month, held a 16-vote lead when the count went in house after Round 10.
It would have been a nervous wait given rising Western Bulldog ruck Hardingham’s sparkling finish to the season, but Gogos polled just enough votes (11) in the last four games to hold on.
The Falcons champion actually polled votes in all 13 games she played and had an unassailable 12-vote lead heading into Round 14, which she missed due to a hamstring injury sustained against Collingwood the week before.
Meanwhile, Hardingham finished with five, five, five and 10 votes to poll in 13 of her 14 home and away games, missing out only in the Round 4 win over Essendon that announced the Bulldogs as a premiership contender.
Gogos’ three consecutive 10s from Rounds 8-10 against Carlton, the Box Hill Hawks and Casey Demons – proved to be the clincher as she finished with four 10s, an eight and a seven.
Remarkably, her 83 votes were more than Darebin’s entire 2023 tally of 68 – of which she herself polled 39.
Gogos was the fine wine of the VFLW, having the best year of her career at the age of 34 in averaging 22.5 disposals, 8.5 clearances and 9.5 tackles, while young gun Hardingham averaged 17.5 disposals, 2.7 marks, 5.3 tackles, 4.4 clearances and 22.6 hitouts in her first full season at this level.
Hardingham, who deserves to find herself on an AFLW list by the end of the year, was the premier ruck in the competition at just 20 years of age, helping to driving the Bulldogs from 11th to runner-up.
Her votes tally included three 10s and a nine for a total of 81.
Continuing the trend of experience versus youth, Port Melbourne ace Ava Seton enjoyed a remarkable first year since moving down from the QAFLW, polling in 10 of 14 games to finish third on 73 votes (including three 10s, a nine and an eight).
She grabbed 25 votes in the last three games and finished with an average of 18.4 disposals, 5.6 clearances and 9.1 tackles to put herself on the AFLW Draft radar.
Box Hill’s veteran taliswoman Tam Luke, 36, joined Gogos in proving age is just a number by finishing fourth on 57 votes, including two 10s in the last three rounds, averaging 13.1 disposals, 4.2 marks and 17.1 hitouts
North Melbourne’s Maddie Di Cosmo, who crossed from Carlton in the off-season, and Williamstown’s Emily Eaves were the only two members of last year’s top 10 to retain their positions, finishing fifth on 56 and ninth on 48 respectively.
Casey star Meg Macdonald (53), Bulldogs captain and Lambert-Pearce Medal winner Dom Carbone (52), Essendon’s Ruby Mahony (49) and Kangaroo Alana Barba (47) completed the top 10.
Sydney Swans star Montana Ham was 11th on 41 votes despite playing just the five guest games the Swans had in season 2024.
FINAL LEADERBOARD
83: Ange Gogos (Dar)
81: Keeley Hardingham (WB)
73: Ava Seton (PM)
57: Tamara Luke (Box)
56: Maddie Di Cosmo (NM)
53: Meg Macdonald (Cas)
52: Dom Carbone (WB)
49: Ruby Mahony (Ess)
48: Emily Eaves (Wil)
47: Alana Barba (NM)
CLUB BY CLUB
Box Hill Hawks: T.Luke 57, C.Baskaran 18, E.Bates 16, C.Thorne 16, D.Spamer 13, R.Dillon 10, J.Fleming 10, E.West 10, C.Davidson 9, T.Lucas-Rodd 9, J.Richardson 8, C.Sherriff 8, B.Hipwell 7, T.Smith 7, M.Kendall 6, N.von Bertouch 6, G.Collingwood 3, G.Matser 3, M.Williamson 3, T.Fellows 2, A.Kemp 2, S.Locke 2, P.Pavic 2, E.Robins 2, K.Stratton 1, M.van Berkel 1. Total: 231.
Carlton: M.Guerin 19, K.Sherar 19, M.Hill 17, I.Baldwin 13, K.Skepper 11, E.Wood 11, M.Austin 10, L.Goss 9, A.McKay 8, E.Hurley 7, O.Di Donato 6, B.Vickers 6, L.Beatty 4, D.Vescio 4, H.Bowey 3, Y.Duursma 3, S.Mooney 3, K.Peterson 3, M.Robertson 2, H.Scott 2, D. Finn 1, T.Read 1. Total: 162.
Casey Demons: M.Macdonald 53, Z.Mitchell 18, N.O’Neill 15, L.Jatczak 10, S.Lampard 10, J.Lin 10, S.Johnson 9, T.Burn 8, S.Fairchild 7, K.Phillips 7, C.Brewer 4, J.Rigoni 4, G.Campbell 3, S.Sheerin 3, R.Wotherspoon 3, A.Bertrand 2, S.Casey 1, J.Pacevski 1. Total: 168.
Collingwood: S.Ingram 29, K.Day 27, A.Peterson 24, C.Remmos 24, J.Anthony 15, L.Cronin 14, J.Ivey 14, L.Pearce 14, S.Poustie 9, M.Mahony 8, J.Ramsdale 8, S.Frederick 4, A.Porter 4, E.Fowler 3, S.Rowe 3, J.van Dyk 3, L.Brazzale 2, M.Ellin 2, K.Lennox 2, R.Schleicher 2, C.Taylor 2, M.Ryan 1, T.White 1. Total: 215.
Darebin Falcons: A.Gogos 83, C.Bunker 38, M.De Matteo 33, A.Mifsud 19, N.Callinan 10, S.Egan 7, V.Blackwood 6, K.Lee 5, R.Christgoergl 4, S.Baisis 3, S.du Parquet 2, O.Storer 2, G.Wake 2, S.Simpson 1. Total: 215.
Essendon: R.Mahony 49, E.Chaston 30, S.Molan 17, M.Ford 13, B.Hunt 13, S.Wales 13, M.Dyke 12, M.Busch 10, A.Melnikas 10, G.Nanscawen 8, C.Bernardi 7, E.Tassiopoulos 7, A.Gaylor 6, E.Gough 6, A.Morcom 6, K.Jacques 5, L.Williamson 5, A.van Loon 4, C.Adams 2, S.Orritt 1, D.Ryan 1. Total: 225.
Geelong Cats: Abbey McDonald 33, P.Schaap 19, B.Pratt 17, C.Mason 15, A.Favell 13, L.Jordan 7, B.Plummer 7, M.Walton 4, M.Bragg 2, I.Davies 1, P.Dunlop 1, M.Fuller 1. Total: 120.
GWS GIANTS: M.Brazendale 29, Z.Goldsworthy 24, T.Evans 21, M.Pauga 14, C.McCormick 9, E.O’Dowd 5, E.Pease 5, F.Davies 3, H.Zreika 3, J.Doyle 1, K.Srhoj 1. Total: 115.
North Melbourne: M.Di Cosmo 56, A.Barba 47, N.Dojiok 37, R.Tierney 27, A.Rhodes 20, J.Guy 9, N.Hales 9, M.Zander 7, T.Meier 4, E.Jackson 3, M.McSweeney 1. Total: 220.
Port Melbourne: A.Seton 73, E.Ashley-Cooper 40, L.Caruso 22, M.McKellar 10, E.Sheerin 10, N.Borg 6, M.Shevlin 6, G.Booth 5, K.Cox 5, B.Woolcock 5, B.Clarke 4, F.Frew 2, L.Hart 2, L.McClelland 2, G.Seymour 2, C.Bromage 1, J.Mifsud 1, K.O’Keefe 1, M.Patterson 1, S.Reid 1. Total: 199.
Southern Saints: T.Boyd 29, C.Ryan 23, G.Foran 17, C.Hunt 17, A.Hynes 15, W.Laing 14, M.Torpey 11, D.Jolliffe 10, G.De Angelis 9, A.Tregellis 8, C.Matthews 6, N.Plane 4, E.Friend 3, E.Nikolitsas 3, C.Saultry 3, M.Bertuna 2, J.Wrigley 1. Total: 175.
Sydney Swans: M.Ham 41, L.Gardiner 28, B.Smith 11, C.Molloy 9, A.Morphett 9, T.Kennedy 8, M.Beruldsen 6, S.Hurley 6, E.Vale 1, A.Whelan 1. Total: 120.
Western Bulldogs: K.Hardingham 81, D.Carbone 52, J.Tabb 40, E.Blackburn 17, A.Klingbeil 12, A.Snow 12, I.Milford 10, T.Skenderis 7, S.Skinner 7, V.Laloifi 4, M.McLeod 4, R.Saulitis 4, D.Carruthers 3, C.Ugle 3, T.Crook 2, C.Pickett 2, M.Clifford 1, I.McLeay 1, M.Sandral 1. Total: 263.
Williamstown: E.Eaves 48, A.Thorneycroft 37, S.Whiting 26, M.Williamson 26, E.Straford 23, L.Stepnell 18, T.Brett 12, C.O’Bryan 10, Z.Day 8, I.Barker 7, L.Blue 6, M.Simpson 6, G.Biedenweg-Webster 4, K.Leare 4, E.Meade 4, M.Plunkett 2, C.Bain 1. Total: 242.