Being named the ‘Most Consistent Player’ is an enormous accolade; it’s the player who gives their absolute everything, week in, week out, the one who best handles the challenges thrown up by a gruelling season, and continues to perform despite them.
Next Wednesday night during the club’s Peter Crimmins Medal vote count, Hawthorn’s Most Consistent Player for season 2020 will be one of the accolades awarded.
Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates who have built strong cases for contention.
Sam Frost
It’s hard to believe it was this man’s first year in the brown and gold. The position of Hawks’ centre-half back fit Frosty like a glove, with his run and carry and elite speed on show from his first showing in Round 1. When the whips were cracking (like when we ventured down the highway to take on Geelong), Frost stood tall – negating some of the competition’s most capable goal kickers and denying many an opposition forward foray. Each week, without fail, you could rely on Frost to play his role, thus making him a conceivable candidate for the club’s Most Consistent Player.
Ben McEvoy
About as often as you can count on him donning head tape by game’s end, you can count on McEvoy giving his all. No matter the day, no matter his position, Big Boy is always one of the Hawks’ cool heads under pressure. He regularly takes contested marks against the flow, and his new-found title of defender has allowed him to use his elite decision making to set up play from the backline. Even when the Hawks were in their darkest patches in season 2020, McEvoy was continually one of the shining lights.
Jack Gunston
Our resident Sharp Shooter. There’s no question Jack Gunston was among Hawthorn’s best players in season 2020, as evidenced by his inclusion in the extended All Australian squad. He was certainly our most consistent forward, hitting the scoreboard in all but two of Hawthorn games this year. It was an effort that would see him finish third in the Coleman Medal tally - though he could have been tied for second had he chosen not to help Stratts boot his second career goal in his farewell match – such is Gunston’s selfless team-first approach.
Tom Mitchell
You would never believe that Mitchell had missed the entirety of last season with a horrific leg injury. The midfielder returned in Round 1 and didn’t miss a beat, registering a team-high 25 disposals at 84 percent efficiency, setting the tone for what would be an incredible return season. Though the reduced-time format didn’t lend itself to his sky-rocketing disposals numbers of years gone by, Mitchell continued to hunt the Sherrin week after week. He played every game for the year, averaging 25 touches, four tackles and four clearances. A pillar of consistency, some would say!
James Sicily
His season was cruelly ended by a ACL injury in Round 12, which makes it an uphill battle for Sicily to win the Most Consistent award. However, if you take the number of games played out of it, then Sicily is sure to come into contention. He was regularly ranked among the Hawks’ best across his 11 performances, averaging five rebound 50s, 7.2 intercept possessions, and 18 disposals at an impressive 81 percent efficiency.
Will Day
Like Sicily, Day’s number of games played in 2020 may hurt him. But boy, wouldn’t it be a great story to see this young Hawk get the nod? Since entering the team in Round 6, Day has rarely put a foot wrong, regularly standing up in difficult games and providing incredible composure under immense pressure. He chalked up a respectable fifth place finish in the 2020 Rising Star award, and we have a feeling his accolades are only just beginning…
There you go – six names who we feel could be in the running to take home Hawthorn’s Most Consistent award. Are we on the money? Time will tell.
The Peter Crimmins Medal ceremony will be streamed exclusively to members at 7pm on Wednesday 30th September.
