Frankston was one of the feelgood stories of the year and it was hard not to get caught up in the groundswell of support for the resurgent Dolphins who won their first final in 16 years.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 8th
W-L-D (%): 11-9 (93.1%)
Players used: 39
Played every match: 7 – Taine Barlow, Nick Burke, Angus Grant, Matt Johnson, Tyson Milne, Seb Quirk, Lachlan Reidy
Ex-AFL players: 4 (69 matches)
Debutants: 9 – Taj Campbell-Farrell, Harrison Coe, Harrison Jones, Ollie Moran, Josh Mounter, Matthew Nelson, Jett Peckett, Lachie Sharp, Kyle Stainthorpe
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Tom Murphy (422 votes), 2nd: Tyson Milne (416), 3rd: Jackson Voss (414), 4. Blake O’Leary (383), 5th: Taine Barlow (379)
J.J. Liston Trophy: George Grey (7 votes), Matt Johnson (7), Trent Mynott (7), Seb Quirk (6)
Coaches MVP Award: Tom Murphy (65 votes), Seb Quirk (42), George Grey (39), Matt Johnson (30), Trent Mynott (25)
Leading Goalkickers: Matt Johnson (47), Noah Gown (26), Jack Newnes (16), Josh Butland (14), Blake O’Leary (10), Lachie Sharp (10)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: George Grey (wing), Matt Johnson (forward pocket), Tom Murphy (centre)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: George Grey 22.5, Tom Murphy 22.2, Seb Quirk 21.9, Trent Mynott 21.2, Jackson Voss 20.8
Contested possessions: Seb Quirk 12.4, Tom Murphy 10.2, Taj Campbell-Farrell 9.7, Trent Mynott 9.5, Lachie Riley 8.3
Kicks: Jackson Voss 16.4, George Grey 15.2, Tyson Milne 14.8, Trent Mynott 14.1, Blake O’Leary 11.8
Handballs: Tom Murphy 10.6, Seb Quirk 10.4, Taj Campbell-Farrell 9.3, Lachie Riley 8.7, Lachie Reidy 7.7
Marks: Taine Barlow 5.5, Tyson Milne 5.0, Ollie Moran 4.8, Ryan Jacobs 4.7, George Grey 4.6, Harrison Coe 4.6
Tackles: Taj Campbell-Farrell 8.8, Seb Quirk 5.3, Nick Burke 5.2, Lachie Riley 4.7, Tom Murphy 4.6, Tomo Owens 4.6
Hitouts: Angus Grant 29.2, Harrison Coe 7.6, Josh Smith 2.8, Will Kennedy 1.5, Tomo Owens 1.0
Clearances: Seb Quirk 5.7, Taj Campbell-Farrell 5.3, Trent Mynott 4.9, Tom Murphy 4.7, Angus Grant 4.0
Inside-50s: Trent Mynott 4.6, Tom Murphy 4.6, Seb Quirk 3.9, Lachie Reidy 3.4, George Grey 3.3
Rebound-50s: George Grey 5.0, Jackson Voss 4.8, Tyson Milne 4.5, Taine Barlow 3.5, Ryan Jacobs 2.8
What went right: Most things. The Dolphins turned heads on regular occasions after flying out of the blocks with three wins in their first four games and really making the competition sit up and take notice with a gutsy away win over the GWS Giants in Round 7. They continued to build a home ground advantage (6-4) and they broke a series of long losing streaks, including against Port Melbourne at ETU Stadium (18 years), Casey Demons at Kinetic Stadium (16 years) and Collingwood (10 years), while also beating the Giants and Gold Coast Suns for the first time. Matt Johnson booted 47 goals to provide an excellent target, Tom Murphy, George Grey and Tyson Milne were excellent recruits, the stalwarts all found a new level and they continue to have the most passionate fans in the league, who now have something to cheer about.
What went wrong: The Dolphins’ kicking for goal was atrocious at times, costing them more than one game and a spot even higher up the ladder. They kicked 208.241 for the year and only kicked more goals than behinds twice by Round 18. When they finally got their goal kicking right they cracked 100 points in three of the last four games, a tally they had not achieved to that point of the year. Injuries to George Grey, Tomo Owens, Josh Smith, Taj Campbell-Farrell and Tom Roberts also didn’t help.
Summary: Frankston was the feelgood story of the year and it was hard not to get caught up in the groundswell of support for the resurgent Dolphins. Despite losing stars Will Fordham and Ryley Stoddart in the off-season, they played exciting, free-flowing footy under new coach Jackson Kornberg. Their style, coupled with some impressive cherry-picked recruits, saw them be competitive in most of their games. It’s hard to recall them having three players in the Team of the Year, but Murphy, Grey and Johnson were all extremely worthy of their selection after outstanding campaigns. And to win their first final for 16 years, coming from 29 points down in the last quarter against reigning premier Gold Coast in Queensland no less, was the result of the season. They’re now a club that can hold onto their players and attract key recruits as well. Onwards and upwards.
Grade: 8/10
2024 SMITHY'S VFL SEASON REVIEWS
Gold Coast Suns
Richmond
Essendon
Sandringham
Sydney Swans
GWS Giants
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Casey Demons
Coburg
Carlton
Collingwood
Northern Bullants
