Award-winning column franchise Outside The Box returns to once again not shy away from tackling the big issues — such as who are the Haisman Shield's best 10 players?
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After a summer spent training, crunching numbers in the lab with Kingy and brain-hurricaning apocalyptically-warm takes, we're back to call things exactly how they are, not how they might be.
It would be remiss of me to not point out OTB's Super Bowl betting preview netted a cool $197.25 for my loyal followers — chump change for the blue chip investment that is OTB, but still a nice collect.
But the past is the past and the future belongs to those who plan for it — so we go again.
Today we do rank the Haisman Shield's best 10 players, and as always, the OTB formula is weighted toward form in big games, explaining why players’ raw numbers have been broken down into form against the competition's top six.
The way we see it, runs and wickets mean little in a game your side would probably find a way to win without you — it's all about what you can do in the clutch.
Love me or hate me (and I can’t imagine it's the latter), at the very least just debate me.
And welcome to season three of Outside The Box.
1. Mark Nolan (Nagambie)
Season stats: 572 runs at 47.7, 25 wickets at 18.4.
V top six averages 2019-20: 240 runs at 40, 13 wickets at 21.8.
Thoughts: The reigning Lightfoot medallist appears a simple choice as the Haisman Shield's current best player. Nolan ticks every box; a cool 1036 runs and 50 wickets in the past two seasons make an overwhelming case, he performs just as well against the big boys as he does the lesser-lights, plus he's led his side to consecutive finals campaigns.
2. Jedd Wright (Katandra)
Season stats: 420 runs at 42, 29 wickets at 13.2.
V top six averages 2019-20: 206 runs at 41.2, 13 wickets at 15.4.
Thoughts: A bona fide legend — not having him at number one almost feels like a sin. Has three hauls of four or more wickets and four 50s for the season, but the consistency sticks out with Wright — this was the 11th straight season he's made at least 320 runs, and his sixth straight with at least 20 wickets. 29 wickets was a career high bowling year — as sharp as ever.
3. Joel Brett (Northerners)
Season stats: 45 wickets at 9.6, 331 runs at 25.5.
V top six averages 2019-20: 121 runs at 20.2, 15 wickets at 12.9.
Thoughts: The past season's best batsman was this one's second-best bowler — when a lazy 45 wickets don't win you the bowling award, the competition must be strong. He'd never taken more than 25 wickets in a season before this one, and he added 300-plus runs to go with them. The only knock could be just 15 of 45 wickets were against finalists, although he did take three and whack 35 in the weekend's final.
4. Shaun Downie (Numurkah)
Season stats: 365 runs at 30.4, 16 wickets at 23.8.
V top six averages 2019-20: 177 runs at 25.3, 11 wickets at 20.4.
Thoughts: Bit of a down season for Downie if anything — although last season's outrageous finals campaign (263 runs and nine wickets) lives long in the memory. Remains the league-leader's star attraction, and his bowling has lifted against finalists.
5. Luke Nolan (Nagambie)
Season stats: 503 runs at 45.7, 13 catches, two stumpings.
V top six averages 2019-20: 247 runs at 61.8.
Thoughts: Outstanding season from Nolan — when he and brother Mark partnered up, opposition bowlers were filled with dread. He didn't score less than 31 in any innings before Christmas, regularly stepped up against finals contenders, and smacked 151 runs without being dismissed in his past two digs. Will likely tick over the 1000-run mark for the past two seasons this weekend.
6. Henry Barrow (Mooroopna)
Season stats: 51 wickets at 10.8.
V top six averages 2019-20: 16 wickets at 16.
Thoughts: There's an argument for Barrow to be ranked as high as number three on raw numbers, but dig deeper and this is the right spot. Unlike Nolan (number five), the bulk of the damage has been done against the bottom seven with less than a third of his 51 wickets coming against finalists. And he's only made an impact with the ball, having averaged 6.1 batting before finals. But this shouldn't take away from a dominant season where he's earned the tag of the league's best bowler.
7. Paul Newman (Kyabram)
Season stats: 561 runs at 43.2.
V top six averages 2019-20: 220 runs at 36.7.
Thoughts: The Goulburn Valley sporting icon returned to the league boasting 7471 runs for Kyabram Fire Brigade, and wasted no time reasserting his dominance. Has shifted around the batting line-up, either opening or slotting in at five or six, and excelled wherever needed. In two Haisman seasons (his last being 2011-12 with Old Students) Newman has smacked 1140 runs which seems like it might be good.
8. Liam Gledhill (Numurkah)
Season stats: 288 runs at 36, 23 wickets at 15.4.
V top six averages 2019-20: 146 runs at 24.3, 11 wickets at 17.6.
Thoughts: Take Gledhill's statistics with a grain of salt considering he spends the season batting at six or seven (if at all), and while he's bowled less overs than fellow spinning all-rounders Rehan Bari, Nick Breslin and Michael Archer, he's still taken more wickets. OTB ranked Gledhill at number one last season — expect a strong end to the season.
9. Dylan Grandell (Numurkah)
Season stats: 532 runs at 40.9.
V top six averages 2019-20: 252 runs at 36.
Thoughts: It's hard not to include Grandell after he's established himself as the competition's best opener. When he started with knocks of 70, 95 not out and 63, you knew he was on one, and with three of his six 50s against fellow finalists, you can't say he's compiled his runs against lower-ranked sides. Was shocked to see him bat three in the final, but after 50 against Nagambie you'd imagine he's back at the top of the order this weekend.
10. Keegan Armstrong (Shepparton United)
Season stats: 504 runs at 45.8, 18 catches, four stumpings.
V top six averages 2019-20: 290 runs at 48.3.
Thoughts: After the first two weeks of the season, United's star import scored less than 43 in an innings once — super consistent. Nearly 60 per cent of his runs came against finalists, and tidy work behind the stumps shows he's contributing in multiple ways.
Others: Old Students’ Callan McCabe is clearly most unlucky to miss, but ponder this; McCabe averaged just 19.2 with the bat against top-six sides, and took just eight of his 27 wickets in those contests. That's not to call him a flat-track bully, merely an observation those ranked higher did more when it counted.
Central Park-St Brendan's’ Ramadan Yze is also stiff, after a lazy 400 runs and 23 wickets. Others considered included Kyle Mueller, Jackson McLay (Kyabram), Shoaib Shaikh (Mooroopna), Michael Archer (Tatura), Michael Eckard (Numurkah) and Bari (United).
Senior journalist