By Saint Tim
December 28 2010

This is the traditional time of the year for a review of the year to appear.  If only this was one!  It isn’t.  It is instead a very belated review of the Saints Man of the Match – as voted for by you – from last season.  Work came in the way and I got behind in writing up the results, indeed I got behind in the analysis as well.  Fortunately I have now caught up and so can report the winners from last season.

Use of the Squad

Saints played 36 competitive games according to my reckoning last season and during that time we used 33 players in the starting line up.  It is interesting to know that after 12 games last season we had used 32 players so after that point there was little change in those given a starting berth.

Out of those 33 players seven played thirty games or more.  The top 15 players played twenty games or more each.  The full list of appearances is shown below.

Votes

In total over the season we had  2,852 votes at an average of nearly 80 per match.  The highest votes were of the games against Worcester at home (130) Munster at home (128) and Gloucester at home (128).  The matches attracting the lowest votes were Ospreys away on a Friday evening (30) and Bath away in the midweek rearranged fixture (37).

Which Division

Over the season there were 17 wins for the forwards, 14 for the backs and 7 for the half backs.  Now if you include the half backs in with the backs division it is a healthy win for the girls.  If however you look on it as a per player award (wins divided by the number of players in the division) it becomes 2.8 for the Backs, 2.1 for the Forwards and 3.5 for the Half Backs.  This would imply that per man the Half Backs were the most influential element of the team and many would say that is as it should be.

Winners – who have departed

Of the players who left during the summer we had several winners.

Jurandre Kruger (1) – How did he only win one is beyond me.

Chris Mayor (1)

Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (1)

Neil Best (1)

James Cannon (1)

My thanks as a supporter goes out to these guys who lay their bodies on the line for our entertainment – often knowing they will not be part of the team going forward.

Emerging Players

A number of players emerged as real forces over the Season.  None more so than Chris Ashton who picked up several awards after failing to grace the leader board at all the previous season.  It was great to see the change that happened over the year for Chris.  We all know now how he had considered returning to the thirteen man game as he struggled in the first year in the premiership.  It was definitely ours and Englands gain that Chris decided to stay with the Union code.

Also emerging was the force that is Soane Tonga’uiha.  Tiny had been at the club for a number of seasons but last year was a huge step forward for him.  We all know that this resulted in a tussle for his services this season between ourselves and Sarries.  It all got a bit heated but I am glad that Soane also decided to stay at the Gardens.

The Winner

The overall winner by one game was Chris Ashton with six wins from Soane Tonga’uiha and Phil Dowson on five wins each.

This is a great result, for a great winger.  Chris runs hard on the shoulder of people making a break and is a destructive finisher.  He has also however improved significantly his defence and is now rarely caught out.

Congratulations Chris.

Leaderboard

Here is the full leaderboard.  I should point out that joint winners now get a full award each – it is just easier with my new system to run it this way.  This did not alter the overall result as Chris did not share any wins.

Here is the full list of winners

Saints Man of the Season 2009-2010

Discussion started by ComeOnYouSaints.com , 28/12/2010 20:44

ComeOnYouSaints.com
28/12/2010 20:44

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Saint Tim
28/12/2010 20:45

Apologies for the delay folks.



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

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Saint Liz
28/12/2010 20:58

nice one Ashy and well deserved, all our players are coming along nicely I think and its nice to see the younger players stepping up and really taking their chances when on the pitch - greig tonks and jamie elliott to name but two.

However, I'm also glad jim and co persevered with ashy and also that he has stayed with us at the gardens despite his contemplation to return to rugby league. He has shown his grit and determination despite the odds. Truly a true Saint and a worthy winner.

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Saint Dom in Hanoi
29/12/2010 00:37

But it's a team game - so Man of the Season is the one who frequently caught the eye. Nevertheless, it is the team that did the biz!

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Saint Liz
29/12/2010 01:28

True and I take nothing away from that and everyone of them would be a worthy winner in all honesty. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and where we are now is due to a team effort.

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Saint Tim
29/12/2010 07:23

You could almost pick a team from the winners.



“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Benjamin Franklin

Tetleys Block F E143

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shendy
29/12/2010 23:00

Thanks for that catchup Tim - your efforts on this are appreciated, as is the fact that real life sometimes gets in the way!

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