Fans Forum End of Season Poll 2012-13
By Japie
July 5 2013
PART ONE – PLAYER AWARDS
1. SARACENS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (2011-12 winner: Alex Goode)
With no further fanfare or preamble let’s get straight into the big player of the year award. With so many outstanding performances this season it’s no wonder that the votes were spread around the squad. Interestingly the votes appeared weighted towards the pack, demonstrating for us fans it’s not all about the glory boys in the backs. As the old adage goes, “Forwards win you matches, backs just decide by how much.” There was strong support for Scotland’s captain Kelly Brown and breakthrough season flanker Will Fraser as well as two of our Lions, Mako Vunipola and (a rare back in the votes) Brad Barritt. However out in front, where else, leading the poll as well as he leads the team, our very own Captain Marvel. Stand Up for the Cumbrian giant, Steve Borthwick.
Winner - Steve Borthwick
2. SARACENS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (2011-12 winner: Ben Spencer)
This is a tough category: last year’s YPOY Ben Spencer has continued to play well, contributing strongly to the triumphant squad that travelled over the border to sweep the Melrose 7s as well as providing a stream of kicks into the half-time ‘fan catch a treble’ contest. However given the fortunate fitness of NDK and Wiggy he’s not had nearly as much game time for the first XV this year. Riding over the horizon and into full view instead this year has been a welcome new crop of stars in the making. Nick Auterac attracted voting support: as one voter commented, “he plays in a position where it is hard for youngsters to shine” but he’s held his own in a tough role. However he didn’t win the award. Other young players gaining votes included Ben Ransom and Jackson Wray. However in the end this came down to two outstanding young talents. Triumphing over the new England and Lions international loosehead Mako Vunipola, it was ‘here we go’ to the trophy for Will Fraser. What a year for brother Will: though his season ended in injury disappointment he appears to be fast becoming indispensable in our pack..” And he’s a Fullerians boy: added kudos.
Winner - Will Fraser
3. SARACENS OLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (2011-12 winner: Hugh Vyvyan)
The melancholy Jaques (not that one – and it’s Jacques Burger anyway) in Shakespeare’s As You Like It compares the world to a stage and life to a play, and catalogues the seven stages of a man's life. In that view the winner of this award appear to be considered as being in the seventh stage, that of old age. But we clearly judge positively a triumvirate of Captain Borthwick, Scrumhalf wizard Neil de Kock and King Carlos. As oldies but goodies, there was barely a vote in between them, but our prop rock takes the title. May he enjoy the finest of retirements.
Winner - Carlos Nieto
4. AVIVA PREMIERSHIP (non Sarries) PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (2011-12 winner: Chris Robshaw)
This is always a tricky category as this is usually voting for a player who has either given Sarries hell when playing against us or one we look on at hoping he has just this one bad game against us. With so many amazing players in the Premiership and so many stand-out performers, choosing one player is very tough. The spread of votes across teams and players showed that. But out in front, part of the Wasps wonder wingers, Christian Wade.
Winner - Christian Wade
5. INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: (2011-12 winner: Richie McCaw)
With votes, even more spread out than in the Aviva Premiership Player of the Year category this was wide open. Last year’s winner Richie McCaw attracted support as did his international team mate Dan Carter. Stand-out Italian no8 Sergio Parisse and Aussie flanker Michael Hooper were popular. However out in front were many of the Wales Grand Slam winning side: Phillips, Tipuric and others. But just ahead in front was a new northern hemisphere star: look out Premiership, he’s coming our way and oh no, he’s a Saint. As one voter noted, “I am going for somebody who I am seriously worried about for next season when he plays for a ‘proper rugby club’ up the M1. He combines power and speed with a running style which is unbelievably fluid and graceful for such a monster.”
Winner - George North.
6. FAVOURITE SARACENS PLAYER: (2011-12 winner: Schalk Brits)
This category values the players as a whole package: we tend to look past their stellar performances in the shirt and decide our vote for this category on the basis of the characteristics and conduct we fans see and value. Factors coming into the voting deliberations appear to be varied but include the player’s determination, teamwork, try-scoring, body on the line tackling, always being willing to pose for photos, their Twitter postings and even their hair (because they are worth it, I suppose). There were votes all over the squad which reflects well on the team with supporters collectively seeming to value the whole squad more than gravitating towards one particular individual over the others. Brad, Mako, Schalk (of course) and Captain Borthwick all attracted significant voting support. However, with his second win in his outstanding breakthrough season and clearly already very much a fans’ favourite, was Mr Fraser, W.
Winner - Will Fraser
7. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSITION PLAYER AGAINST SARACENS: (2011-12 winner: Geordan Murphy)
The category to reward the player that gave us hell, gripping a game and wrestling us away from the win, sometimes it seems almost single-handedly. It was no surprise that the votes were almost all for just two players. Our defeats in both the AP and the Heineken Cup semi-finals burned deeply in our consciousness. The players most identified with those defeats clearly stood out in your memories. So with a degree of catharsis, Samu Manoa of Saints and Jonny Wilkinson of Toulon went nip and tuck towards top spot. But when the votes were all counted there was only one winner, just out in front: he came, he saw, he kicked us out the Heineken Cup (and in doing so, added to his reputation by showing again his sportsmanship and leadership).
Winner - Jonny Wilkinson
8. THE "ALBANESE" - WORST PERFORMANCE BY AN OPPOSITION PLAYER AGAINST SARACENS: (2011-12 winner: Toby Flood)
It’s a harsh this one. A few years ago a Leeds Tykes’ player called Diego Albanese came to Vicarage Road and had a shocker, a total nightmare, a truly awful performance. Nothing he did came off. He looked broken and beaten as he trudged off the pitch. And so we celebrate, drawing honour out of that adversity, his unusually poor game by naming the worst opposition performance we’ve witnessed in the season. And this year there were votes spread across individuals (mainly Toby Flood again…) and teams, but way out in front was the result of a truly astonishing Heineken Cup performance: a proud team but Edinburgh Rugby were shockingly bad on 13 October 2012, losing 45-0 at their Murrayfield home. The year before they reached the semi-final, this year, oh dear.
Winner: Edinburgh Rugby
9. THE MARTIN JOHNSON MEMORIAL LEAST FAVOURITE OPPOSITION PLAYER AWARD: (2011-12 winner: Jim Hamilton)
Since the unloved Jonno retired this award has sought to note the players that the fans in the stands focus their ire on for whatever reason. Clearly there are many things that annoy us fans, but it’s very much each and to their own. Some of the votes seemed like booing the pantomime villain: you just have to (stand up Delightful Delon and Big Jim, again). However it appears there’s a new least favourite player to delight in expressing opposition to. I’m quite sure he won’t mind a bit!
Winner – Dylan Hartley
10. PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO JOIN SARRIES FOR NEXT SEASON: (2011-12 winner: Wesley Fofana)
This is the magical fantasy rugby wish list category. Ignore wage caps (oh, don’t start Saints fans); ignore whether anyone could lure them from their current club and country; and ignore whether in any lifetime they would ever move to play at Saracens. Though we’ve already recruited hopefully some fantastic new players like James Johnston and Billy Vunipola, this award seems to point towards where we fans still think the squad needs strengthening. Votes for variations of ‘a big Pacific Islander centre’ and last year’s winner Wesley Fofana suggest we still feel Brad and co need some support there (and I agree). Some votes for George North suggest we think we are going to have a really hard time when Saints rock up again at Allianz Park. Votes for Richie ‘Million Pound’ McCaw suggest for some this vote is just pure fantasy. Some are about reality (“I will go for Jacques Potgieter if Burger’s injury is as bad as it may be”). In the end this was one of the most varied of voting categories suggesting we have very little common ideas about future Allianz Park Hall of Famers. Whatever the reasons, just out in front on votes, tell Edward and Brendan to work their magic and sign up the Italian star no.8.
Winner – Sergio Parisse
End of Part One – Part Two Aviva Premiership XV 2012-13 coming soon…
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013:08:14:12:48:57 by TonyTaff.
And well done to all those who won in the desirable categories!
I even got some of the right answers this year - does this mean that I am finally beginning to understand rugby? Probably not, according to those who sit with me at matches!
Regardez mon visage. Suis-je bovvered?