DIVISION 1 MEDAL COUNT LIVE BLOG

Division 1 Live Blog for the LS PEPPER MEDAL:
Congratulations to Matt Keown of North Old Boys/St Patricks for winning his second – and back-to-back – Pepper Medal. He wins with 23 votes after failing to poll in the final three rounds. Justin Mills from the relegated Glen Eira was second with 20 votes. Keown polled in only 9 matches this year compared Mills who polled in 11. Mills just couldn’t get that three vote game that he needed and he failed to poll at all in the last round. 
Make sure you join us again tomorrow for the Under 19 and Under 18 results and the counts of the Premier Sections. Tune in on 96.5FM or through www.innerfm.org.au 
Here is the top 20 at the conclusion of the count: 
23 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
20 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
18 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
16 James Tran MHSOB    
14 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
14 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
13 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
11 Adam Oakley North Old Boys/St Pats    
10 Colby O’Brien Old Geelong    
9 Henry Simon Ormond    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians    
9 Emille Abdallah* Whitefriars    
9 Nicholas Fisher Peninsula    
9 Peter Shepherd North Old Boys/St Pats    
8 Nicolaus Campbell MHSOB    
8 Jack O’Shea Old Geelong    
8 Shaun Payze Peninsula    
8 Ben Southam Peninsula  
Round 17: Its getting tight! Only a single vote to Mills there brings him within three of Keown. Mills needs a BOG performance in the final game of the year but unfortunately for him it was against Matt Keown’s NOBs/St Pats so he needs a miracle to tie for the medal. Barbour collects another two votes to move to third place overall. 
23 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
20 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
18 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
16 James Tran MHSOB    
13 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
12 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
11 Adam Oakley North Old Boys/St Pats    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond  

Round 16: Maybe Mills can do it although he needs to get threes, he is running out of matches but two more votes brings him to within four of the lead. Only he can stop Keown who didn’t poll in that round. 

23 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
19 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
16 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
16 James Tran MHSOB    
13 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
12 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians

Round 15: I’m going to call it early and say that Keown surely can’t lose from here. He gets his second three vote game in a row to move to 23 votes. Justin Mills is in pursuit but only collects two votes to be six behind. Look out though Stefan Barbour lines up for three votes to move to outright third for his performance against Williamstown CYMS. 
23 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
17 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
16 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
13 James Tran MHSOB    
12 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
12 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians  
Matt Keown looks unstoppable as he lays down the gauntlet with another BOG display against Whitefriars to extend the margin to five votes from Mills who collects two votes to move to outright second. The chasing pack need to fire up with just four games to go. Here is the top 10 after Round 14:
20 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
15 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
13 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
12 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
12 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
12 James Tran MHSOB    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians  
 Round 13: Ben Gray moves up to equal third with two votes for Williamstown CYMS. It’s tight for the minor placings but Keown is still four votes clear. Someone needs to make a move. 
17 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
13 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
13 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
12 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
12 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
12 James Tran MHSOB    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
9 Matthew Oaten Ormond    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians  
Round 12 is done and Keown secures 2 votes for his game against Williamstown CYMS. Perhaps we have a challenger to Keown as Justin Mills (Glen Eira) steps out of the pack and salutes with three votes of his own to move to 13 votes for the night and is now four off the pace. Always hard to poll in a losing side but Mills is bucking the trend. Can he follow the lead of David West from Division 2 who won earlier in a losing side?
17 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
13 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
12 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
11 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
10 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians    
9 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
9 James Tran MHSOB    
8 Nicolaus Campbell MHSOB    
8 Adam Oakley North Old Boys/St Pats

Wigney picks up a vote to start off round 11 but there is little change in the overall leader board. An interesting note is that Keown already has more votes now than he did last year and NOBs/St Pats form doesn’t fade too much over the coming rounds. 
15 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
12 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
10 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
10 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians    
9 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
9 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
9 James Tran MHSOB    
8 Nicolaus Campbell MHSOB    
8 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars
Round 10 and just like that Matt Keown says come and catch me after a big three vote game against Old Geelong. He now has a four vote lead on nearest rival Tim Wigney who didn’t poll that round. Justin Mills collects one vote to move into double figures. 
15 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
11 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
10 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
10 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians    
9 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
8 Nicolaus Campbell MHSOB    
8 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
8 Adam Oakley North Old Boys/St Pats

After 9 rounds we have one of last year’s winners Matt Keown leading the way on 12 votes. He leads by one from Tim Wigney of Old Mentonians. Stefan Barbour is a further vote off the pace in third with 10 votes. 
12 Matthew Keown North Old Boys/St Pats    
11 Tim Wigney Old Mentonians    
10 Stefan Barbour Peninsula    
9 Luke Hull Old Mentonians    
9 Justin Mills Glen Eira    
8 Ben Gray Williamstown CYMS    
8 Adam Oakley North Old Boys/St Pats    
7 Lachlan Ezard North Old Boys/St Pats    
7 Dylan Elkman Ormond    
7 James Tran MHSOB    
6 James O’Meara Whitefriars    
6 Jack O’Shea Old Geelong    
6 Joshua Hoevenaars Old Geelong    
6 Robert Petracca* Whitefriars    
6 Peter Shepherd North Old Boys/St Pats  

So who do you think will win the medal tonight? 

Last year we had a three way tie with Emile Abdalah (Whitefriars), Martin Porter (NOBS/St Pats) and Matthew Keown (NOBs/St Pats) sharing the medal on a very low 14 votes each. Emille Abdallah is ineligible through suspension.

Thank you for joining us on this live blog of the Division 1 vote count for the LS PEPPER MEDAL.  

If you can, listen in to 96.5FM (streaming live on www.innerfm.org.au) for Inner FM’s live and exclusive coverage of the medal counts of the seven senior sections tonight and tomorrow night from 8pm -10pm. 
Get involved in the discussion via Twitter (@VAFA_HQ) and include the hashtag #vafadiv1 or #vafamedals in your tweet or on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/vafa.hq) and your comments may be posted in this blog.