Crikey’s bumper GF tipping comp: and the winners are …..

Well, who’d have guessed, eh? The Hawks by 26 points? Well, no-one from the Crikey bumper Grand Final tipping comp, as it happens, but Anthony Barrell proved the closest (and cleverest) of the lot, guessing the Hawks would prevail by 27 points. That excellent effort at punditry earns him a 12-month Crikey subscription.

Forty-five Crikey readers (and employees who were, of course, ineligible) lodged tips last week, and they came from far and wide. Ann Arbor Lupin filed her nominations from the US of A. ’Australia Votes’ ruled himself out of the running when he discovered the game had already started as he was about to push the Send button.  Albertross wanted to know why we bothering with such nonsense in a ’suburban kick’n'giggle competition’. And putka showed much misguided faith in the Cats by predicting a 92-point belting, meaning he was only out by 118 points.

The winner of the First Goalkicker award was equally clearcut: Mark Power was the only tipster to pick Geelong forward Tom Lonergan as scorer of the game’s opening major. So come on down, Mark, a glittering Crikey prize awaits you, too.

The Norm Smith Medal and Most Disposals awards were slightly more difficult to judge. Four tipsters plumped for Luke Hodge as the Norm Smith Medallist, and they were: Todd Winther, Michael Keks, Adam Perrett and Rowan Williams. Their names went into a hat – a green felt trilby dusted off at each Spring Carnival – and the name that was pulled out was (drumroll, please) …….. Adam Perrett. Well done, Adam, you will be soon be the best-informed member of the Perrett household as you pore over 12 months’ worth of Crikey news and views.

The vanquished Geelong pair of Steve Johnson and Gary Ablett shared the Most Possessions with 34 (as per Champion Data’s stats). Eight tipsters went for Ablett – digby, Paul Butler, Putka, Ann Arbor Lupin, Big Val, Liam Downing, Adam Barker and Murray Stirling – while just one opted for Johnson: the man simply known as Max.

Those nine names went into the same trilby and the one pulled out – in front of the necessary casino and gaming authority officials (a 10-year-old labrador and pet canary called Tweety) – was ….. Murray Stirling. Muzza, welcome to Crikey’s footy Mensa membership. 

So the winners of the Crikey 12-month subscriptions are: Anthony Barrell, Mark Power, Adam Perrett and Murray Stirling, (with Phil of Sydney a consolation winner). Congratulations all.