The Adam Ramanauskas award for the Most Courageous player is one of most highly coveted awards at the Crichton Medal.
It goes to a player who puts others before himself and displays personal courage on and off the field.
Mark Baguley has essentially made the award his own over the last few years, but with the defender having only played in ten games this year, fans are likely to see a fresh face take it home.
Here are a few of the contenders:
Michael Hartley:
Joining the Bombers via the 2015 National Draft, Hartley played his first game in round two against Melbourne. He has proven to be an extremely handy asset given the absence of a number of the team’s top defenders. Despite his limited experience at an AFL level, the 23-year old has at times, been forced to take on the opposition’s key forward. Hartley has been more than up to the challenge starring while playing on the likes of Tom Hawkins and Jonathan Patton. His most courageous effort, however, came in the Bombers’ second win against the Gold Coast Suns. Severely breaking his nose early in the second quarter, Hartley returned to the field battered and bruised to play his role.
Patty Ambrose:
Another young Bomber that has been thrown straight into the deep end, Patty Ambrose has been a revelation since moving down back in 2016. The masterstroke of defensive line coach, Mark Harvey, Ambrose’s athletic prowess and tough nature has caused opposition forward’s massive headaches throughout the year. His major scalps, so far, include; Nick Riewoldt, Jack Riewoldt, Jack Gunston, Matthew Pavlich, Daniel Menzel and Tom Lynch. The 24-year old was already renown for his ‘body on the line’ and nothing has changed in 2016. Consistently crashing packs, laying bone crunching tackles and using his body to protect his teammates, Ambrose has transformed himself into a great asset for the team.
Matt Dea:
At only 24-years of age, Matt Dea currently stands as one of the more mature heads of the Bombers’ backline. Before his time at Essendon, Dea had a small taste of senior footy playing 31-games for the Tigers before getting a second chance with the Bombers. Dea is not only a tough defender, but an important and vocal member of the backline. He constantly puts his own body on the line and is somewhat of the director of traffic when it comes to arranging the defence. It's these qualities and more that have seen him earn the tick of approval from Mark Baguley as a worthy recipient of the award.
Craig Bird:
While the award has traditionally gone to men of the backline, the courage shown by Craig Bird on a weekly basis could not go unmentioned. Bird made the move to the Bombers during the 2015 trade period, leaving the Swans for a more consistent opportunity at a senior level. While he had a slow start to the season, he has quickly cemented himself as a crucial element of the team’s midfield. There is not a week where fans would not have seen the tough player at the bottom of the pack winning the contested ball and handing it out to one of his teammates. Bird is also relentless in his hunt of the opposition players, currently ranking second at the club for tackles.
Will Hams:
Hams has had a well-documented battle with injury during his time at the Bombers. Making his debut in 2013, Hams spent the entire 2014 season on the sideline. While things started to look better in 2015, the youngster only managed a handful of games before once again being struck down with a season ending injury. Given a lifeline and rookie listed at the end of 2015, Hams benefitted from a full pre-season and was persistent in his pursuit to return to senior football. A string of impressive performances for Essendon VFL saw his efforts finally rewarded with selection in round 11. It didn’t take long for his trademark scrappy nature to reemerge, as he quickly found a spot in the half-forward line. His efforts on and off the field to stick at it despite all his setbacks has earned the 22-year old the respect of his teammates and fans alike.
