The 2015 PREmier Fighting Tiger - THE AWARDS

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

15

Taylor Hunt (28)

Total Games For Richmond 23
Total Votes 159 (n/a)
Rounds Played 22 (n/a)
Historic Position n/a
Average Votes/Rounds 7.2
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 2 (1)
Best Round (Votes) 1 vs Carlton (135)
Normalised Score (Rank) 2.951 (17)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 2 (=15)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 14
Most Votes From MorrisMinor (6)

After being delisted by Geelong at the end of 2014 Richmond elected to pick up Taylor Hunt as a delisted free agent. The decision was vindicated, as Hunt featured in every Tiger match of 2015 as a running player out of defence. His season was highlighted by his debut in the yellow and black, with 27 disposals against Carlton. Although prone to the occasional turn over, his running ability was certainly an asset for the Tigers this season. 2016 will see pressure applied for his position due to the development of the young Tigers, so it will be interesting to see how he responds.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

14

Tyrone Vickery (29)

Total Games For Richmond 102
Total Votes 199 (40)
Rounds Played 14 (12)
Historic Position ’09:29 ’10:27 ’11:9 ‘12NP ’13:10 ’14:24
Average Votes/Rounds 14.2
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 14 (21-23)
Best Round (Votes) 21 vs Collingwood (158)
Normalised Score (Rank) 5.344 (13)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 3 (=11)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 18
Most Votes From evo (8)

One of the polarising figures for fans of Richmond and a true villain for AFL fans in general, Tyrone Vickery showed why he is such an important player at Tigerland. Although he was limited to 14 matches in 2015, he still scored 31.9 for the season, second only to his breakout 2011 (36.19). At 25 years old, Tyrone should be entering his peak seasons and goal kicking big men that play in the ruck as well are valued commodities in the AFL. I look forward to seeing Tyrone play more like we saw in round 21 against the Pies, with 6 goals straight and 21 disposals. Thus far his career has been up and down. I think it’s time to see Tyrone play that consistent forward ruck role and dominate at AFL level. This season showed that it is certainly a possibility.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

13

Ivan Maric (20)

Total Games For Richmond 77
Total Votes 203 (91)
Rounds Played 21 (13)
Historic Position ’07:NOL ’08:NOL ’09:NOL ’10:NOL ’11:NOL ‘12:4 ’13:14 ’14:18
Average Votes/Rounds 9.7
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 9 (1)
Best Round (Votes) 18 vs Hawthorn (75)
Normalised Score (Rank) 4.894 (14)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 2 (=15)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 13
Most Votes From pumped (14)

Although big Ivvy played all but one match in 2015 there were signs that another ruckman to give him a chop out will be beneficial in 2016. The abolishment of the sub next season should make this possible and not a moment too soon. There is no doubt that Ivan gives 100% on the field and it is clear to see why he is a fan favourite, but against the premier and athletic ruckman he does struggle. There were moments against West Coast and the Kangaroos where they absolutely dominated our midfield. Much of this was attributable to getting first touch from Nic Nat and Goldstein. Having said that, there were matches where Maric dominated, but this was generally against other sides without dominant ruckman. Hopefully we see Maric get some extra assistance next season, as I think this will help to prolong his career. He’ll be 30 in round 1 next year, so a succession plan is certainly needed.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

12

Nick Vlastuin (31)

Total Games For Richmond 61
Total Votes 241 (51)
Rounds Played 22 (19)
Historic Position ’13:11 ’14:22
Average Votes/Rounds 11.0
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 5 (1)
Best Round (Votes) 4 vs Melbourne (46)
Normalised Score (Rank) 6.728 (11)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 3 (=11)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking =6
Most Votes From Baloo & Tigermad2005 (12)

After a quiet second year in 2014, Vlastuin hit his stride in 2015, slotting in as a tough, unassuming contributor in Richmond’s solid defence. His relatively modest result in these awards are due to the nature of our voting system. The JDM, which rewards players regardless of the performance of other players saw him in the top 6 players, probably a better reflection of his contribution this year. To look at it another way, in this award he was second only to Rance in the % of rounds that he polled votes in (77.3%). He was so reliable as a defender, to the point that I now see that as his natural position, as opposed to the midfielder doing his apprenticeship down back. It’s hard to believe that a player with such composure has only featured in 61 matches. Plenty of improvement still to come. His natural leadership was also a feature and I look forward to seeing him as a fixture in our backline in 2016.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

11

Shaun Grigg (6)

Total Games For Richmond 102
Total Votes 259 (19)
Rounds Played 22 (14)
Historic Position ’11:10 ‘12:5 ’13:21 ’14:25
Average Votes/Rounds 11.8
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 10 (16-21)
Best Round (Votes) 7 vs Collingwood (84)
Normalised Score (Rank) 6.699 (12)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 4 (10)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking =9
Most Votes From Blind Faith (11)

After a less than sterling 2014, Grigg re-emerged as important cog in the Tiger’s midfield in 2015. Grigg went about his business without much fanfare, but week in, week out, he did his job and had a solid season. The highlight of his season was against Collingwood in round 7, the moment the Tigers turned their season around. In that crunch match, Grigg accumulated 28 touches and scored 2 goals and 3 goal assists. He has been a solid foot soldier for Richmond and should continue to do so in 2016.

 

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And now for the TOP TEN of the 2015 PREmier Fighting Tiger Award!

 

[Panthera tigris FC]

PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

10

Brandon Ellis (5)

Total Games For Richmond 88
Total Votes 302 (495)
Rounds Played 22 (22)
Historic Position ‘12:17 ’13:5 ’14:6
Average Votes/Rounds 13.7
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 6 (11)
Best Round (Votes) 9 vs Essendon (124)
Normalised Score (Rank) 6.938 (10)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 2 (=15)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 11
Most Votes From loto (13)

Sneaking into the top 10 in 2015 after finishing in the top 6 in the previous 2 years, it is fair to say that Brandon Ellis was slightly down this season. That statement just reflects the extremely high standard that Brandon has set for himself at the ripe old age of 22. This finish still shows how damaging he can be as an outside runner, but he didn’t dominate matches in the same way he did in the previous couple of seasons. In fact, he only finished in the top 3 in one round, Dreamtime at the ‘G against Essendon, where he was voted second best Tiger afield. I have little doubt that we’ll see Brandon back in the upper echelons of this award in 2016.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

9

Bachar Houli (14)

Total Games For Richmond 111
Total Votes 309 (120)
Rounds Played 22 (22)
Historic Position ’11:6 ‘12:15 ’13:9 ’14:16
Average Votes/Rounds 14.0
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 4 (5-7)
Best Round (Votes) 5 vs Geelong (118)
Normalised Score (Rank) 8.144 (8)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 5 (9)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 8
Most Votes From Chiang Mai Tiger, SkillzThatKillz & Tiger Ghost (11)

Bachar Houli started 2015 extremely well, featuring in the top 5 of this award for much of the first half of the season. His form continued to remain solid, without having quite as much impact, as the season unfolded. Unfortunately for Bachar, every season needs a lowlight and in 2015 his kick out from full back against Freo that allowed Mundy to intercept and goal for the win, represented that moment. As has been discussed, this was one moment in a match that we should have sealed far earlier. Despite that moment in time, Houli had a very good year as our prime mover off half back. With the acquisition of Yarran, it will be interesting to see how they play in the same side. It is an exciting prospect for 2016.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

8

Kamdyn McIntosh (33)

Total Games For Richmond 23
Total Votes 357 (n/a)
Rounds Played 22 (0)
Historic Position ’13NP ’14NP
Average Votes/Rounds 16.2
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 1 (1)
Best Round (Votes) 1 vs Carlton (192)
Normalised Score (Rank) 7.857 (9)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 7 (8)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 17
Most Votes From mk33 (10)

One of real positives of 2015 was the emergence of Kamdyn McIntosh as a genuine starting 22 player for Richmond. He burst onto the scene with a BOG performance in round 1 against Carlton. His speed, strength and tenacity to burn off Chris Judd in the pack and calmly slot a goal was one of the highlights of the year. He established himself on the wing, playing every match this season. The toll of that effort was apparent at times, but he finished strongly, with his 27 disposals in the rain against Essendon in round 22 another solid effort. His big body was important in numerous contests throughout the season and as he gains experience he is poised to be a very damaging runner for the Tigers for many seasons to come.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

7

Anthony Miles (26)

Total Games For Richmond 36
Total Votes 607 (399)
Rounds Played 22 (12)
Historic Position ’14:7
Average Votes/Rounds 27.6
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 6 (6-10, 12-15 & 17-22)
Best Round (Votes) 18 vs Hawthorn (171)
Normalised Score (Rank) 16.769 (6)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 12 (=4)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 4
Most Votes From poppa x, Rancey18 & Tiger Ghost (16)

Another extremely solid year for Anthony Miles at Tigerland. After debuting for the Tigers in 2014, Miles managed to play in every match of 2015 and put in some dominant performances during that times. His 30 disposal match against Hawthorn in round 18 was a real highlight, showing that he can perform on the big stage against quality opposition. His work inside was a real highlight, ranking him in the AFL’s top 15 for total contested possessions and total clearances. We were lucky to find Miles as a GWS discard and it’s amazing to see what an important player he has become at Tigerland.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

6

Jack Riewoldt (8)

Total Games For Richmond 180
Total Votes 620 (526)
Rounds Played 22 (22)
Historic Position ’07:28 ’08:17 ’09:9 ’10:1 ’11:8 ‘12:10 ’13:8 ’14:5
Average Votes/Rounds 28.2
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 3 (1 & 9-10)
Best Round (Votes) 13 vs Sydney (197)
Normalised Score (Rank) 13.533 (7)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 9 (7)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 5
Most Votes From Bullarto Tiger (19)

It is amazing to see the player and leader that Jack Riewoldt has become at Tigerland. Although the media continues to express surprise by his ‘selfless’ play, for those of us that actually watch the Tigers this has been his hallmark for quite some time. He had a very consistent 2015, kicking 54 goals (7th in the AFL) and ranked 10th for goal assists in the AFL. This is what we’ve come to expect from Jack and at 27 years old next season, he should be in his prime. It was a bit of a surprise, but well deserved for him to be named All Australian in the coveted CHF position. In 2016 it would be nice to see one of our younger forwards step up and provide a consistent foil for Jack. So, hopefully someone like Vickery or McBean can get the job done and turn our forward line into an imposing force.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

5

Shane Edwards (10)

Total Games For Richmond 168
Total Votes 697 (222)
Rounds Played 15 (22)
Historic Position ’07:12 ’08:24 ’09:12 ’10:11 ’11:16 ‘12:9 ’13:18 ’14:11
Average Votes/Rounds 46.5
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 1 (4-6 & 10-13)
Best Round (Votes) 4 vs Melbourne (176)
Normalised Score (Rank) 17.507 (5)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 12 (=4)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 15
Most Votes From MB78 (20)

It gets tiring every year talking about how Shane Edwards just had his best ever season, but it would be hard to argue that 2015 wasn’t his best ever. The word ‘elite’ hasn’t really been used to describe Titch during his career, but there were moments in 2015 where the label was appropriately applied. The biggest change this season seemed to be Shane’s ability to consistently find the ball, a major shortcoming of his game in previous seasons. Edwards has always been freakishly good in the contested situation, with amazing hands in close and the ability to make something from nothing. He has unique attributes in the contest and his increased numbers in the first half of the season saw him leading this award for 7 of the first 13 rounds and finish up with the highest average votes per round. Unfortunately, his fractured leg came at an awful time and he never got back to the heights of early in the season, fading to 5th in this award (and 15th in the JDM!). Let’s hope with his new contract we see Titch again warranting calls for his inclusion in the ‘elite’ bracket.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

4

Brett Deledio (3)

Total Games For Richmond 232
Total Votes 707 (579)
Rounds Played 17 (18)
Historic Position ’07:2 ’08:2 ’09:1 ’10:2 ’11:4 ‘12:2 ’13:2 ’14:4
Average Votes/Rounds 41.6
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 4 (23)
Best Round (Votes) 16 vs St Kilda (132)
Normalised Score (Rank) 18.865 (3)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 15 (3)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 3
Most Votes From YinnarTiger (22)

Since I started administering these polls in 2007 Brett Deledio has clearly been our most consistent performer. He has never finished outside the top 4 in these awards and, like last season, it took a last ditch effort to maintain that record. His 17 matches this season were remarkable, playing more has a forward his great overhead marking and clinical finishing were critical in many victories. His versatility and pace were sorely missed during his absence with injury and his recognition with an All Australian berth was well deserved. It’s hard to believe that he will turn 29 during next season, but hopefully he can continue to play at his elite level and experience September success.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

3

Alex Rance (18)

Total Games For Richmond 130
Total Votes 758 (719)
Rounds Played 22 (17)
Historic Position ’09:23 ’10:24 ’11:5 ‘12:7 ’13:6 ’14:2
Average Votes/Rounds 34.5
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 1 (2-3)
Best Round (Votes) 2 vs Western Bulldogs (185)
Normalised Score (Rank) 18.709 (4)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 12 (=4)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 1
Most Votes From MalenyTiger & Tigers of Old (20)

Obviously underrated by the PRE crowd, or disadvantaged by our voting system, Alex Rance took his game into the absolute elite AFL level in 2015. The only certainty for an All Australian berth, he dominated his position and managed to play every game of the season. Somehow he only managed a 3rd place in the PREmier Fighting Tiger award, one spot lower than his finish during his injury interrupted 2014. His dominance in defence was duly recognised by the club with his first Jack Dyer Medal. He is such a key player for the Tigers and a key reason explaining our dominant defence. Rance’s ability to close on his opponent, to out-body the biggest forwards, to effectively spoil and to provide assistance to our other defenders is second to none. When speculation mounted that he may give up the game it was a real worry for our future, however his re-signing put all that to rest and we will be lucky to have him marshalling our defence for many seasons to come.

 

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PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

2

Trent Cotchin (9)

Total Games For Richmond 153
Total Votes 868 (757)
Rounds Played 21 (22)
Historic Position ’08:13 ’09:22 ’10:4 ’11:1 ‘12:1 ’13:3 ’14:1
Average Votes/Rounds 41.3
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 1 (7-9 & 14-19)
Best Round (Votes) 7 vs Collingwood (189)
Normalised Score (Rank) 20.590 (2)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 16 (2)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking =6
Most Votes From SCOOP (27)

Although it felt at times as if our skipper was down a bit in 2015, he was still dominant enough to attract enough votes to finish 2nd in this year’s award. This is well above his 6th place finish in the JDM and there were times that he struggled to deal with the attention that opposition sides game him. Having said that, there were also amazing performances that almost single-handedly dragged the Tigers across the line. He showed what I consider to be his first authentic signs of leadership, none more so than his performance in our crunch game against Collingwood in round 7. He willed the Tigers to win with his 32 possessions and 2 goals in a game that we had to win, against an opposition that we have rarely defeated in recent times. He has now finished in the top 5 in these awards for the past 6 seasons, with 3 wins in that time. I hope that our midfield can provide a bit more protection for him to allow his game to continue to develop and allow impose himself on the competition as he did in 2012.

 

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.....and the winner is......

 

[Panthera tigris FC]

PREmier Fighting Tiger Award 2015
FINAL RANKINGS

1

Dustin Martin (4)

Total Games For Richmond 131
Total Votes 964 (663)
Rounds Played 22 (21)
Historic Position ’10:5 ’11:2 ‘12:12 ’13:1 ’14:3
Average Votes/Rounds 43.8
Highest Ranking (Round(s)) 1 (20-23)
Best Round (Votes) 10 vs Fremantle (204)
Normalised Score (Rank) 26.814 (1)
Richmond ‘Brownlow’ Votes (Ranking) 19 (1)
Official Jack Dyer Medal Ranking 2
Most Votes From Blind Faith (26)

Dusty has capped off a great season with a runner up in the JDM and his second victory in the PREmier Fighting Tiger Award. It was an interesting season, as I didn’t feel that he had the greatest first half, however he was unstoppable in our run towards the finals. He was voted in our best 3 players in over a third of our matches and continued to dominate with his strength, his ever-improving endurance and his sublime finishing skills. He is truly a worthy recipient of this award and is clearly a fan favourite on PRE. Well done Dusty!

 

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Now for the Round 23 results and final leaderboard.

2015 PREmier Fighting Tiger Award
Voting Results for Round 23 vs North Melbourne

RICHMOND 1.4 2.7 7.11 16.12 (108)
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.3 4.5 6.6 10.7 (67)

GOALS
Richmond: Vickery 3, Martin 3, Lambert 2, Riewoldt 2, Ellis, Maric, Newman, Houli, Edwards, Deledio
North Melbourne: Turner 3, Daw 2, Brown 2, Bastinac, McKenzie, Petrie

Rank	Change	Player	3 VOTES	2 VOTES	1 VOTE	RD TOTAL	TOTAL	VOTES	AVG
1	-	Dustin Martin	0	14	8	36	964	22	43.8
2	-	Trent Cotchin	4	10	12	44	868	26	41.3
3	-	Alex Rance	3	13	9	44	758	25	34.5
4	↑3	Brett Deledio	39	4	1	126	707	44	41.6
5	↓1	Shane Edwards	0	3	1	7	697	4	46.5
6	↓1	Jack Riewoldt	0	0	0	0	620	0	28.2
7	↓1	Anthony Miles	1	2	5	12	607	8	27.6
8	-	Kamdyn McIntosh	0	0	0	0	357	0	16.2
9	-	Bachar Houli	0	0	4	4	309	4	14.0
10	-	Brandon Ellis	0	0	0	0	302	0	13.7
11	-	Shaun Grigg	0	0	0	0	259	0	11.8
12	-	Nick Vlastuin	0	0	1	1	241	1	11.0
13	-	Ivan Maric	0	1	0	2	203	1	9.7
14	-	Tyrone Vickery	0	0	0	0	199	0	14.2
15	-	Taylor Hunt	0	0	1	1	159	1	7.2
16	↑1	Kane Lambert	0	0	4	4	150	4	12.5
17	↓1	Troy Chaplin	0	0	0	0	148	0	7.0
18	-	Dylan Grimes	0	0	0	0	110	0	6.5
19	-	Ben Lennon	0	0	0	0	67	0	7.4
20	-	Jake Batchelor	0	0	1	1	66	1	3.0
21	-	Shaun Hampson	0	0	0	0	39	0	9.8
22	-	Sam Lloyd	0	0	0	0	22	0	1.8
23	-	Chris Newman	0	0	0	0	13	0	0.8
24	-	Ben Griffiths	0	0	0	0	10	0	0.8
25	-	Steven Morris	0	0	0	0	8	0	0.6
26	-	Nathan Drummond	0	0	0	0	5	0	5.0
=27	-	Liam McBean	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.5
=27	-	Matthew McDonough	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.5
=27	-	Matt Thomas	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.5

Total Voters=47

 

[Panthera tigris FC]

2015 BEST RICHMOND PLAYER IN THE FINALS

WINNER
JACK RIEWOLDT

VOTING RESULTS

POSITION	PLAYER	VOTES
1	Riewoldt	91
2	Miles	87
3	Rance	19
=4	Grimes	12
=4	Martin	12
6	Vickery	6
7	Houli	5
=8	McIntosh	4
=8	Newman	4

Total Voters=40

 

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Normalised Voting Leaderboard

NORM. POS.	OFFICIAL POS.	PLAYER	NORMALISED SCORE
1	1	Dustin Martin	26.814
2	2	Trent Cotchin	20.590
3	4	Brett Deledio	18.865
4	3	Alex Rance	18.709
5	5	Shane Edwards	17.507
6	7	Anthony Miles	16.769
7	6	Jack Riewoldt	13.533
8	9	Bachar Houli	8.144
9	8	Kamdyn McIntosh	7.857
10	10	Brandon Ellis	6.938
11	12	Nick Vlastuin	6.728
12	11	Shaun Grigg	6.699
13	14	Tyrone Vickery	5.344
14	13	Ivan Maric	4.894
15	17	Troy Chaplin	4.379
16	16	Kane Lambert	4.367
17	15	Taylor Hunt	2.951
18	18	Dylan Grimes	2.698
19	19	Ben Lennon	2.163
20	20	Jake Batchelor	1.733
21	21	Shaun Hampson	0.969
22	22	Sam Lloyd	0.569
23	23	Chris Newman	0.363
24	24	Ben Griffiths	0.229
25	25	Steven Morris	0.168
26	26	Nathan Drummond	0.137
27	=27	Matt Thomas	0.030
28	=27	Matthew McDonough	0.027
29	=27	Liam McBean	0.021

Normalised votes are calculated by: (votes accrued per round / the total number of voters for that round) * 100/3 - This means the theoretical maximum a player can get is 100 - ie. if they get 3 votes from every voter in every round.