The Vic Tuting Medal count was held on Friday night, and the event was again well run and enjoyed by all those that attended. The players that were in the running for the medal in the final rounds fully deserved to be there, and mostly consisted of those who had represented the Southern team that comfortably defeated the North.
An interesting point that came out of the night was that not only were the two joint winners under the age of 21, but six out of the nine leaders were also around that age! This says that the young talent that is being produced in Tasmania is really starting to step up. This is most noticeable in that the average age of some of the Premier League squads is below that 25 age bracket.
However, this may not all be as positive as we think! It could also mean that alot of clubs are lacking guidance from older club players and figures. The overall lack of depth could hinder these bright young stars from furthering their game to their full potential. A mix of ages and abilities is often a proven formula for success, just take the Glenorchy Knights, Hobart Zebras, Hobart United and Taroona who have all won titles in recent years.
Another interesting note to be taken from the night was that for the first time in a long while someone from a non-Premier League club won the overall Best & Fairest Medal for the Southern U19 competition. This was a magnificent effort by the young lad who out polled his fellow competitors by something around the 8 vote margin! This again however leads to a potentially negative backlash for Football Tasmania as the rumours spread that they have already decided that no non-Premier League based clus shall be allowed to enter a Junior team in the U19 competition from 2007. This seriously has to be questioned when obvious talent is being denied a chance, and they are outwardly declaring their intent to garner the youth?!
