Railways’ Matt Palfrey and Mt Barker’s Zach Jackson expected to fight it out for Kleemann Medal honour in GSFL

Five of the six league coaches have predicted this year’s Kleemann Medal count will be a two-horse race between Matt Palfrey and Zach Jackson. Palfrey and Jackson have been dominant figures in the Great Southern Football League this season and the pair are expected to fight it out in the 64th edition of the Henry Kleemann Medal count at Retravision Stadium on Thursday night. The Advertiser canvassed all six league coaches for their predictions with five listing the Palfrey-Jackson combination in the top two. Four of those coaches are expecting Railways star Palfrey, who played State country football this year, to win his second medal as the GSFL’s fairest and best player. Mt Barker coach David Johnson sided with his gun Jackson, who has been a revelation since joining the Bulls this season. North Albany’s Brad Bootsma was the only coach not to have Jackson and Palfrey in his top two and predicted an upset with Albany midfielder Isaac Baum his tip for the league’s highest individual honour. Bootsma did not have Jackson in his top-three prediction. Palfrey was a joint winner of the Kleemann Medal with teammate Kane Shephard in 2020 and he was fancied by Tigers coach Mark Bayliss, Royals coach Andrew Ruck, Sharks coach Jamie Ramm and Denmark-Walpole coach Brad Nisbett as this year’s winner. Jackson will receive the Sean Plaisted trophy as the league’s leading goal kicker on Thursday night after his prolific season included 63 goals. Jackson, the older brother of Melbourne star Luke Jackson, played all 15 games in the regular season. Palfrey kicked 53 goals from 13 games in the home-and-away season, missing the Tigers’ opener with COVID and he was on State duties in round 12. Jackson and Palfrey were locked in a tight battle when voting went silent for the final three rounds in the Albany Advertiser Footballer of the Year Award. Palfrey held a slender two-vote advantage over Jackson in the media award that will be announced at the Kleemann Medal presentations with Tigers’ Ryan Davies and Sharks’ Brett Peake close behind. The GSFL Coaches Player of the Year Award also went in-house at the end of round 12, with Palfrey leading on 61 votes from Jackson (56 votes) and Sharks ball winner Fraser Eaton (43). Bayliss said the medal could be decided in the final few rounds. “Palfrey and Jackson have been the two standout players,” he said. “I expect it will be pretty close between them and the final couple of rounds may decide it.” Johnson said that a tie between the two outstanding players was not out of the question. Palfrey would be the seventh medallist from the Tigers in the past eight years while Jackson is attempting to be the first Bulls winner of the honour since Sam Lehmann in 2011. Davies, Peake, David Parker, Tyler Stone, Kane Pinney, Zak Mola and Jyrin Woods are other names the coaches expected to feature prominently in the count. The Kleemann Medal is the highlight of Thursday’s awards, where the Charlie Punch Medal for the best reserves player is also announced alongside the Albany Advertiser Footballer of the Year Award, the Coaches Player of the Year Award, and the highly debated GSFL Team of the Year. Kleemann Medal predictions Mark Bayliss – Railways coach 1- Matt Palfrey 2- Zach Jackson 3- Ryan Davies Roughie- Brett Peake David Johnson – Mt Barker coach 1- Zach Jackson 2- Matt Palfrey 3- Ryan Davies Roughie – Isaac Baum Andrew Ruck – Royals coach 1- Matt Palfrey 2- Zach Jackson 3- David Parker Roughie- Tyler Stone Jamie Ramm – Albany coach 1- Matt Palfrey 2- Zach Jackson 3- Kane Pinney Roughie- Zak Mola Brad Bootsma – North Albany coach 1- Isaac Baum 2- Matt Palfrey 3- Brett Peake Roughie- Jyrin Woods Brad Nisbett – Denmark-Walpole coach 1- Matt Palfrey 2- Zach Jackson 3- Zak Mola Roughie- Tyler Stone Cameron Newbold – Albany Advertiser sports editor 1- Zach Jackson 2- Matt Palfrey 3- Kane Pinney Roughie- Zak Mola Calvin Sims – Albany Advertiser sports reporter 1- Matt Palfrey 2- Zach Jackson 3- Fraser Eaton Roughie- David Parker

Railways’ Matt Palfrey and Mt Barker’s Zach Jackson expected to fight it out for Kleemann Medal honour in GSFL

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