Orzel ahead in award voting

Star North Albany midfielder Matt Orzel holds a slender lead in the $500 Albany Advertiser Footballer of the Year award after nine rounds of the Great Southern Football League season.

In his return to the GSFL after a decade playing WAFL football at Claremont and Peel, Orzel has been quick to find his feet with the reigning premiers, who have enjoyed a solid start to the season.

The contested-ball winner has polled 15 votes, which includes three best-on-ground performances, to lead prolific Railways midfielder Zane Marwick by a single vote.

Orzel polled best-on-field performances in rounds 3 and 4 against Denmark-Walpole and Mt Barker respectively and the 30-year-old polled votes in the three rounds before the two-week general bye for the Landmark Country Football Championships.

Marwick has returned to his very best form in the Tigers engine room this season and began brilliantly with 11 votes in the first five games.

In the Tigers' round 9 win over Albany, Marwick was judged best-on-field, leaping to 14 votes, and trails Orzel only narrowly.

Fellow Tigers midfielder Bailey Bennett has also been prominent in voting and is the only other player in double figures on the leaderboard, with 11 votes.

Royals' Michael McGlade (nine votes) and Kangas match-winner Geoff Wynne (eight) round out the top five after nine completed rounds.

Last season's award winner and Kleemann Medallist David Parker, who has played only three games in 2015, has two votes to his name.

The Footballer of the Year award is voted on by Albany Advertiser reporters covering each GSFL match and does not include finals.

The voting will go in-house for the final three rounds of the home and away season.