Saracens
End of Season Poll Pt 1
Your player of the season
By Japie
July 20 2011
It's here. At the end of a fantastic season here is the first part of the end of season poll.
Saracens Player of the Year
All the B’s dominated this category: Brits (“the magic that bound the team!”), Brown (“Outstanding, consistent performer”) and Botha (“Huge tackler, huge effort, huge potential”) all amassed a large amount of support. No wonder given their performances all year as part of the championship winning squad.
But above all else, bestriding the category like the immense Colossus he’s been all year, is our Namibian stand out flanker or as one voter said, “In a season built on defence, the defence was built on him.” Or as another said, “Burger just never stops giving his best, hard as nails.” Absolutely.
Winner: Jacques Burger.
Saracens Young Player of the Year
Previously the runaway winner of this category might have been known as just Baby Faz, Faz Junior, Andy’s son, a centre…
…but now he’s Owen Farrell, superstar fly half, nerves of steel, tackles like a rhino, on field confident attitude of a heavyweight boxer, charm personified off the field. When Derrick suffered such a serious injury and Goode’s early form at ten lacked conviction, I must admit nerves about how we’d cope. But what a way Owen answered those concerns. Absolutely awesome. Massive honourable mention for James Short mind you, banking a large degree of the votes but steamrollered in this category by the winner.
Winner: Owen Farrell
Saracens Old Player of the Year
Huge. You are an inspiration. A leader. A record-breaking performer. And now, massively befittingly, now a Premiership Champion. Mr Vyvyan may have decided to head out to a part-time role next season, but he’s clearly close to the hearts of many fans. Carlos Nieto deservedly ran him close. As one supporter commented, “Carlos, hands down - to come back from that horrific injury at the age of 34 and anchor our scrum as well as he has done is truly special (!!). He will be missed when he does hang up the boots. A great guy as well.” I agree. Aren’t we lucky to have such gentlemen and on-field giants…!
Winner: Hugh Vyvyan
Aviva Premiership (non-Sarries) Player of the Year
Oh, this was a close one. Clearly we have many favourites, showing admirable objectivity when really we all know we are just loyal to the Men in Black. So many names were put forward for this category, including Tom Johnson (“who has comprehensively out-performed Moody, not that the Neanderthal England management noticed.”), Brian Mujati, James Simpson-Daniel and Chris Ashton but in the end, by the narrowest of margins, this year’s title goes to an exciting young talent from the Kingsholm production line, Charlie Sharples. Well done lad…! Good article about him too here http://talkingrugbyunion.co.uk/aviva-premiership/the-rise-of-charlie-sharples. ( Ithink this is the only time he stood still all year!)
Winner: Charlie Sharples
International Player of the Year
Another category with nominations frankly all over the place! The vote for the ‘entire Italy side beating France’ was well put, but there’s nothing in this one for a team effort. We’re looking for the stand-out individual who has stamped his mark on the international scene over the past season. Many names came up and with votes spread thinly across them all, this was another close run thing. But just peaking ahead to take the imaginary silverware for this one was the Italian powerhouse, Sergio Parisse. Now I warn you; some chaps might want to go Googling for pictures of him. He’s clearly a little too fond of his naked modelling for comfort. However pictures of apparently his girlfriend, a former Miss France Alexandra Rosenfeld, were less of a chore to filter out…
Winner: Sergio Parrisse
Favourite Saracens Player
Open season! With so many fabulous performances this year (and an outstanding group of blokes off the field too) the prize could have gone collectively to all. However this is a fair poll with votes laboriously counted, checked and verified by none other than me, and I’m not surprised by the player who topped this category. He’s simply incredible. You know who he is. You know what he does. And doesn’t everyone now, after yet another outstanding season. And still he has time to chat to anyone, pose for pictures patiently, smile, smile and yet more smiling AND nip off back to South Africa to play a Super XV semi-final at flanker. Flanker? Yes, he CAN play anywhere he likes! Nice one Schalk. Try of the season in most polls too. He must be the player ALL other sides want
Winner: Schalk Brits.
Best performance by an Opposition Player against Saracens
It would sound a bit overconfident to say not many opposition players stood out against us last season. And not entirely true either. When Exeter pitched up at Vicarage Road last season I may not have been alone in thinking that we could give them a good kicking, wrap up an attacking bonus and get home for tea and medals. But oh dear. What a team performance by the Chiefs. We were totally scalped. And that, if this was a team award, would have cleaned up. But, and polling data man’s views are final, it’s not. So with individuals in mind the award goes to one player. We were turned over by Leinster home and away. No surprise to see Jonathan Sexton and Sean O’Brien mentioned then. But just out in front was a player who’ll soon be very familiar round these parts. For his game management, control and orchestration of our (rare) defeat, away at Sale, the award goes to Charlie Hodgson.
Winner: Charlie Hodgson
The ‘Albanese’ worst performance by an opposition player against Saracens
And there was I thinking I was the only one who thought this player always seems to play an absolute stinker against us every year. I hope he’ll be equally generous in the Big Game 4 next Christmas. Mike Brown, I’d ask you to take the trophy from me but I’d be afraid you’d drop it if it came from Saracens. Against all other teams he seems to be raved about with a potential RWC place beckoning. He is unquestionably a huge talent. But against us? That’s some curse we must have laid and long may it continue. Lots of mentions of Leicester players, particularly citing the Final (Flood, Waldrom etc), but it could have been oh so different…
Winner: Mike Brown
The ‘Martin Johnson Memorial’ Least Favourite opposition player award
Lots of players again challenged for a category prize on this one. Leicester players featured highly. Strange. But just ahead of the sour-header tasteless Twit from Kingsholm, Mr Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu (“Farrell put more bombs on us than the U.S did on Osama Bin Laden. Genocide.”), was a man who really shouldn’t be our least favourite given his family’s connection with the club. His Dad is I’m told a wonderful bloke and his brothers are all charmers. So what happened with this graceless muggins? Delon Armitage, calm down, get tested and step forward to win our MJ-honour you plank. Another one to thump a Saints player this year and we can’t condone that, ever.
Winner: Delon Armitage
Player you would most like to join Sarries next season
With fantasy budgets, we could sign anyone. But in a surprise (for me) the top marks, just about (it was close!), went to “None”. Now what a commendation of confidence; Pride before a fall everyone. Let’s hope not. One fan said, “for once, our squad is perfect, especially with Hodgson and others coming - no weaknesses”. I disagree, but this isn’t just my opinions….
No Winners
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:08:03:13:50:40 by Kat..
Nous sommes l'armée noir et rouge !
Perhaps there should be some 'team awards' next season?
It's a long time since Sports network paid anything!
Just as well there isn't a prize for getting it all correct -I would be going for the wooden spoon!
Although on the player I'd most like to join I might have to say Conrad Smith wouldn't be a bad option..
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