JUST three rounds remain in the Coates Talent League Girls competition and the winner of the 2024 Rookie Me Central Medal is still up in the air. Following 14 rounds of action, up to nine players could take out the honour with just five votes seaparting first from fifth.

Leading the way at the moment is Dandenong Stingrays’ Jemma Reynolds who polled eight of a possible 10 votes to take a narrow lead over duo Eastern Ranges’ Tayla McMillan and Western Jets’ Sierra Grieves. McMillan polled five votes to Reynolds’ three in the Ranges’ win over the Stingrays in Round 14, while Grieves polled one vote in the Jets’ loss to Gippsland Power.

In the same game, Gippsland Power’s Ash Centra made it back-to-back best on grounds with a perfect 10 votes in two rounds, the same amount as Northern Knights’ Zoe Hargreaves to complete the top five with 36 and 34 votes respectively.

Those five players are in the box seat to win the award, though McMillan only has Round 15 to poll with Eastern not featuring in Round 16 or 17. By comparison, Reynolds. Centra and Hargreaves all feature in the last three rounds, while Grieves’ Jets play in Round 15 and 16, though could have a make-up game she lost from Round 13 against Tasmania Devils.

Two Devils players could also benefit from that in bottom-agers Priya Bowering and Mischa Barwin. They are eighth and equal 10th respectively, but sit 12 and 14 votes behind the leader. The other possible chances are reigning Rookie Me Central Medallist Sara Howley (seventh, 28 votes) and Bendigo Pioneers’ Lou Painter (ninth, 26 votes).

The other two inside the top 10 are Oakleigh Chargers’ duo Sarah Poustie (sixth, 30 votes) and Emma McDonald (equal 10th, 24 votes), but with the Chargers only featuring once more, they can only add a maximum five votes to their tallies.

From each of the club’s leading votegetters, the only changes from Round 12 to the end of Round 14 was Bowering nudging ahead of Barwin, and Calder Cannons’ top-ager Maddison Albrecht joining Jade McLay and Chloe Baker-West on seven votes apiece.

Calder is the only full-time Talent League Girls side with less than 50 combined votes (34), as top two sides Eastern Ranges (130) and Oakleigh Chargers (123) lead the way. Northern Knights (103) have also surpassed the ton, while Gippsland Power (98), Dandenon Stingrays and Tasmania Devils (both 96) are all featured heavily.

TOP 20 LEADERBOARD

1st. Jemma Reynolds (Dandenong Stingrays) – 39 votes
Eq. 2nd. Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges) – 38 votes
Eq. 2nd. Sierra Grieves (Western Jets) – 38 votes
4th. Ash Centra (Gippsland Power) – 36 votes
5th. Zoe Hargreaves (Northern Knights) – 34 votes
6th. Sarah Poustie (Oakleigh Chargers) – 30 votes
7th. Sara Howley (Geelong Falcons) – 28 votes
8th. Priya Bowering (Tasmania Devils) – 27 votes
9th. Lou Painter (Bendigo Pioneers) – 26 votes
Eq. 10th. Mischa Barwin (Tasmania Devils) – 24 votes
Eq. 10th. Emma McDonald (Oakleigh Chargers) – 24 votes
Eq. 12th. Scout Howden (Sandringham Dragons) – 21 votes
Eq. 12th. Millie Lang (GWV Rebels) – 21 votes
14th. Sophie McKay (Sandringham Dragons) – 20 votes
15th. Claire Mahony (GWV Rebels) – 19 votes
Eq. 16th. Sophia Green (Murray Bushrangers) – 18 votes
Eq. 16th. Jasmine Sowden (Gippsland Power) – 18 votes
Eq. 18th. Chloe Bown (Oakleigh Chargers) – 17 votes
Eq. 18th. Isabella Davies (GWV Rebels) – 17 votes
Eq. 18th. Havana Harris (Suns Academy) – 17 votes

LEADERS BY CLUB

Bendigo Pioneers – Lou Painter (26)
Calder Cannons – Jade McLay, Chloe Baker-West & Maddison Albrecht (7)
Dandenong Stingrays – Jemma Reynolds (39)
Eastern Ranges – Tayla McMillan (38)
Geelong Falcons – Sara Howley (28)
Giants Academy – Isla Wiencke (11)
Gippsland Power – Ash Centra (36)
GWV Rebels – Millie Lang (21)
Lions Academy – Isabella McDonough & Laura Roy (10)
Murray Bushrangers – Sophia Green (18)
Northern Knights – Zoe Hargreaves (34)
Northern Territory – Kierra Zerafa (6)
Oakleigh Chargers – Sarah Poustie (30)
Sandringham Dragons – Scout Howden (21)
Suns Academy – Havana Harris (17)
Swans Academy – Imogen Brown (8)
Tasmania Devils – Priya Bowering (27)
Western Jets – Sierra Grieves (38)

CLUB LEADERBOARD

Eastern Ranges – 130
Oakleigh Chargers – 123
Northern Knights – 106
Gippsland Power – 98
Dandenong Stingrays – 96
Tasmania Devils – 96
Geelong Falcons – 86
GWV Rebels – 74
Sandringham Dragons – 67
Western Jets – 59
Bendigo Pioneers – 56
Murray Bushrangers – 56
Suns Academy – 54
Calder Cannons – 34
Lions Academy – 28
Giants Academy – 21
Swans Academy – 21
Northern Territory – 8