Rhali Dobson’s form guide for the Julie Dolan Medal – and why ‘the best player won’t win it’

KEEPUP columnist Rhali Dobson runs through some of the contenders for the showpiece award to be announced next week.

It seems like only yesterday that the Liberty A-League season was kicking off, and yet now we’re debating who were the best players in this campaign – and most of all, who will win the Julie Dolan Medal.

The announcement promises to be a fascinating one at next week’s Dolan Warren Awards, because this year’s is a particularly competitive field – and for various reasons, the player I believe should win is one who I believe won’t.

To win the Julie Dolan Medal you have to impress a range of judges including ex-players, football media, the match officials and technical experts. If you look back at the history of the medal, it’s generally won by players who produce moments that standout, rather than those who perform their roles really well as part of a system.

It was always interesting to see what gets noticed by judges; rarely the players who cover for each other, or work on the defensive side of things. Perhaps understandably a certain hype or momentum builds up around certain players that becomes self-perpetuating.

Of course, debate and disagreement is the lifeblood of football, so here are the players who I think are in contention – plus one who may not be but I think should definitely win the Julie Dolan Medal.

Cortnee Vine (Sydney FC)

Bound for the World Cup as a certain pick for Tony Gustavsson, Vine is a pivotal player for Sydney FC and one who creates a lot of chances for the Sky Blues.

She’s also made her mark for the Matildas over the past 18 months and deserves credit for pushing into the national team set up. She’s shown her worth for Sydney repeatedly, and works well with the players around her.

Cortnee Vine dribbling for Sydney FC in the Liberty A-League Grand Final.

It might be a harsh judgment but for me her performances fluctuated this season and she didn’t always hit the heights. Undoubtedly that’s in part a function of age, but it’s the challenge for a player who wants to take the next step; how do you ensure your output is consistently dangerous for opponents. I’d argue that this season we haven’t seen enough growth from Cortnee Vine in terms of a performance perspective.

Alex Chidiac (Melbourne Victory, on loan from Racing Louisville)

On one level it seems bonkers that a player who was only here for half of Victory’s season should be in contention for player of the year, but such was her influence in those 13 games that she must be one of the favourites.

In short, Victory accrued 1.7 points a game with her, and 1.4 points per game without her – basically, she set up more chances and scored more goals. She wasn’t even in our DubZone Team of the Season at halfway, but was bossing it by the end.

Sadie Lawrence of Perth Glory blocks a shot from Alex Chidiac last December 11.

Chidiac has come back into her own after a career lull caused in part by injuries overseas and everything is falling into place. She should star in midfield for Australia because we have no one like her, and a brilliantly quirky personality to boot.

Rhianna Pollicina (Melbourne City)

There’s no doubt Pollicina brings a physical presence to Melbourne City’s midfield, and a great deal of energy. She’s fond of ambitious long shots which – when they come off – definitely fall into the category of those moments that linger in the memory.

Rhianna Pollicina of Melbourne City shoots against Melbourne Victory in their Semi Final.

I would argue though that her day to day contribution is a midfielder doing their job efficiently as opposed to a star who changes the course of games. Her presence on the field and her sense of urgency can catch the eye and draw attention to her team; that strength and her level-headedness make her a key player for City, but I’m not sure it’s done enough to amass the votes you need to win the Julie Dolan Medal.

Hillary Beall (Western United)

It’s almost ridiculous how influential Beall was for Western United in their debut season, and she was a key reason why they were so successful. She saved them draws and earned them wins with her shot-stopping, handling and all-round presence.

She stood out for all that but also her leadership, and overall was one of two keepers – the other for me being Brisbane’s Hensley Hancuff – who elevated the standard that all custodians should aim for in the Liberty A-League.

Beall had the ability to dig deepest late in games when her teammates were tiring to produce great moments and she was one of the main reasons United made the grand final.

It’s always struck me as unfair that goalkeepers seem almost ineligible for individual awards in the sense of not garnering many votes. A striker can miss 10 chances, score the last-minute winner and that’s all anyone remembers, but a keeper is damned by one mistake.

That’s one of the reasons why I’d love to be applauding Hillary Beall as the Julie Dolan Medal winner at the Awards night next week; either way, she’s my player of the season.