Senior Hugh McCluggage (2016-)

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McCluggage Round Four Homecoming

Hugh McCluggage will visit his third “home” this weekend coming off a defining moment in his career last week, and with a further opportunity to answer one of the League’s burning questions.

McCluggage will have his own private cheersquad on hand at Mars Stadium as they take on the Western Bulldogs, after he and teammate Jarrod Berry finished their schooling just 4km down the road at Ballarat’s Clarendon College.

He’ll take into the game the confidence of perhaps the best performance of his 85-game career against Collingwood last week, which is tipped to be rewarded with the first three-vote haul in the Brownlow Medal in September.

He’ll certainly be among the leading contenders for maximum medal votes in the Zac Bailey after-the-siren win over Collingwood after coaches Chris Fagan and Nathan Buckley collectively rated him equal best afield in voting for the Coach’s Association Player of the Year.

McCluggage, teammate Harris Andrews and Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy each received seven votes from the coaches after McCluggage’s class and composure played a key role in the unforgettable win.

And, with family and friends on hand for his second game in Ballarat, the now 23-old wingman can further his claim for the title of the best player in the 2016 AFL National Draft.

It was a hot question at the time, with good judges unable to collectively split McCluggage, from the North Ballarat Rebels and Sandringham Dragons pair Andrew McGrath and Tim Taranto.

After Essendon drafted McGrath at #1 and the GWS Giants took Taranto at #2 the Lions were positively over-joyed to claim McCluggage at #3. The best third prize imaginable, they said at the time.

Four and a half years on the jury is still out.

His smooth 28-possession game against Collingwood last week was one possession short of his career-best in a 33-point win over Hawthorn in Launceston in 2018, but his composure in the second half of a game was as hot as any he has played. This supported claims by a lot of scouts that McCluggage was the best ‘natural footballer’ in his draft year.

Mars Stadium, which has hosted five Bulldogs games since 2017, is McCluggage’s third ‘home’ behind his family property at Allansford, near Warnambool in western Victoria, and the Brisbane home he shares with teammates Jarrod and Tom Berry and Jaxon Prior.

It was his football home in 2015-16 when he played with the Rebels alongside Jarrod Berry and fellow 2016 draftees Willem Drew (Port Adelaide), Tom Williamson (Carlton), Jamaine Jones (West Coast) and Cedric Cox, delisted last year by the Lions.

It is also the football home this year of McCluggage’s younger brother Myles, a noted ‘running machine’ and 2021 draft prospect playing with the Rebels.

McCluggage Jnr also is at school at Clarendon College, which also counts among its football alumni Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson.

McCluggage Snr and the Lions played their first AFL game at Mars Stadium in Round 8 2019. He had 26 possessions and kicked a goal but the Dogs won by 16 points.

Like the entire Brisbane playing list, he will be chasing his first win at the venue on Saturday.
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Brownlow Predictor: Red-hot Lion closes gap on veteran Docker

IT WILL be the old against the new this Sunday, and maybe on Brownlow night as well.

Ahead of their highly anticipated meeting this weekend, Fremantle veteran David Mundy is being challenged by Brisbane youngster Hugh McCluggage in AFL.com.au's Brownlow Predictor.

The 35-year-old Mundy, courtesy of 12 votes from the opening seven games, still holds a narrow lead in the Brownlow Predictor throughout the season's early stages. But he has the 23-year-old McCluggage in close company.

McCluggage has polled eight votes in his last three games to rise up the ranks and sits just two votes behind Mundy, who has polled best-on-ground votes in four games this year.

Their duel at the top has been timed nicely, with Fremantle due to face Brisbane – and with Mundy set to go head-to-head against his young counterpart in the midfield – at Optus Stadium this weekend.
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FTP said:
Hey Lions fans,

Each week on our blog we discuss interesting developments occurring in the AFL.

One of our talking points this week is Hugh McCluggage and how he is performing this year and the qualities he has that are taking him to that elite status.

https://footytalkingpoints.com.au/2021/05/05/ftp-7/

Would love to hear your thoughts
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Firstly, first time of hearing about your blog and actually it’s very well written, detailed and informative. Good piece about how the Suns play but you are correct about Hugh. He is a Rolls Royce and we haven’t yet been able to see it as much/consistently due to playing outside but the change is in the wind. Our on-ball brigade needs more help and he has added to it in spades. He will be Neale’s 2ic by the end of the season. I wouldn’t say his kicking is elite but his decision making is.
 
jjami15 said:
Firstly, first time of hearing about your blog and actually it’s very well written, detailed and informative. Good piece about how the Suns play but you are correct about Hugh. He is a Rolls Royce and we haven’t yet been able to see it as much/consistently due to playing outside but the change is in the wind. Our on-ball brigade needs more help and he has added to it in spades. He will be Neale’s 2ic by the end of the season. I wouldn’t say his kicking is elite but his decision making is.
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Thanks mate! Yeah we just started writing this year and slowly trying to build our audience. Your on ballers have been arguably the best in the league in the last couple of years but I agree - Hugh provides something different for your midfield with his decision making and ball use.

Interesting that you say his kicking isn't elite - it certainly seems like he has the ability to hit those kicks with little space like that one in the video which too few players can do.

There's no doubt he's gone up an extra level this year which is great to see for Lions fans
 
Coaches Votes: Young Lion Takes The Lead

There's a new leader in the race for the AFL Coaches' Association AFL Champion Player Award, with Brisbane young gun Hugh McCluggage overtaking Fremantle veteran David Mundy after their head-to-head battle on Sunday.

McCluggage polled an equal game-high eight votes, along with teammates Jarryd Lyons and Charlie Cameron, while Mundy failed to register a vote.

It's not the first time the 'Rolls Royce' has topped the votes in a Lions game. Following his 33 disposal performance against Carlton, McCluggage also found himself scoring 7 votes.

The 23-year old has been relishing more midfield minutes after the loss of Brownlow Medalist, Lachie Neale.

The start to the 2021 season has seen the young star take his game to a new level, averaging a career high 26 disposals, which is elite in the competition.

After kicking 8 goals and 21 behinds last year, he also seems to have improved his kicking accuracy, having already kicked 7 goals in the opening 8 rounds.

LEADERBOARD

42 Hugh McCluggage BL
38 David Mundy FRE
34 Max Gawn MELB
34 Touk Miller GCFC
34 Ollie Wines PORT
33 Jack Macrae WB
32 Marcus Bontempelli WB
32 Clayton Oliver MELB
32 Christian Salem MELB
31 Samuel Walsh CARL
29 Zach Merrett ESS
28 Christian Petracca MELB
28 Taylor Walker ADEL
26 Travis Boak PORT
25 Tom Hickey SYD
24 Darcy Moore COLL
24 Jaeger O'Meara HAW
23 Mitch Duncan GEEL
23 Toby Greene GWS
23 Jacob Hopper GWS
23 Rory Laird ADEL
23 Dustin Martin RICH
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McGrath, Taranto, McCluggage: Are they even the best of the 2016 crop?

FROM the moment Brisbane landed Hugh McCluggage in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, it thought it had struck gold.

The Lions originally had pick No.2 but bundled it with some lower selections to slide back a spot as Greater Western Sydney pounced on Tim Taranto.

The Lions also received pick No.16, which allowed them to snap up Jarrod Berry, one of McCluggage's best mates.

McCluggage, the smooth-moving wingman who is right in the thick of Brownlow Medal contention, has long been at the centre of the greatest debate of that draft – who of the first three players chosen should have been taken with the first pick?
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McCluggage has steadily improved each year.

He has played 92 games and made the All-Australian squad of 40 the past two seasons, finishing third in Brisbane's best and fairest in 2019 and 2020 as the Lions surged into finals.

McGrath is a zippy ball-winner who can dart in and out of traffic, Taranto a contested beast, and McCluggage an elite kick who can win his own ball and create havoc forward of centre.
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2021 Mid-Season Re-cap

BROWNLOW BECKONING?

This time last year the AFL world had pretty much accepted that Lachie Neale would win the Brownlow Medal. And as it turned out they were right. After 12 rounds, albeit in a shortened Covid season, he had 25 votes to lead by 11 from Melbourne’s Christian Petracca and by 12 from Port’s Travis Boak and StKilda’s Jack Steele. He won by 10.

This year? If the weekly votes in the AFL Coach’s Association Player of the Year award are any sort of guide then Hugh McCluggage might be the Lions’ best chance.

If you convert the 5-4-3-2-1 votes awarded by each coach after each game into indicative 3-2-1 Brownlow Medal votes McCluggage has 13 to rank fourth behind the Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli (16.5), Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver (16) and Essendon’s Darcy Parish (15).

Others with 10 or more indicative votes are Richmond’s Dustin Martin (12), Gold Coast’s Touk Miller (12), Fremantle’s David Mundy (11.5), Melbourne’s Max Gawn (11.5), Adelaide’s Taylor Walker (11), Port’s Ollie Wines (10) and Essendon’s Zach Merrett (10).
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Five Lions Named in All Australian Squad

Charlie Cameron, Jarryd Lyons, Hugh McCluggage, Daniel Rich and Dayne Zorko were all named among the 40-person strong squad on Monday.
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It might be the third time lucky for McCluggage with the silky midfielder named in the squad the past two years but unfortunate to not make the team.

Currently the top ranked player for goal assists with 29 across the season and one of the most effective inside 50 kicks in the competition, McCluggage stands a chance to break through for his first blazer in 2021.
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Dayne Zorko takes home his Fifth Merrett-Murray Medal

Hugh McCluggage won the Nigel Lappin Trophy for runner-up with 336 votes while Jarryd Lyons took home the Alastair Lynch trophy for third place with 332 votes.

McCluggage received his trophy from Defensive Coach Murray Davis while Midfield Coach Ben Hudson made the presentation to McCluggage.
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