By Daniel Foley
Coburg trio Peter McEvoy, Jack Maibaum and Marcus Lentini have been rewarded for their strong seasons, being named in the 2021 VFL Team of the Year on Thursday night.
In the team of 24, McEvoy was named at Centre Half-Forward while Maibaum was selected at Centre Half-Back and Lentini on the interchange.
With three players in the team, Coburg had the equal most selections alongside Box Hill. It also marks the most players the club has had selected since 2016, when it also had three players in the Team of the Year.
McEvoy scored his first-ever selection in the team after eight years in the VFL and was also recognised for his leadership, being awarded the captaincy for the Team of the Year.
Our co-captain had a season to remember, kicking 22 goals from 10 games to be Coburg’s leading goal kicker and the ninth best in the league.
In a consistent season, he kicked multiple goals on eight occasions and has now kicked over 100 goals in the VFL. McEvoy’s best for the year was four majors against both Port Melbourne and the Northern Bullants.
Maibaum’s season was capped off with a selection in the back six of the team. The 23 year-old had a strong finish to the year, becoming one of the most dominant key defenders in the VFL.
In 2021, Maibaum averaged 14.1 touches and took 66 marks, which was the ninth best in the competition. He took at least 11 marks in each of the last four matches and was named the Lion of the Round against Williamstown in Round 16.
After being named in 2018 and 2019, ball magnet Marcus Lentini earnt his third consecutive selection in the Team of the Year from just his third season in the VFL.
Lentini continued to be a force in the midfield in 2021, averaging 34.5 disposals a game to have the second most touches in the VFL. On three occasions he had more than 40 disposals with a high of 45 in the win against Brisbane in Round 2.
