Best and Fairest – Nick Kent.

Kenta was clearly our best player for 2009. From game.1. he showed huge improvement from last year, and carried it on week-after-week with great consistency, both at training and in games.
Probably at his best ruck-roving, Kenta also played some excellent footy pushing forward to score, and also relieving Lucas in the ruck with great effect. His play at centre half back when asked to play there was a revelation. He reads the play perfectly, and chooses the right moment to attack the ball and launch forward. His tackling and smothering was also outstanding.

Runner-up Best and Fairest – Will Macafee.

When we lined up for team photos during the year, Will was on one end as our smallest player. We played against some very big teams during the year, and size can be hard to overcome in junior footy. Willo had a great and consistent season using speed, strength and agility to his advantage. He reads the play very well, and is very rarely off balance or knocked off the ball. He also tackles above his size, and is always prepared to run hard into defence when required.

3rd Best and Fairest – Dion Kapnias.

Kappa was last years B&F winner, but was always going to struggle to defend his title when a broken arm delayed his first game until round 5. It’s a credit to him that he came back so quickly from a serious injury to sneak into 3rd place. Kappa is extremely tough and courageous, both with and without the ball, and always seems to keep his feet in heavy traffic. He runs in straight lines and carries the ball, which is so important in under age games.

Dion is a real on-field leader and a great example to all the boys.

Most Improved – Anthony Gallo.

Normally a very tough award to choose in junior footy, but in 2009 it wasn’t that hard because Anthony’s improvement during the season has been enormous. When we first saw Anth he was extremely shy, struggled with his marking and kicking, and wasn’t too keen on the physical side of the game.

Anth worked extremely hard on his skills first, and his kicking and overhead marking improved a huge amount. Most pleasing though was how Anth came out of his shell to become a smart, courageous team player who was very popular with his teammates. The last 4 games were spent in the last line of defence, leading his man to the ball, spoiling, shepherding and hitting teammates on the chest with clean drop punts.

Coaches Award – Lucas Donnar.

Lucas was new to our team for 2009 and he very quickly became one of our most valuable players. He is our tallest player, and also one of the quietest - a bit of a ‘gentle giant’ amongst the group.
Lucas is an absolute delight to coach. Always trains hard, listens to instructions, and plays any role asked of him. He is a superb tap ruckman for his age, but is equally good at ground level, where his head was always over the ball. His smothering is a real inspiration also.

Lucas got votes in 12 of 15 games, showing his consistency and skill, and he was very unlucky to just miss the top 3 in the B&F.