GOLDEN Square’s elite onballer Adam Baird has joined the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football Netball League greats as winner of the Michelsen Medal for fairest and best in the 2019 senior footy action.
Baird polled 16 votes, as cast by the umpires, to win a closely-fought duel from Gisborne’s Brad Bernacki and Pat McKenna, and Strathfieldsaye Storm’s Sam Heavyside, all on 15.
It was back-to-back medal wins for Golden Square FNC as Jack Geary triumphed a year earlier when Baird was runner-up.
Among the many highs in Baird’s season were playing his 150th senior match for the Bulldogs, and captaining the Victoria Country team, coached by the late Danny Frawley, to victory against the Victorian Amateurs.
Best known to team-mates, opponents and fans as ‘Skinny’, Baird joins many of Golden Square FNC’s stars to have earned the Michelsen Medal.
AFL legend Greg Williams is a dual winner of the Bendigo FNL’s highest individual honour, as is ruckman Tony Southcombe.
The Michelsen Medal honour has now gone to a Golden Square player on 13 occasions.
Runner-up for the Betty Thompson Medal as A-grade netball best and fairest in 2018, Eaglehawk’s Ashley Ryan was top of the list this year.
Ryan polled 24 votes in another brilliant season for the Hawks.
Leading vote-getters for the prestigious award were Gisborne’s Tiana Newman, 20; Kangaroo Flat’s Chelsea Sartori and Sandhurst’s Meg Williams, 18, Kangaroo Flat’s Julia Clarke, 17.
Other players to the fore in a brilliant season of netball were Eaglehawk’s Allira Holmes, Gisborne’s Madeline Stewart, and Sandhurst’s Imogen Sexton, 15; and Strathfieldsaye Storm’s Claire Gibbs, 13.
A highlight of the league’s awards presentation was life membership of the Bendigo FNL bestowed on Sandhurst FNC identities Danny Ellis and Dr Rohan Molenaar.
A talented forward on the field, Ellis has had an even greater impact off-field as long-time secretary.
He has racked up almost 40 years service with the Dragons, and Dr Molenaar is approaching his 25th in the league.
Vote counts for the reserves and under-18s football, and A-reserve, B-grade, B-reserve and 17-under netball had been counted on Fresh fm earlier in the week.
Bendigo FNL award winners for the 2019 season:
Football best and fairest:
Seniors, Michelsen Medal: Adam Baird.
Reserves, Alan McDonald Medal: Hayden Doricic, Gisborne.
Under-18s, George Symons Medal: Mitchell Trewhella, Kangaroo Flat.
Netball best and fairest winners:
A-grade, Betty Thompson Medal: Ashley Ryan, Eaglehawk.
A-reserve, Jenni Holborn Medal: Amanda Walters, South Bendigo.
B-grade: Briona Giddings, Sandhurst.
B-reserve: Emily Floreani, Gisborne.
17-under, Carol Sing Medal: Tess Keating, Sandhurst; and Olivia Rodda, Gisborne.
Netball best and fairest runners-up:
A-grade: Tiana Newman, Gisborne.
A-reserve: Paige Ryan, Sandhurst.
B-grade: Emily Gray, Kangaroo Flat.
B-reserve: Chelsea Crapper, Strathfieldsaye.
17-under: Kiralee Collings, Gisborne.
Leading goalkickers sponsored by Coffee Storm Australia:
Seniors, Ron Best Medal: Lachlan Sharp, Strathfieldsaye, 129 goals.
Reserves: Josh Martyn, Strathfieldsaye, 61 goals.
Under-18s, sponsored by SportsPower: Lachlan Wilson, Kangaroo Flat, 40 goals.
Rising Stars, sponsored by Bart ‘n’ Print:
Football: Liam Spear, Gisborne.
Netball: Chloe Langley, South Bendigo.
Netball goalshooting, sponsored by Coffee Storm Australia:
Sandhurst Football Netball Club.
David McCann Memorial Champion Club Award, one point per win:
Sandhurst Football Netball Club.
Goal of the Year:
Jake O’Brien Castlemaine.
Mark of the Year:
James Orr, Kyneton.
AFL Victoria Worksafe country championships best players:
Senior football, Derrick Filo Medal: Jake Thrum, Golden Square.
Under-18 football: Alex Jenkyn.
Open netball: Maddy Stewart, Gisborne.
17-under netball: Ruby Turner, Sandhurst.
Club-by-club voting for the Michelsen Medal:
Castlemaine – 4 Matt Filo, Jake O’Brien; 1 Jack Chester, Angus Monfries, Michael Wenn.
Eaglehawk – 13 Ben McPhee; 11 Riley Saunders; 10 Sam Harper; 8 Jesse Collins; 7 Clayton Holmes; 6 Ryan Gillingham; 5 Brodie Filo, Gedd Hommelhoff; 3 Brodie Collins, Shaun Knott, Dillon Williams, Sean Williams; 2 Justin Bateson, Cameron McGlashan; 1 Sam Thompson, Richard Tibbett.
Gisborne – 15 Brad Bernacki, Pat McKenna; 13 Ethan Minns; 12 Matt Goodyear; 5 Casey Summerfield; 3 Jake Conolan, James Ferry, Scott Walsh, Tim Walsh; 2 Nicholas Doolan, Jaidyn Owen, Jack Scanlon, Liam Spear; 1 Josh Grabham.
Golden Square – 16 Adam Baird; 13 Jake Thrum; 10 Matt Compston; 7 Jon Coe; 6 Liam Barrett, Alex Marklew; 4 Hamish Morcom; 3 Ryan Hartley; 2 Jayden Burke, Jack Geary, Mitchell Treacy.
Kangaroo Flat – 6 Jono Lanyon; 5 Matt Clifford; 4 Hayden Pyke; 3 Ryley Barrack, Dylan Klemm; 2 Nathan McHugh; 1 Matthew Boland, Ethan Roberts.
Kyneton – 11 Josh Govan; 7 Rhys Magin; 5 Leyton Chisholm, Max O’Sullivan; 4 Harrison Huntley; 3 Darcy Harris; 1 Mitchell Comben.
Maryborough – 13 Coby Perry; 8 Matt Bilton; 7 Luke Bucknall; 5 Stewart Crameri; 3 Ben Lavars; 2 Lachlan Crameri, Jayden Hooper, Connor O’Shea; 1 Lachlan Bond, Mitchell Kennedy.
Sandhurst – 13 Nick Stagg; 7 Chris Down; 5 Blair Holmes, Jeremy Rodi, Vincent Rodi; 4 Lachlan Tardrew, Matt Thornton; 3 Andy Collins, Liam Ireland, Zac Pallpratt, Joel Wharton; 2 Adam Parry, Lachlan Ross; 1 Josh Hann, Jake McLean.
South Bendigo – 7 Brody Haddow, Nathan Horbury; 3 Kaiden Antonowicz, Tom Brereton, Brady Childs, Mitchell Goodwin, Zac Hare; 2 Callum Crisp, Dylan McCutcheon;
Strathfieldsaye – 15 Sam Heavyside; 13 Lachlan Sharp; 11 Bryce Curnow, Josh Formosa; 7 Kellan Smith; 6 Kallen Geary; 5 Troy Coates, Hunter Lawrence, Jake Moorhead, Hugh Robertson; 4 Bailey Henderson; 3 Shannon Geary, Lachlan Wallace; 2 Matt Smith.
Club-by-club voting for the Betty Thompson Medal, A-grade netball:
Eaglehawk – 24 Ashley Ryan; 15 Allira Holmes;7 Elley Lawton, Abbey Ryan; 4 Imogen Davies; 3 Emily Kinder, Bridget Murray; 2 Lauren Miller.
Gisborne – 20 Tiana Newman; 15 Madeline Stewart; 11 Clare Vearing; 10 Emerson Lakey; 9 Holly Doricic; 3 Ella Bertachinni; 2 Tarryn Rymer, Eloise Rodda; 1 Lily Walsh.
Golden Square – 5 Millie Donegan; 2 Zoe Douglas, Bree Heiden, Abigail Rowe; 1 Georgia Anderson.
Kangaroo Flat – 18 Chelsea Sartori; 17 Julia Clarke; 8 Ella Wicks; 7 Annie Spear; 6 Ingrid Hopkins, Alicia McGlashan; 4 Kate Burton; 1 Brooke Lawry.
Kyneton – 5 Michelle Fletcher, Brooke Mangan, Stephanie Penning; 4 Emma Webb; 3 Tylah Marchbank, Hayley Paige; 2 Ashleigh Feehan; 1 Claire Oakley.
Maryborough – 10 Keely Hare; 9 Eliza Roughead; 3 Alicia Cassidy, Jordan Macilwain; 2 Bella Westbrook.
Sandhurst – 18 Meg Williams; 15 Imogen Sexton; 11 Heather Oliver; 10 Sophie Shoebridge; 9 Rebecca Smith; 5 Brianna Dalrymple-Monro, Erica Dalrymple-Monro; 4 Carly Van Den Heuvel.
South Bendigo – 10 Chloe Langley; 9 Jamie-Lee Clohesy; 6 Molly Johnston; 5 Emily Cossar; 4 Chloe Adams; 3 Stephanie Goode, Danielle O’Toole; 2 Stephanie Greene.
Strathfieldsaye – 13 Claire Gibbs; 8 Stephanie Freemantle; 5 Zoe Kennedy, Ebony Matthews, Lucy Spalding; 3 Caitlyn Hamilton; 2 Alice Layton; 1 Elyse Morgan.