BY NATHAN DOLE
THE Tom Morgan medallist as fairest and best in the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL reserves footy competition in Jayden Sheean is a win away from premiership glory.
A runaway winner of the medal on 26 votes, Sheean took to the field as White Hills played Mount Pleasant in last Saturday’s second semi-final at Colbinabbin’s M.J. Morgan Oval.
Sheean and his Demons’ team-mates won a great match, 50-48 to be first to the September 16 grand final at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
The Demons kicked off their finals series by scoring a one-goal win against North Bendigo in the qualifying final at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
Fourth in the Morgan medal, Mount Pleasant’s Nick Edwards was among the Demons’ opponents in the second semi.
Edwards and the Blues will fight to earn another crack at White Hills by winning the preliminary final.
Standing in the way of the Mountain Men is a North Bendigo line-up which Zaiyden Richards who polled 11 votes to be equal third in the medal race.
Runner-up for Tom Morgan Medal was Huntly’s Lachlan Watson with 17 votes.
Watson and Hawks’ team-mate Taylor Smart who was equal third for the league award took on North Bendigo in the first semi.
Club-by-club voting for the Tom Morgan Medal in the ’23 reserves footy competition:
Colbinabbin
6 Matthew Palmer; 4 Hugh Barlow; 3 Will Brown; 1 Tyson Barton, Aidan Basile, Wade Broadstock, Samuel Coughlin, Luke Hill.
Elmore:
6 Matt Gilmour, Dylan Oaff; 3 Xavier Kellow, Luke Price, Jake Wright; 2 Conor Beckmans, William Graham, Brayden Murley, Jacob Styles; 1 Mitch Blackshaw, Nichols Pierce Matthew Thomson.
Heathcote:
5 Will Long, Carl Obst, William Pointer; 4 Joel Badger; 3 Luke Baron, Rhys Bolton, Shannon Dowsett, Logan Jaroslawski; 2 James Baker, Jackson Conforti, Henry McCarthy, Matthew Powers; 1 Jordan Cavallaro, Mitchell McLean.
Huntly:
17 Lachlan Watson; 11 Taylor Smart; 8 Matthew Rule; 6 Matthew Jeffries; 5 Brad Chalmers; 3 Jack Burns; 2 Luke Bonnett; 1 Jackson Eadon, Jayden Matthews, Daniel Trewella.
Leitchville Gunbower:
5 Benjamin Smith; 4 Riley Hay, Matthew Spittal; 3 Kyle Hawken; 2 Mack Beadman, Hugh McGillivray, Beau Trahar, Jasper Wilson-Keir; 1 Samuel Cruse, Warren Ellwood, James Kervin, Nicholas McKenner.
Lockington Bamawm United:
7 Bart Phillips; 5 Damian Dalziel, Samuel Wolfe; 3 Rhys Bradley, Edward Brentall, Cody Cox, Damian Kelly, Charles Shaw, James Yosiffidis; 2 Coby Cox, Jordan Dalziel, Jeremy Felmingham, Jamie Maddison; 1 Toby Coutts, Hayden Quincey.
Mount Pleasant:
9 Nick Edwards; 8 Jaxson Nihill; 6 Jack Craig, Coby Dunlop, Jackson Hufer, Jack Teasdale; 5 Jack Mackenzie; 4 Jesse O’Connell; 3 Zac Featherby, Matthew Fitzgerald, Daniel Whiting; 2 Jeremey Brewer, Jacob Hopley, Ryan Patrick-Pontell; 1 Connor Moore, Jacob Smith.
North Bendigo:
11 Zaiyden Richards; 9 Bailey Wingrave; 8 Jonas Somerville; 7 Pat Bogers; 6 Daniel Love, Jack Towers; 4 Denzel Cooper; 3 Harlan Draper, Lachlan Furness, Storm Giri; 2 Zandyr Barilari; 1 Cam Anderson, Aaron Leahy.
White Hills:
26 Jayden Sheean; 8 Doolan Nihill; 7 James Avery; 5 Fraser Banfield; 4 Mitchell Griffin, Josh Harris; 3 Jake Allport, Riley Beard, Joe Gardy; 2 Isaac Griffin, Nick Wallace, Nic Warnock, Chris Wild; 1 Rohan Cadzow, Patrick Crawford, Xavier Fiske-Kealy.