Bill West
Skilful centreman Steven Boyall was a runaway winner of the Riddell League’s Bowen Medal, and he had plenty of reflections to offer in his acceptance speech on Friday evening.
The 30-year-old Boyall did not think he was a big medal chance despite having a very consistent season.
Tabcorp Park Melton was the new venue for the league’s new format presentation night, with around 270 in attendance and live band Good Faces 4 Radio adding to the atmosphere.
In the past the presentation night has taken place before the finals have been completed.
Boyall finished the season strongly to poll 29 votes, eight more than Riddell’s Mick Edwards, who also took out the Rising Star award.
Woodend-Hesket’s Jack Arceri filled third place on 18 votes, and tall Romsey ruckman Nathan Hoy finished in fourth lace with 15 votes.
One surprise was Riddell captain Josh Grabham’s failure to poll well despite having a top season (he won the Bombers’ best and fairest count on Sunday).The Bowen Medal presentation was the final one for the evening, and Boyall had more to reflect on than other winners before him.
He is the seventh player from Wallan to receive the league’s top individual football award which dates back to 1946, with teammate Ricky Schraven winning last year.
Boyall said he felt that Wallan had a good enough side to win the premiership, but it was now a case of “going back to the drawing board”.
He reflected at some length on the time and effort the coaches had put in at Magpieland, and the support he had received in his home life to enable him to play and train.
Obviously winning by 93 points against Diggers Rest, then losing to the same side in the preliminary final was still on his mind.
Wallan also took out the top individual football awards in the other grades, with Matthew Traynor taking out the Scarborough Medal (Reserves) with 28 votes, and Spencer Whittingham polling 17 votes to win the Charles Watson Medal with 17 votes, two ahead of Riddell’s Oliver Powell, in the Under 19.5s.
Has a club ever won the three top football medals, and been Club of the Year in the one season before?
Awards
The Magpies also had the top senior goalkicker in Matt Perri, with Max Ambler (Woodend-Hesket) and Jack Radford (Riddell) taking the honours in the Reserves and U19.5s.
There was plenty of applause for Romsey’s long serving club secretary Jo-Anne Carroll when she was announced as the winner of the Dome Security Unsung Hero Award.
“I just enjoy it,” Carroll said, praising other volunteers at the club and stating they were “a great bunch of people”.
