Werribee Tigers recruit Ben Ross has been named the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL Liston Trophy winner. Ross won the competition best and fairest award by one vote from Casey Scorpions Melbourne listed midfielder Tom Couch, and was two votes ahead of Port Melbourne Captain John Baird announced at the Liston Trophy awards night at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.
Delisted by North Melbourne just 12 months ago, 23 year old Ross has shown the VFL competition what he is still capable of, becoming the fifth Werribee player to claim the VFL’s top honour. He joins Anthony Eames (1991), Paul Satterley (95), Michael Frost (98) and current Geelong player James Podsiadly (08) as Liston Trophy winners, polling in eight of a possible 18 matches and judged best a field five times this year.
Ross polled his best on ground games against Geelong (Rd 5), Coburg Tigers (Rd 7), Collingwood (Rd 10), Casey Scorpions (Rd 14) and North Ballarat (Rd 20).
In a tight Liston vote count, at the half way mark of the season Ross and Baird were locked together at the top of the leader board on 14 votes, one more than Couch.
Couch, the son of 1989 Brownlow Medallist Paul, took the Liston front-running with his best-on-ground game against Frankston in Round 18.
It would prove to be the last votes he received as Melbourne called him up to make his AFL debut against Fremantle and he would return only one more time – Round 20 – to the Scorpions.
Round 20 proved the decisive round in the count as Ross collected his fifth best-on-ground against North Ballarat in Werribee’s 82-point smashing of the Roosters.
It left Ross on 20 votes, one vote ahead of Couch, with Baird a further vote behind. Neither Ross nor Baird polled votes in the final round.
The Liston win is great recognition and acknowledgement for Ross who was shackled by injuries during his time with the Kangaroos.
He played 14 games with North Melbourne after coming through the Gippsland Power TAC Cup program and the Roos selected him at pick 3 in the 2007 AFL Pre-Season Draft.
Indeed, Ross played consistently well throughout the entire season and played an integral part in Werribee finishing fourth after the home and away season, with the Tigers set to play in a Preliminary Final for the second year in a row after defeating Casey Scorpions on the weekend by 18 points in the Qualifying Final.
Whilst Ross, Couch and Baird filled the top three spots in the Liston voting, Northern Blues Carlton listed player David Ellard finished fourth with 14 votes, with Geelong’s George Horlin-Smith rounding out the top vote getters
Port Melbourne’s Shane Valenti, attempting to win a record third Liston, finished equal sixth, along with teammate Sam Dwyer, 2009 Liston winner Myles Sewell and Williamstown captain Ben Jolley, with 12 votes.
Other winners announced on the night were:
A. Todd Medallist (AFL Victoria Development League best & fairest): Jordan Pollard (Casey Scorpions)
‘Frosty’ Miller Medallist (VFL leading goal kicker): Dean Galea (Port Melbourne) 65 goals
Alec Gillon Award: Henry Tucker
Best Conducted Club: Geelong FC
Fothergill-Round Medallist (best under 23 player): Dean Towers (North Ballarat)
Ford VFL Coaches Player of the Year (new award, featuring weekly coaches votes on opposition): Adam Marcon (Northern Blues)
Last Modified on 03/09/2012 22:14