Rangers young gun toast of the Towns
- Northern Rangers' Yitay Towns is the 2015 Mitsubishi Motors Best & Fairest
Northern Rangers midfielder Yitay Towns has taken out Tasmanian football’s highest individual honour, winning the 2015 Mitsubishi Motors Best and Fairest medal with 25 votes, four votes ahead of Olympia’s Shae Hickey and Zebras’ Adam McKeown, who finished equal second on 21 votes.
Towns, 19 had a break out season for the Northern Rangers in 2015, becoming a key driver in the Rangers midfield following the departure of club captain Todd Hingston at the end of last season. The young midfielder emerged this season as a Rangers danger man with his silky ball control and creativity, he also posed a goal threat – netting ten goals including a hat trick and two braces.
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Towns was a standout for the Rangers in an up and down season, his form a key definer in the club holding ground from 2014 to finish again in fourth position.
He had five man of the match performances in which he polled three votes to see him top the leaderboard ahead of the Victory League Champions midfield maestro Shae Hickey who finished on 21 votes and Zebras duo McKeown and Kurt Engels, who polled 21 and 18 respectively.
In other awards, Launceston City and Olympia FC Warriors were dominant.
- Coach of the Year - Lino Sciulli
City’s major improvement in 2015 was rewarded with coach Lino Sciulli recognised as the PS4 Victory League Coach of the Year, with his peers voting his coaching performance as the best this season.
Launceston City goalkeeper David Smith also took out Specsavers SpecSave of the Year for his save to deny Brayden Mann in Round 4.
- Specsave of the Year - David Smith
On the same day as celebrating a league title the Warriors were given further reason to celbrate. Olympia FC Warriors’ Luke Eyles took out the rising star award ahead of South Hobart’s Kobe Kemp. Eyles had an electrifying first season in the Victory League, firing out of the blocks to quickly become a marked man.
- Rising Star Luke Eyles
He netted 14 goals playing between wing and full back as he tore opposition teams apart. His first year is likely to be his last in the league for sometime, with the top talent off to the Victorian Premier League, with Eyles signing mid-season at Victorian giant South Melbourne for 2016. Fellow Warrior Shae Hickey collected the club another accolade, topping the vote to win Goal of the Year.
- Olympia President George Mamacas helps Shae Hickey with his new Playstation 4.
It was a disappointing day for South Hobart, ending a seven year stranglehold over the title to relinquish it to Olympia but they did take home a consolation prize in the PFD Golden Boot. With Tasmania’s leading marksman Brayden Mann making it three Victory League Golden Boots in a row, with a last day haul of five goals seeing him top the Golden Boot with 29 goals, ahead of Adam McKeown (Hobart Zebras) on 28 and Emmanuel Tsakiris (Olympia FC Warriors) on 23.
- Brayden Mann makes it three Victory League Golden Boots on the trot.
In the referees top honour, it was a newcomer that took out the Specsavers Referee of the Year with Charlie White collecting the award in his first full year officiating in the top flight.
- Referee of the Year - Charlie White
For those wondering the Walter Pless Media Award and Team of the Year will be unveiled later this week.
MITSUBISHI MOTORS BEST & FAIREST LEADERBOARD
25 VOTES – YITAY TOWNS (NORTHERN RANGERS)
21 VOTES – SHAE HICKEY (OLYMPIA FC WARRIORS)
21 VOTES – ADAM MCKEOWN (HOBART JEEP ZEBRAS)
18 VOTES – KURT ENGELS (HOBART JEEP ZEBRAS)
15 VOTES – HARRY THANNHAUSER (NORTHERN RANGERS)
14 VOTES – JACK TURNER (KINGBOROUGH LIONS)*
14 VOTES – BRAYDEN MANN (SOUTH HOBART)
13 VOTES – DOM ROSSI (LAUNCESTON CITY)
12 VOTES – DWAYNE WALSH (HOBART JEEP ZEBRAS)
10 VOTES – CHRIS HUNT (SOUTH HOBART)
10 VOTES – ALEX HOLMES (OLYMPIA FC WARRIORS)
10 VOTES – JAKE VANDERMEY (OLYMPIA FC WARRIORS)
10 VOTES – EMMANUEL TSAKIRIS (OLYMPIA FC WARRIORS)
9 VOTES – DAVID SMITH (LAUNCESTON CITY)
9 VOTES – KIERAN MULRANEY (DEVONPORT STRIKERS)
9 VOTES – MICHAEL HOLDEN (DEVONPORT STRIKERS)
9 VOTES – LUKE EYLES (OLYMPIA FC WARRIORS)
8 VOTES – DARCY HALL (SOUTH HOBART)
8 VOTES – JAYDEN HEY (HOBART JEEP ZEBRAS)
8 VOTES – ADAM EDWARDS (NORTHERN RANGERS)
OTHER AWARDS
Rising Star
Luke Eyles
Olympia FC Warriors
Coach of the Year
Lino Sciulli
Launceston City
Specsavers Referee of the Year
Charlie White
PFD Golden Boot
Brayden Mann
South Hobart
29 GOALS
PS4 Goal of the Year
Shae Hickey
Olympia FC Warriors
Specsavers Specsave of the Year
David Smith
Launceston City
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