Let’s take a look at the 2015 best-and-fairest winners from all 15 Peter Jackson VFL clubs, including five players who added to previous club champion triumphs (one veteran even claimed his fourth award) and three who won the honour in their first season in the competition.
Box Hill Hawks: Jonathan Simpkin
Simpkin capped off a typically prolific season with his third VFL B&F award after winning two at Geelong in 2011 and 2012. The Hawthorn-listed 28-year-old averaged 27 disposals per game and kicked 15 goals, including a superb 29-disposal, one-goal effort in Box Hill’s Grand Final loss to Williamstown. He topped the Col Austen Trophy count from two defenders, with Hawks captain David Mirra finishing second for the fourth time (also runner-up in 2011, 2013 and 2014) and developing rookie-listed key defender Kurt Heatherley in third. Heatherley was also named the club’s Most Consistent Player, while Simpkin was the Best Finals Player.
Casey Scorpions: Aidan Riley
Riley left the Scorpions on a high, winning the Gardner-Clark Medal after being delisted as a Melbourne rookie. The 23-year-old demonstrated his toughness in the contest by averaging 26 disposals, eight clearances and eight tackles per game over 11 matches. He beat home another AFL-listed player who won’t be with Casey in 2016, key-position player Jack Fitzpatrick, who was traded to Hawthorn during the recent AFL Trade Period, while VFL-listed player Mitch Gent finished in third. Fourth-year captain Evan Panozza was also awarded life membership of the club on the night.
Coburg: Daniel Venditti / Michael Hartley
Venditti became the first Coburg player since 1961 to take home a third consecutive Jim Sullivan Medal, sharing the award with former Collingwood rookie Michael Hartley. 28-year-old Venditti tied with current Gold Coast Suns half back Adam Saad last year after winning outright in 2013. He averaged 25 disposals, six tackles and five clearances per game across 18 matches, while 22-year-old Hartley averaged 14 disposals at 76 per cent efficiency and five marks per game over 18 matches. He also earned selection in the VFL Team of the Year and put himself onto AFL Draft radars as a mature-aged key defensive prospect. The pair finished ahead of midfielder Ozgur Uysal in third.
Collingwood: Ben Moloney
Moloney’s third season at Collingwood was his best, culminating in his first Joseph Wren Memorial Trophy. The 24-year-old hard-nut averaged 20 disposals, seven tackles and five clearances per game across 19 matches to be named in the VFL Team of the Year and become the first VFL-listed Magpie to win the award since Kris Pendlebury in 2012. He topped the count from young AFL-listed players Jonathon Marsh in second and Ben Kennedy – who crossed to Melbourne in the recent AFL Trade Period – in third.
Essendon: James Polkinghorne
Polkinghorne made a big impact in his first season in the VFL after playing 94 matches for the Brisbane Lions between 2008 and 2014. The 26-year-old claimed the R. A. Freeman Medal after kicking 14 goals and averaging almost 20 disposals per game over 20 matches. He saved perhaps his finest efforts for Essendon’s three finals, notably kicking three important goals in the club’s classic preliminary final loss to Williamstown. Polkinghorne finished ahead of fellow VFL-listed midfielder Dan Coghlan in the count, while AFL-listed key defender Ariel Steinberg came third.
Footscray: Brent Prismall
Prismall was a runaway winner of Footscray’s best-and-fairest award, polling almost double the amount of votes of the second placegetter. The 29-year-old veteran was a constant across half back and through the midfield in 18 matches, averaging 25 disposals and almost six tackles per game. AFL-listed Bulldogs filled the second and third positions, with diminutive forward/midfielder Nathan Hrovat finishing just ahead of recently-delisted key-position player Ayce Cordy.
Frankston: Ben Cavarra
Cavarra was once again a shining light in a dark season for the Dolphins, claiming his second best-and-fairest award in his second season at the club. The diminutive 19-year-old midfielder has now won four consecutive club best-and-fairest awards after claiming two of them in his two years with the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup in 2012 and 2013. He averaged 20 disposals, four clearances and four tackles per game across 18 matches to hold out Corey Buchan in second, while Frankston captain Shane Hockey and Jason Pongracic finished equal-third.
Geelong: Tom Ruggles
Ruggles starred across half back in his first season at Geelong, being the only Cat to play all 18 home-and-away matches. After two seasons at Werribee in 2012 and 2013, the 23-year-old stepped back up to VFL level after spending last year at local level in the Geelong Football League, averaging 17 disposals and five marks per game. He finished ahead of a pair of AFL-listed midfielders who won’t be at the club in 2016 – second-placed Jarrad Jansen (traded to the Brisbane Lions in the recent AFL Trade Period) and third-placed Dean Gore (traded to Adelaide in the deal that saw Patrick Dangerfield arrive at Simonds Stadium).
North Ballarat: Luke Kiel
Kiel beat home some fancied teammates to claim his first Allan L. Stott Memorial Medal in his fourth season with the Roosters. The 25-year-old finished ahead of accomplished midfielders co-captain Myles Sewell (already a three-time North Ballarat best and fairest in 2009, 2011 and 2012) in second and 2015 J. J. Liston Trophy winner Nick Rippon in third. Kiel averaged 17 disposals at 76 per cent efficiency and five marks per game over 18 matches as a dashing defender, also being named in the VFL Team of the Year.
Northern Blues: Brad Walsh
Walsh had a stellar first season in the VFL after being drafted by Carlton as a rookie at the end of 2014. The Western Australian 19-year-old averaged 22 disposals and almost six clearances per game across 16 matches as an in-and-under midfielder to claim the Laurie Hill Trophy. He won from fellow Carlton-listed midfielder Nick Graham in second, while another AFL-listed hard-nut Mark Whiley and club captain Brent Bransgrove tied for third place.
Port Melbourne: Toby Pinwill
Pinwill, the Port Melbourne captain, backed up his win in the 2014 Jack McFarlane Medal count with another triumph in this year’s edition. The 30-year-old Borough champion averaged 27 disposals, six clearances and six tackles over 15 matches, to just pip Jordan Lisle, the 2015 joint-‘Frosty’ Miller Medallist for most goals kicked in the competition. Lisle was also named the club’s Best First-Year Player after crossing to the VFL following stints with Hawthorn and Brisbane in the AFL, while rising star Damian Mascitti finished close behind in third place.
Richmond: Matt Dea
Dea reaped the rewards of a fine season as a reliable intercepting and rebounding defender by taking out the Guinane Medal. In 15 matches, the 24-year-old AFL-listed Tiger averaged 20 disposals at 79 per cent efficiency and six marks per game to top the count from tough rookie-listed midfielder Matt Thomas in second and departing VFL-listed pair James Wall and Jaryd Cachia in equal-third.
Sandringham: Clint Jones
Jones was the competition’s leading disposal winner this season and deservedly took home the Neil Bencraft Best and Fairest award after also being named in the VFL Team of the Year and finishing equal-second in the J. J. Liston Trophy. The 31-year-old former St Kilda midfielder averaged a remarkable 31 disposals per game across his 21 matches, as well as six clearances and six tackles per game. He finished ahead of former Geelong AFL utility and 2015 draft prospect Mitch Brown, with both players well in front of the third placegetter, dynamic forward/midfielder Darren Minchington.
Werribee: Matt Hanson
Hanson made an instant impact in Werribee’s engine room after crossing to the VFL from Tasmania by winning the Bruce Montgomery Trophy. The 20-year-old was also named in the VFL Team of the Year after averaging 22 disposals, seven clearances and five tackles per game over 19 matches. Lock-down key defender Jake Wilson finished in second place, while another first-year Tiger midfielder, Isaac Conway, came third after being delisted as a rookie at the Brisbane Lions last year.
Williamstown: Ben Jolley
Jolley, the inspirational Seagulls premiership captain, rounded out a brilliant year by claiming an equal-club-record fourth Gerry Callahan Medal following triumphs in 2011, 2012 and 2014. The 29-year-old played all 21 of the club’s matches, averaging 28 disposals, five clearances and four tackles per game, including typically prolific efforts of 26, 29 and 24 disposals in Williamstown’s three finals. He won the award from the club’s leading goalkicker and equal-second-placegetter in the J. J. Liston Trophy Sam Dunell, with former Port Adelaide AFL player Mitch Banner in third.
* Photo: From left to right, Geelong's Tom Ruggles, Coburg's Daniel Venditti and Essendon's James Polkinghorne
Last Modified on 27/10/2015 13:06
