IN the lead up to tonight's J.J. Liston Trophy awards night, we look back at the most recent winners on the J.J. Liston Trophy.
VFL supporters can watch a live broadcast of the awards night tonight via the VFL website.
Click HERE for the link.
Past J.J. Liston Trophy winners:
2012: Ben Ross (Werribee Tigers)
Ben Ross won the Liston Trophy a year after being delisted by North Melbourne. Ross played under 18s with the Gippsland Power before the Kangaroos selected him with the 3rd pick in the 2007 AFL Pre-season Draft. He spent four years at Arden Street, but only played 14 games after making his debut in round 4 of 2008 as hip and groin injuries slowed his progress in his final two seasons.
After losing his contract with the club, Ross chose to remain with North’s affiliate Werribee. In his first full season with the Tigers he played all but one game, polling 20 votes to beat Casey Scorpions Melbourne listed midfielder Tom Couch by one vote.
Ross collected votes in eight of a possible 18 matches and received best on ground honors in five games.
Following his Liston win Ross said he wasted an opportunity at the highest level and got a little ahead of himself after being drafted.
"When I first got to North Melbourne I was immature, I didn't know what it took to be successful, and my thought was that I was just going to be successful."
His 2012 season showed he has matured and if he continues to perform at this level an AFL recall might not be far away.
2011: Shane Valenti (Port Melbourne)
Shane Valenti won the Liston Trophy in 2010 and 2011 becoming only the third player to win the award in consecutive seasons.
Billy Swan of Port Melbourne in 1982-83 and Alan Pore of Waverly in1965-1966 are the other two players.
In the 2011 count he polled 25 votes to runaway with the award, and despite missing three games he finishing a staggering 10 votes ahead of Casey Scorpions Melbourne listed player Matthew Bate on 15. Valenti began the count with a bang, polling 11 of a possible 12 votes in the first four rounds and went on to poll votes in a total of 10 games.
A product of the Sandringham Dragons Valenti joined Sandringham VFL in 2006 and quickly became an important part of their midfield.
In his second season at VFL level he won the Fothergill-Round Medal for the most promising young talent in the competition. Melbourne noticed him too going on to select him with the 49th pick in the 2007 Rookie Draft.
Valenti went on to make his AFL debut in round 8 of 2008, he played 15 games in two season but it wasn’t enough to convince the Demons to re-sign him at the end of 2009. He headed to Port Melbourne for the 2010 season and continues to terrorise opposition teams when they play the Borough, despite an injury plagued 2013 season.
2010, Steve Clifton (North Ballarat) & Shane Valenti (Port Melbourne)
Steve Clifton and Shane Valenti’s joint win in the 2010 Liston Trophy count was the seventh time the award had been shared by multiple players.
The pair were tied at the top on 20 votes, seven ahead of the runner-up, current Carlton player and then Box Hill Hawk Ed Curnow who finished with 13 votes. Valenti polled votes in seven games with six of those best on ground performances while Clifton collected votes in eight games, gaining the maximum three votes four times.
Clifton joined the North Ballarat Roosters in 2006 after graduating from TAC Cup team the North Ballarat Rebels and was in his fifth season with the club when he won the Liston. His strong 2010 season attracted the attention of AFL clubs with the Greater Western Sydney Giants using the first pick in the 2010 Rookie Draft to acquire his services.
Clifton and the Giants played the 2011 season in the North East Australian Football League before entering the AFL the following season. He played in five matches in the Giants inaugural season but was delisted at the end of it. He returned to the Roosters this year and continued on where he left off to be a regular among the Roosters' best.
2009: Myles Sewell (North Ballarat)
Myles Sewell the brother of Hawthorn premiership player Brad Sewell won the Liston Trophy after a dominant second half of 2009.
He stormed in to trophy contention following a best on ground performance in round 14, before collected a further three votes in round 17.
He finished off the home and away season polling two votes in both round and 19 and 20 to finish two ahead of Werribee player and now Fremantle midfielder Michael Barlow. Sewell began his VFL career at Coburg in 2007 after finishing his TAC Cup career with the North Ballarat Rebels but stayed only one season after managing just seven senior games. He joined the Roosters in 2008 and since then he has consistently been one of the competitions best players.
Along with winning a Liston Sewell is also a triple VFL premiership player, Norm Goss medalist for best on ground in a VFL grand final, VFL team of the year selection and three time Victorian representative. With a resume like this it is hard to believe he hasn’t been given an opportunity at the highest level, however if he continues playing the way he has the last five years an AFL chance could be just around the corner.
2008: James Podsiadly (Werribee Tigers)
James Podsiadly became a Liston Trophy winner in a season in which he kicked 73 goals. Podsiadly won a thrilling count, taking the lead in the penultimate round after polling one vote for a seven goal effort in a win over Bendigo.
He beat Sandringham skipper Peter Summers and Williamstown captain Brett Johnson by a solitary vote after they failed to collect any votes in the last round of the season.
Podsiadly spent six seasons with Werribee after being rookie listed by Essendon and Collingwood following an under 18 career at the Western Jets. He joined the Geelong VFL side in 2009 after taking up a role as player and fitness coach with the club and after another strong VFL season the Geelong Cats selected him in that year’s rookie draft.
Podsiadly made an immediate impact in his first season at AFL level booting 49 goals in 19 matches. He then bettered that the following season kicking 52 goals to top the Cats goal kicking list while winning a premiership in the process. He has kicked 165 AFL goals to date while his success has changed the way AFL clubs think in regard to mature aged players.
Last Modified on 02/09/2013 11:57