Honours shared at awards
AUSSIE RULES: AFL Darling Downs celebrated the region’s ‘night of nights’ on Saturday, with the Holman and Heather Green Medal night recognising the top individuals and clubs of the senior competitions.
More than 120 players, partners, volunteers and club executives packed out the Allan Cunningham room of the Burke and Wills Hotel to celebrate what’s been another successful season of Aussie Rules on the Downs.
Not only is the night about the players and teams involved, but the region’s top volunteers were also recognised.
Toowoomba Tigers president Neville Jericho was awarded the Club Administrator of the Year for his tireless efforts and professional management of the club, while Chelsea Koelmeyer of South Toowoomba was recognised as Volunteer of the Year for her work with the Bombers club, highlighted by her coordination of the inaugural Toowoomba Pride Cup earlier this year.
Wayne Dobson was awarded the Umpire of the Year for his outstanding contributions in the umpiring sector, while South Toowoomba Women’s Coach Adrian Koelmeyer was awarded Senior Coach of the Year.
Toowoomba Tigers were awarded the Club of the Year for their well-rounded club performance and culture in 2019, and University and Goondiwindi were presented with the Minor Premierships of the women’s and men’s competitions respectively.
After a standout first year of senior football, Highfields’ Ryan Cherry was awarded the Leo Camm Rosebowl for the Rookie of the Year, while University’s Jaiden Fidge was deemed the best under-18 player in the senior competition, taking out the Karl Price Trophy.
Meg Pullinger booted 55 majors for the Tigers in 2019 to take out the Women’s Leading Goalscorer award, and Warwick’s Ben Heppell took out the senior leading goal kicking award, the John Green Trophy, after kicking a season-high 74 goals.
University’s young gun Phoebe Baird dominated the 2019 count, polling 20 votes in the Heather Green Medal race to win the top women’s honour by 5 votes over Toowoomba’s Meg Pullinger in the runnerup position.
The Holman Medal count came down to the wire, with Coolaroo’s Michael Langton polling a maximum 3 votes in the final round to draw level and tie with Goondiwindi’s Charles Youngman with 21 votes for the senior’s Best and Fairest medal.
It was the first time in 10 years that there has been a tied Holman Medal.
Warwick’s Tyhe Clarkson came agonisingly close to his second Holman Medal, falling just one vote short on 20 votes as the runner-up.