TOP DOG: EYES ON

IT came as a shock to Tyson Williams when he was awarded the W.J. Williams Medal. But despite the sense of pride that came with the accolade, he would trade it all in for a premiership this weekend.

The Thuringowa Bulldogs ruckman/centre-half forward took out the Townsville AFL’S bestand-fairest mantle with 10 votes, a feat he did not expect given the dominance of the Curra Swans and form of his teammate Charlton Offermans.

However in more than 15 years of senior football, Williams is yet to taste title success.

With an undefeated Swans standing in his way, the gloss of his medal-winning exploits has been rubbed off quickly.

While this is his first year with the club, he can see how much last year’s grand final heartache at the hands of Hermit Park Tigers has been fuelling the rest of the squad, and that drive has lit the fire for one final test.

“For me I was very happy to win the best and fairest, but by no means is the job done there — I’d trade it in a heartbeat for a premiership medal,” Williams said.

“I didn’t think I quite performed to my expectations, and still ended up getting votes here and there.

“But apart from that I think it was just capturing the umpires’ attention with different haircuts and bright green boots. Get the peroxide hair or the dreadlocks out (if you want the medal).

“You can see there’s a lot of players who missed out last year and want to get the win on the weekend and make amends, a bit of redemption.

“Grand finals are always a completely different ball game, form doesn’t count for much. But we realise ... to repeat the same processes and expect different results won’t be the way.”

Despite it being Bridie

Kippin’s first season of Aussie rules, the Tigers fullback hit the ground running to earn the Breanna Koenen Medal in the women’s division.

Now she too has a premiership tilt to focus on. Hermit Park has remained undefeated throughout the season, and will face a Swans outfit determined to reap the rewards across all senior competitions.

Kippin never grew up an AFL fan, however pundits would struggle to tell given how quickly she has assumed a prominent role in the squad.

But she said, as surprised as she was to be recognised with 14 votes, every time she played it was for her teammates, never for personal glory.

“I just wanted a change. I played soccer for a few years and then was looking for something new. I’m super glad I ended up at Hermit Park, it’s an awesome park and the girls really get around each other,” Kippin said.