Wimmera talent on show
Horsham’s Jake Lloyd has claimed runner-up honours in this year’s Sydney Swans’ Bob Skilton Medal count.
The medal is awarded to the AFL club’s best and fairest player.
Co-captain Tom Parker won the accolade on 543 points and now joins an illustrious group of club ‘legends’ to nab the award three times, including Adam Goodes, Josh Kennedy and Gerard Healy.
Lloyd, who won the club champion award in 2020 and 2018, picked up 504 points this season to collect the Adam Goodes Trophy.
Jordan Dawson finished on 502 points to win the Peter Bedford Trophy for third place, with Tom Papley, 481, and Callum Mills, 475, rounding out the top five.
Lloyd joined the Swans through the 2013 Rookie Draft and soon made his mark, becoming the quickest Swan in history to reach 100 AFL games.
He won his first Bob Skilton Medal in 2018, after finishing runner up in the award in 2017.
Warracknabeal’s Alex Morcom has also won recognition for an outstanding season, finishing runner-up in Essendon’s vote count for this year’s VFLW season. The consistent defender scored 242 votes, 17 behind versatile youngster Eloise Ashley-cooper.
In other AFL news, Edenhope’s
Tom Mcdonald is the only Wimmera export left in the 2021 finals race.
His minor premier side Melbourne will meet Geelong at Optus Stadium in Perth in a preliminary final on Friday night.
The Cats advanced to the preliminary final with a one-point semifinal win over Brisbane Lions at the weekend, ending Horsham’s Jarrod Berry’s chance for a premiership.
Wimmera success
While community sport is currently banned in Victoria under COVID-19 restrictions, Wimmera footballers have been chasing success in other states.
Horsham’s Kye Chapple has won another AFL Cairns leading goalkicker accolade, booting 79 goals for Port Douglas Crocs in the 2021 home-and-away season.
Chapple won the same award in three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018, after relocating to Queensland.
The Crocs will meet Cairns City Lions on Saturday for a chance to advance to the grand final.
Cairns Saints has already pencilled in its spot in the decider after defeating the Crocs by 58 points in the second semi-final.
Horsham’s Ally Janetzki is also tasting success in Queensland, with her Noosa Tigers outfit winning the QFAW – Queensland Football As
sociation Women’s – division-two grand final at the weekend. The Tigers scored 4.4 (28) to triumph over Ipswich Eagles, 1.4 (10) to claim back-to-back flags.
Former Horsham Saints best and fairest and premiership player Sam Jasper will also vie for premiership glory, in the men’s counterpart, QAFL.
Jasper’s Broadbeach Cats will con
test the grand final on September 18 after upsetting minor premier Labrador in the second semi-final.
In South Australia, former Noradjuha-quantong footballer Dusty Cross is celebrating a Kangaroo Island Football League premiership.
Cross kicked three goals and was named second best in Wisanger A Grade’s 25-point win over Western Districts, 12.13 (85) to 8.12 (60).