BFL juniors: Mounties dominate awards night

MT CLEAR juniors dominated the Robert Allan Medal stakes last night, while Bacchus Marsh midfielder Liam Duggan claimed his second Ballarat Junior Football League top honour.Southern Mounties Daniel Colbert (under-16.5) and Lachlan Taylor (under-12) joined Duggan (under-14) on the podium for the league's prestigious ''most potential'' awards.The Robert Allan Medal is based on opposition coaches' votes, best-on-grounds for interleague, state representation, All-Australian honours and umpire votes. Duggan won the medal as an under-12 footballer in 2008.He said it felt nice to add another to his collection at last night's gala dinner at the Mecure Ballarat.''It's good to be back up here again,'' Duggan said.''You put in a fair bit of hard work during the season. There's a lot of good competition in the room.''For Colbert, the medal was a good way to polish off his final BFL junior season.''This is a big surprise and means a lot,'' Colbert said.''The highlight (of junior football) has been playing with my team and having fun.''Colbert was on North Ballarat Rebels' under-16 development list this season and while he hoped to join the squad next year, he looked forward to beginning a senior career alongside his brother at Redan.Mounties' under-12 ruck-rover Lachlan Thornton captured the double honour in his age group as a clear Robert Allan medallist and capturing Lloyd Sims Trophy as under-12 best and fairest.''It's pretty exciting,'' Taylor said.''I am really surprised.''The accolades were Taylor's first league best-and-fairest honours.He polled 32 votes to win the Lloyd Sims Trophy ahead of Redan's Sam Short (25 votes).Taylor, a Buninyong Primary School pupil, was also recognised as a Victorian Schoolboys representative footballer.He is preparing to play under-12 senior finals for the Mounties this weekend.North Ballarat under-16 midfielder Josh Bromley-Lynch polled 25 votes to claim a narrow Gordon Wise Memorial Trophy count.Redan's Jack Wilson and Bacchus Marsh's Matt Denham tied for runner-up.Bromley-Lynch dedicated the award, his first league best and fairest, to his team mates.''They were just as much a part of this trophy,'' Bromley-Lynch said.''We finished on top and are really looking forward to finals.''A best on ground in the final round sealed the Keith Rawle Memorial Trophy for Ballarat rover Elliott Gepp in the BFL under-14s.Gepp (28 votes) edged out Robert Allan medallist Liam Duggan for the award by one vote.The young Swan claimed eight best-on-ground performances in a stellar season and Gepp said the win felt ''pretty good''.