SHAUN Campbell produced one of the greatest vote-getting seasons in Central Highlands Football League history on his way to winning the prestigious Geoff Taylor Medal.
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The Ballan midfielder earned the honour of the competition's best and fairest with a runaway win over Hepburn’s Ricky Ferraro at Monday night's count.
Campbell's tally of 34 is the second highest winning total recorded in a single season throughout the league's history.
League records have Darley’s Peter Keep as the only player to have polled more in one year, with 38 way back in 1982.
Campbell was nine votes clear of Ferraro, with Springbank spearhead Paul McMahon a further three behind.
The 25-year-old Campbell said the triumph came as a surprise, despite believing he had produced a good season with his new club.
“I knew I had a good year, but I didn’t think I was much chance when I first signed here (Ballan),” Campbell told The Courier.
“Country footy in Victoria is obviously a good standard of footy and I just thought I’d be making up the numbers again.
“If you’d have told me I was going to win this at the start of the season, I would have told you to jump in the lake.”
Campbell, who was recruited from Ainslie this season, polled in a staggering 13 rounds throughout the campaign, including best-on-ground performances in 10 of those matches.
His victory is the first by a Ballan player since Simon Wilkie took out the award in 2002.
Meanwhile, Springbank's Ben Beasley and Gordon's Luke Toohey shared the reserves football best and fairest award.
The pair finished tied on 21 votes, with Newlyn's Jesse Eastwell three behind in third place.
In other news, the tribunal case looking into Springbank’s conduct at a junior hearing last week has been postponed until next Tuesday night, September 1.
GEOFF TAYLOR MEDAL
LEADERBOARD
34 – Shaun Campbell (Ballan)
25 – Ricky Ferraro (Hepburn)
22 – Paul McMahon (Springbank)
19 – Sam Turner (Buninyong)
17 – Brenton Powell (Learmonth)
17 – Tye Murphy (Gordon)
15 – Jarrod Morgan (Buninyong)
15 – Michael Cummings (D’ford)
15 – Ned Gilbert (Buninyong)