Mt Clear's Charlie Molan capped off an ultra consistent season by taking out the Ballarat Football Netball League under-14 seniors best and fairest.
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He polled votes in 15 of 16 rounds - only missing out in the last home and away game.
Molan was judged best-on-ground 11 times and polled two votes on four occasions.
Despite his dominance in the count at the Robert Allan Medal presentation dinner at Mercure Ballarat on Monday night, Felix Fogaty from East Point finished just six votes away in second place.
Fogaty had just five votes after fives rounds and then made his charge. In an equally impressive season he received votes in 14 rounds, including eight threes.
Molan was rapt to win such an award and while he thought he had a quality season, he paid tribute to his teammates – in particular a strong midfield group.
“It’s a good award to have, pretty stoked about it,” Molan said.
“I was pretty happy with it (the season), not just me, but the whole team – we’ve had a good year.
“I was still a bit nervous about how it was going to go.”
It was a big night for the Molan family as Charlie’s brother, Alex, joined him as the under-12 Robert Allan Medalist – Charlie also won the goal-kicking award. While their father, Tom, won the junior administrator of the year award, sharing it with East Point’s David Edwards.
In the under-16.5 best and fairest, Lake Wendouree’s Charlie Lloyd claimed the trophy, one that caught him completely off guard. Lloyd felt he had a reasonable season, but gave himself no chance of polling the 26 votes that saw him finish six votes clear of Darley’s Blake Colley.
“Coming into the night I did not think I had a chance at all,” he said.
“I only expected to poll, maybe 12 votes, nothing like 26, so I’m very taken aback by that. My first half of the year was better than my last half, so I didn’t think it would end up they way it did.
North Ballarat’s Riely Ranieri and East Point’s Nick Stevens were awarded the Ballarat Football Netball League under-16.5 senior Robert Allan medal.
The pair polled 14 points each in the award which sees coaches vote on their top three players from opposing sides, interleague and state representative matches are also taken into consideration. Lake Wendouree’s Ned Nash came in third with 13 points.
In the under-14s, Charlie Molan of Mt Clear backed up his under-14 best and fairest award by claiming the Robert Allan Medal on 30 points – eight points clear of East Point’s Felix Fogaty.
Mt Clear’s Alexander Molan was awarded the under-12 Robert Allan medal with 16 points, Cobras’ Ethan McKercher polling 12 points.
In the netball, the 17/under Most Valuable Player award was shared between Darley’s Melanie Freeman and North Ballarat’s Madison Selmon – both polling 23 votes.
Lakers’ Charlotte Todd edged out Darley’s Jaimee Smith by one vote for the 15/under MVP. East Point’s Milly Sharp was a runaway MVP, polling 26 votes – 11 clear of Lakers’ Rosie Todd.
Melanie Freeman and Jaimee Smith completed a BFNL junior netball best and fairest double for Darley on Monday night.
Freeman took out the 17/under seniors award with 23 votes, while Smith topped the voting in the 15/under seniors on 25.
Freeman and Mia Conlan (Lake Wendouree) were level with two rounds to go in the count. Freeman took the lead in round 15 before a last round bye. Smith finished strongly with 14 votes in Darley's last five games.
Freeman was shocked to take out the award having missed a handful of matches. Freeman sprained her ankle prior to round one, but still managed a stellar season.
A surprised Freeman joked she came to the night expecting a “good feed” rather than a trophy.
“I came here to enjoy the night, get a good feed,“ Freeman laughed.
“I can’t believe it because I was on crutches for the first three or four games.”
Scarlett Eason from East Point was voted the best player in the 13/under seniors on 25. She had just one vote to spare from Lucy Taylor (Bacchus Marsh).