WILLIAN CLAIMS GEOFF TAYLOR MEDAL
Skipton joint coach and midfielder Sam Willian is the Central Highlands Football League senior best and fairest.
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He became Skipton's second consecutive winner of the Geoff Taylor Medal on Wednesday night, following in the footsteps of Mitch Gilbert.
Willian polled 30 votes - four more than of Hepburn ruckman Sean Tighe. Dunnstown ruckman Khyle Forde was another three votes back on 23.
Willian finished the season with a rush, receiving 11 votes from a possible 12 in his last four appearances.
Forde was an early pacesetter with 10 votes in the opening six rounds, including two best-on-grounds, but did not get among them between rounds 12 and 17.
Tighe secured the runner-up position after getting eight votes in the last four rounds.
Willian, who finished equal fifth in the Taylor Medal last year, has played with Skipton for two seasons after being recruited from North Ballarat in the Ballarat Football League.
He played his early junior football with East Ballarat before going to North Ballarat for under-18.5s.
Willian is in his second season coaching Skipton in partnership with Andrew Pitson.
They have led the Emus into just their second CHFL finals series and at the weekend took them to their first finals win at the expense of Waubra in an elimination final.
Skipton now faces Springbank in a semi-final at Waubra on Saturday.
Ben Horne from Daylesford is the reserves best and fairest. He polled 23 votes to win by nine.
OMEARA GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN NETBALL BEST AND FAIREST
Rokewood-Corindhap's Kate Omeara has won her second consecutive Central Highlands Netball League A grade best and fairest award in just her second season with the Hoppers.
She polled 43 votes through 16 games for the Hoppers, finishing a whopping 16 votes clear of Learmonth's Shianne Milera who polled 27 votes.
Omeara was a regular feature in the best players, polling votes in all 16 games with 11 best-on-court performances as her Hoppers enjoyed a sensational home-and-away season.
Rokewood-Corindhap lost just two matches en route to a fourth-place finish to earn a double chance in finals.
Omeara joined the Hoppers from North Warrnambool before the 2021 Central Highlands Netball League season and has been one of the key reasons behind her side's success.
She began the season with five straight best-on-court performances to hold a five-vote advantage over Learmonth's Claire Blower through five rounds.
As Omeara's red-hot star rolled on, so too did her Hoppers', as Rokewood-Corindhap started the season on a six-game winning streak before losing to Learmonth in round seven.
Omeara increased her lead to a remarkable 12-vote advantage by round 12 as Learmonth's Shianne Milera and Claire Blower began to share the votes for the Lakies.
Following a seven-point loss to undefeated Buninyong in round 10, in which Omeara still polled two votes, Rokewood-Corindhap ended the season on a six-game winning streak, with no win as important as its round 16 triumph over Springbank to clinch a top-four spot.
Rokewood-Corindhap prepares for a semi-final clash against Beaufort, after suffering a heavy qualifying final defeat to minor premiers Buninyong.
The Hoppers and the Crows went head-to-head as recently as round 17, with Rokewood-Corindhap winning by 31 points and Omeara earning best-on-court honours for the 11th time this season.
Learmonth's dynamic duo of Shianne Milera and Claire Blower finished second and third in the count with 27 and 26 votes, respectively.
Dunnstown's Paris Shrive claimed the B grade best and fairest in a nail-biting count, finishing two votes ahead of Buninyong's Caitlin Hughes on 21 votes.
TIGHE WINS THE COURIER'S CHFL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hepburn ruckman Sean Tighe is The Courier CHFL player of the year.
He polled 104 votes across the Burras' 16 games to finish 20 clear of Waubra's Jame Lukich.
Tighe figured among the votes on 14 occasions.
In his first season with Hepburn, he has been a dominant tap ruckman and instrumental in the Burras reaching a preliminary final.
Mitch Banner lured Tighe to Hepburn after landing the senior coaching role this season.
Their association goes back a decade when they played together at South Fremantle in the WAFL and then again alongside each other at Williamstown in the VFL for a few years.
Tighe and Dunnstown ruckman Khyle Forde vied for the lead in the award for most of the season.
However, missing one match and then a late season bye resulted in Forde losing touch.,
Lukich charged late after picking up just one vote in the opening three rounds.
LEADING VOTEGETTERS
104-Sean Tighe
84-James Lukich
78-Khyle Forde
69-Jarrod Rodgers
61-Andrew McKay
56-Todd Finco
55-Will Green
54-Will Henderson
52-Stephen Staunton
51-Sam Willian
50-Adam Toohey
You can check out who was there in our gallery here.
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