By David Nagel
Tooradin-Dalmore midfielder Brent Macaffer and Inverloch-Kongwak goal defence Renee Pilkington are the toast of the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) after claiming the 2022 league best and fairest awards.
The awards were streamed online via WGFNC socials, with both the senior football and A Grade netball counts both coming down to the wire.
A premiership player with Collingwood in 2010, Macaffer clinched the award with a three-vote performance against Nar Nar Goon in round 17.
It was the twelfth game Macaffer had polled in and took him four votes clear of Kilcunda-Bass ruckman Dale Gawley and five ahead of Phillip Island’s reigning back-to-back medallist Cam Pedersen.
Gawley was the only one of the three to poll votes in round 18, finishing on 22 votes, three behind Macaffer on 25 and two clear of Pedersen on 20.
In A Grade netball, Pilkington claimed her second league best and fairest award after a stirring battle with Bunyip wing defence Ally Johnson.
Johnson held a two-vote margin over Pilkington after round 13, with 21 votes on the board to Pilkington’s 19, with both players polling a maximum three votes on five occasions.
Pilkington tied things away with two votes against Tooradin-Dalmore in round 14, and then polled five votes to four over the concluding rounds to win with 26 votes, one clear of Johnson who ran third in the B Grade medal last year.
Johnson pulled level with Pilkington in the final round, before the Inverloch-Kongwak star polled one vote against Nar Nar Goon to add a second medal to her first success in 2019.
Pilkington’s Inverloch teammate, Lanni Pryor, finished outright third on 18 votes after a stunning season through the midcourt.
Pilkington and the Sea Eagles take on Tooradin-Dalmore in Saturday’s preliminary final at Dalyston, while Macaffer is already focussed on helping Tooradin break a 25-year premiership drought after earning direct qualification for the big dance in the second semi-final against Phillip Island last week.
Macaffer spoke to Star News after the match, becoming totally engrossed in the club’s history.
“It’s amazing, we qualified in top spot and we’ve touched on it the last few weeks, about the history of the club and the rough years that some of the guys have been through – 25 years without a premiership is a long time,” Macaffer said.
“You can see in the rooms how much it means to everyone around the club.
“I’ve been here not even 12 months, but you get caught up in it, it’s such a welcoming club and we just want to do it so bad for the club and the community at Tooradin.”
Macaffer, who has experienced the greatest high in the game, said winning a premiership with the Seagulls would be equally as satisfying as his AFL success with the Pies.
“It’s the same feeling, that AFL grand final was 12 years ago now and I haven’t tasted it since, and I’m not getting any younger, I’m 34, so this would mean just as much,” he said.
“I was 22 then and probably didn’t appreciate it as much, but now that I’m getting older it would mean everything, I want it so bad.”
Macaffer and Pilkington were the star-quality winners on the night, but the most exciting count occurred in the 17-under netball competition.
Kooweerup’s Chantelle Stokkel, Korumburra-Bena’s Felicity Fox and Bunyip’s Lainey Downie all finished on 24 votes in a three-way tie for the award.
Trophies for all league medal winners, as well as other individual and Team of the Year awards, will be presented at the WGFNC Presentation Night at the Warragul Greyhound Club this Monday, 5 September.
FOOTBALL
SENIORS – TOP 20
PLAYER CLUB VOTES
Brent Macaffer Tooradin-Dalmore 25
Dale Gawley Kilcunda Bass 22
Cameron Pedersen Phillip Island 20
Mitchell Cammarano Kooweerup 16
Eamon Trigg Nar Nar Goon 16
Oscar Toussaint Inverloch-Kongwak 15
Corey Casey Inverloch-Kongwak 15
Adam Oxley Tooradin-Dalmore 15
Trent Armour Nar Nar Goon 14
Nathan Allen Bunyip 12
Jeconiah Peni Nar Nar Goon 12
Dermott Yawney Nar Nar Goon 12
William Papley Bunyip 11
Heath Briggs Cora Lynn 11
Nathan Gardiner Cora Lynn 11
Ethan Park Inverloch-Kongwak 11
Nathan Foote Kilcunda Bass 11
Jaymie Youle Phillip Island 11
Brendan Kimber Phillip Island 11
Blake Grewar Tooradin-Dalmore 11
Nic Visser Warragul Industrials 11
Piva Wright Tooradin-Dalmore 11
RESERVES
Luke Foreman Cora Lynn 26
Jarrod Hamling Nar Nar Goon 14
Jordan Thomas Inverloch-Kongwak 12
Joshua Wright Dalyston 12
THIRDS
Ben Sellings Tooradin-Dalmore 23
Oliver Sail Cora Lynn 18
Bayley Tytler Nar Nar Goon 17
FOURTHS
Max Donohue Korumburra-Bena 24
Ethan Marson Bunyip 20
Alixzander Tauru Warragul Industrials 19
NETBALL
A GRADE – TOP 20
Inverloch-Kongwak Renee Pilkington 26
Bunyip Ally Johnson 25
Inverloch-Kongwak Lanni Pryor 18
Nar Nar Goon Chantelle Dale 15
Tooradin-Dalmore Alex Maher 15
Cora Lynn Rhiannon Haines 14
Korumburra-Bena Gemma Dixon 14
Bunyip Chloe Papley 13
Dalyston Chloe Bramley 13
Bunyip Jasmin Mackie 12
Nar Nar Goon Meaghan Winter 12
Tooradin-Dalmore Alex Duff 12
Cora Lynn Danielle Cameron 11
Dalyston Grace McRae 11
Tooradin-Dalmore Ebony Dolan 11
Cora Lynn Maddison Taylor 9
Dalyston Alana McRae 9
Kooweerup Jayda McConkey 9
Phillip Island Christie Edwards 9
Warragul Industrials Lara Commadeur 9
B GRADE
Taylor Beck Nar Nar Goon 28
Emma Felsovary Bunyip 25
Millie Sadler Inverloch-Kongwak 19
Rebecca Kinna Tooradin-Dalmore 19
C GRADE
Sam Hume Inverloch-Kongwak 28
Steph Krainer Phillip Island 28
Natalia Dijkstra Bunyip 26
D GRADE
Sindy Boyd Inverloch-Kongwak 30
Emma Main Dalyston 28
India Crawford Nar Nar Goon 26
17 UNDER
Chantelle Stokkel Kooweerup 24
Felicity Fox Korumburra-Bena 24
Lainey Downie Bunyip 24
15 UNDER
Maya Huther Phillip Island 27
Mackenna Whiteside Korumburra-Bena 26
Chelsea Fox Korumburra-Bena 23
Serena Dickson Nar Nar Goon 23
13 UNDER
Tiahli Dedigama Nar Nar Goon 45
Aisha Hibbert Phillip Island 35
Lilly Csincsi Tooradin-Dalmore 31
11 UNDER
Ciara Santorini Phillip Island 24
Ashlee Spark Inverloch-Kongwak 20
Kealey Trewavis Kilcunda Bass 20
