Macaffer and Pilkington cream of the crop

Brent Macaffer and Renee Pilkington have claimed top individual honours in the WGFNC in 2022. 297144 Pictures: STEWART CHAMBERS

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