Bell Post Hill captain Jack Yates has used an impressive mid-season run to become the first player to win consecutive Neville Whitley medals as GDFNL best-and-fairest in nearly a quarter of a century.
The inspirational leader polled 22 votes – two less than last year – to narrowly edge out Winchelsea star Indi Parish on 20 votes.
Ineligible Werribee Centrals skipper Michael Culliver, who served a one-match suspension mid-season, polled the third-highest amount of votes, finishing on 18.
Thomson captain Jordan Camm, who went in as pre-count favourite, Belmont Lions midfielder Michael Murdoch, and Parish’s brother Fin each finished on 16 votes.
Parish was eligible to win the medal despite accepting a reprimand for an incident during the home-and-away season.
Yates is the first back-to-back winner since Clayton Trotter took out top honours in 2001 with Anakie and 2002 with Inverleigh.
Thomson great Tim Gardiner, in 1996-7, is the only other player to win in consecutive years since the medal was named after the legendary former president of the competition in the early 1990s.
Other two-time winners of the Whitley Medal include Ricky O’Toole and Matt James.
Yates, who was also named captain of the Team of the Year, attracted three votes in the Round 2 win over Anakie to get his night going.
However, it was a run from rounds 5-11 that proved vital in the 29-year-old’s success.
He polled 16 of a possible 21 votes, which included best-on-ground performances against North Geelong in Round 5, Belmont Lions (Round 7), and Corio (Round 11), to open up a five-vote gap on Indi Parish and Culliver.
Parish closed to within a vote after polling one vote in the win over Bell Post Hill in Round 14.
However, Yates added one vote to his tally in Round 15 and two in Round 16, while Parish was unable to improve his total, giving the Panther a four-vote buffer that would prove enough with two rounds remaining.
Earlier in the night, Anakie’s Josh Mawason claimed the Athlete’s Foot MVP award, Winchelsea’s Cam Primmer received the Wayne Tyquin Medal as leading goalkicker, and Corio’s Jay Blackney was crowned Rookie of the Year.
Winchelsea’s Jackson Smith won his second Ivan Tansing Medal as reserve-grade best-and-fairest.
He previously won the award in 2015.
X: @krockfootball
CLUB-BY-CLUB VOTES
ANAKIE
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 12 – Brad Gerrard |
| 8 – Joshua Mawson |
| 8 – Luke Dahlhaus |
| 2 – Daniel Harms |
| 2 – Jack Moylan |
| 1 – Sam Hoffman |
BANNOCKBURN
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 15 – Connor Jervies |
| 13 – Henry Hawker |
| 6 – Rhys Ginn |
| 5 – Austin Mahoney |
| 4 – Tristan Battaglia |
| 3 – Jayme Rekers |
| 2 – Jackson Gorman |
| 2 – Alex Beardsell |
| 2 – Brodie Harding |
| 1 – Aaron Seller |
| 1 – Ryan Bowdern |
BELL POST HILL
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 22 – Jack Yates |
| 13 – Brock Carter |
| 7 – Banjo Hickey |
| 6 – Nick Costello |
| 6 – Dylan Witney |
| 3 – Ethan Coffey |
| 2 – Daniel Banister |
| 2 – Nick Flaccavento |
| 2 – Tim Barton |
| 1 – Jed Saunders |
| 1 – Lachlan Wilson |
| 1 – Lachlan Verschuren |
BELMONT LIONS
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 16 – Michael Murdoch |
| 13 – Jak Evans |
| 10 – Ben McPherson |
| 7 – Noah Houtsma |
| 6 – James Beasley |
| 4 – Brock Mahoney |
| 3 – James Grohmann |
| 3 – Will Maclean |
| 2 – Jed Evans |
| 2 – Josh Wilson |
| 2 – Sean Hogan |
| 2 – Lachlan Slorach |
| 1 – Jake Wood |
| 1 – Bradley Michell |
| 1 – Braeden Eddy |
CORIO
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 6 – Matthew Jelenic |
| 5 – Jack Hall |
| 4 – Tom McMahon |
| 3 – Jack Evans |
| 3 – Dylan Cefai |
| 2 – Blake Ash |
| 2 – Herschelle Carr |
| 2 – Cooper Shoebridge |
| 2 – Jack Green |
EAST GEELONG
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 12 – Caleb Ezard |
| 12 – John McIntyre |
| 11 – Ben Crombie |
| 9 – Zac Smith |
| 6 – Matthew Kasparian |
| 5 – Jeremy Ollis |
| 3 – Lachlan Zimmer |
| 3 – Andrew Steele |
| 3 – Will Hough |
| 3 – Sam Purdy |
| 2 – Jake McLean |
| 1 – Ross Symonds |
| 1 – Ben Mulvahil |
| 1 – Benjamin Flintoff |
GEELONG WEST
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 4 – Brayden Mitchell |
INVERLEIGH
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 8 – Mason Dickson |
| 8 – Josh Viney |
| 6 – Boe Collins |
| 5 – Zachary Plant |
| 5 – Adam Donohue |
| 5 – Dalton Grundell |
| 4 – Jarrod Love |
| 4 – Brayden Warren |
| 3 – David Peel |
| 3 – Jarod Bacon |
| 3 – Will Stoney |
| 3 – Luke Wilson |
| 2 – Noah Sneskov |
| 1 – Ethan Floyd |
| 1 – Casey Meehan |
NORTH GEELONG
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 13 – Thomas Schwennesen |
| 13 – Cooper Vaughan |
| 11 – Osca Riccardi |
| 8 – Boston Riccardi |
| 7 – Damian Fazio |
| 3 – Ben O’Brien |
| 3 – Luke Parker |
| 3 – Rory Desnoy |
| 2 – Thomas Davis |
| 2 – Charlie Smith |
| 1 – Jorden Bertucci |
THOMSON
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 16 – Jordan Camm |
| 6 – Jed Hanneysee |
| 3 – Jasper Blair |
| 2 – Zachary Rochow-O’Toole |
| 2 – Paul Davis |
| 1 – Samuel Jacka |
| 1 – Caleb Eden |
WERRIBEE CENTRALS
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 18 – Michael Culliver* |
| 10 – Aaron Stone |
| 8 – Tate Camilleri |
| 6 – Daryl Chesterman |
| 5 – Tyler Crennan |
| 3 – Connor Linehan-Cunningham |
| 3 – Blake Taylor |
| 3 – Carmelo Saliba |
| 3 – Kur Kur |
| 2 – Jack Stephenson |
| 2 – Josh MacDonald |
| 2 – Darcy Phillips |
| 1 – Bryce Linehan-Cunningham |
| 1 – Matthew Watt |
| 1 – Damian Williams |
| 1 – Liam Robinson |
WINCHELSEA
| Votes – Player |
|---|
| 20 – Indiana Parish |
| 16 – Finlay Parish |
| 12 – Cameron Primmer |
| 5 – Jack Sampi |
| 5 – Cassidy Parish |
| 4 – Jordan Gould |
| 4 – Oliver Mahncke |
| 2 – Bailey Mumberson |
| 2 – Rueben James |
| 1 – Ryan Williams |
