Geelong midfielder George Stevens has capped a standout individual season at VFL level by winning the JJ Liston Trophy.
The out-of-contract Cats rookie shared the medal with Frankston’s Trent Mynott in unusual circumstances, with the pair polling the third-highest number of votes.
They finished on 22, four behind Port Melbourne’s Ben Hobbs on 26 and three adrift of 2025 winner Jacob Dawson (Southport) on 25.
However, Hobbs and Dawson were ineligible to win the award after both served a suspension during the home-and-away season.
Stevens, who made two AFL appearances, polled in 10 of a possible 16 matches, which included five best-on-ground performances.
The 21-year-old, who joins James Byrne (2007) and Jordan Schroeder (2013) as winners of the Liston, also finished third in the VFL Coaches MVP award.
Stevens was one of three Geelong players named in the team of the year, along with Nathan Kreueger and fellow AFL-listed midfielder Mitch Knevitt.
Mark Corrigan, who has guided the Cats into their first grand final in 13 years, was named coach.
Anakie-aligned big man Ajang Kuol mun was named as ruckman after a standout season for Werribee.
Meanwhile, the form that earned Annie Lee a spot on Geelong’s AFLW list as a replacement for Georgie Rankin was reflected by her selection in the VFLW team of the year.
She was joined in the team by former Geelong Falcon Renee Tierney, who was named on the bench after impressing with grand finalists North Melbourne-Werribee.
And Torquay product Stella Huxtable put the disappointment of going undrafted at the end of 2025 behind her, claiming the Debbie Lee Medal as VFLW Rising Star following a standout season with Collingwood.
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