Shari Wakefield
Sydney University Australian Football Club midfielder Brydon Coles was awarded the 2009 Phelan Medal at the annual Sydney AFL awards held at Doltone House in Pyrmont last night.
Coles polled two votes in the Students’ final round victory over UNSW-Eastern Suburbs to overtake Pennant Hills co-captain Alastair Richardson who had led the count from Round 14 after polling three consecutive Best on Ground votes.
The 20-year-old polled 19 votes to defeat Richardson by one with Wollongong midfielder/forward Ken Ewen-Chappel a further three votes away in third position.
The Sydney University club was well represented with three players being named in the Sydney AFL Team of the Year – Mark Egan, Ben Mankarious and Coles.
And Tom Young won the NAB Rising Star award for Sydney AFL – a magnificent achievement given the limited games he was available to play due to representative duties.
Sydney University young gun Thomas Aitken was the leading goal-kicker in the Under 18 Challenge Cup.
The awards capped off a very successful few days for Sydney University on the back of the Under 18s and Division 4 Reds taking out their respective premierships at the weekend.