SUANFC enjoyed a successful night at the 2016 NEAFL Awards, with Students awarded Team of the Year honours.
The 2016 NEAFL Awards Night took place at the Doltone House in Sydney last night, with guests and officials from all 10 sides enjoying a great night, which saw numerous Students’ recognised for their contributions to the competition in 2016.
4 SUANFC Players, including 2015 NEAFL MVP Tom Young, Matt Rawlinson, Will Sierakowski and Jake Derickx were awarded NEAFL Team of the Year honours following great season’s for the blue & gold hoops.
Young, the 2015 NEAFL MVP fell short of consecutive awards, settling for equal third place with Southport’s Andrew Boston behind the likes of the 2016 MVP Matt Payne (Aspley) and Jordan Harper (Canberra).
Rawlinson averaged 25 disposals and led the competition in clearances as the inside midfielder looks to defend his Timothy Driscoll Medal in 2016, while Sierakowski was vital to the Students’ backline, averaging a fraction over 18 disposals and 5 marks a game.
Derickx finished third in the NEAFL Goalkicking Award behind eventual winner Darren Ewing (NT Thunder) and James Stewart (UWS Giants). Kicking 43 goals for the season, Derickx fell agonizingly short of second place following an 8-goal performance by the Giants’ Stewart against the Lions on Saturday.
Former Collingwood rookie Michael Manteit narrowly missed out on the 2016 Rising Star , as Redland’s Hayden Bertoli-Simmonds won the Bombers’ their third consecutive award in the U/21 field. Manteit earned the Round 2 Rising Star nomination following 23 disposals, 3 goals and 7 marks against reigning premiers NT Thunder at Blacktown International Sportspark.
For some NEAFL sides, the night marked the end of their 2016 season. As for SUANFC representatives, it was an early night as the Daniel Gilmore and his side prepare for this Saturday’s elimination final against the Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown.
You can keep up to date with the latest news surrounding the build up to this weekend’s match by bookmarking the SUANFC website.
