Mitch Conn has been named the 2017 Eric Lines Medallist as the Best and Fairest Development League Player; polling 30 votes at the annual Coburg FC awards night on Thursday at Melrose Receptions.
Conn played 11 games in the Development League before joining the Seniors as 23rd man in round 15, and finished just two votes ahead of runner up Jack Sandric, and five ahead of third-placed Cameron McRorie.
While his acceptance speech was short and sweet, he was still very grateful to be receiving the award, thanking Head Coach Paul “PK” Kennedy first for all his hard work and efforts throughout the year.
“I just want you to know this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve ever had; everyone was always working together to get better, so thankyou PK,” he said.
“And to the boys: it would’ve been nice to finish off the season the way that we wanted, and it wasn’t easiest, but it was still a good season.”
In their round 14 clash with Sandringham, Conn was named best-on-ground by Head Coach Paul “PK” Kennedy for his performance in defence on Ben Long.
“Mitch has shown incredible improvement this year, from a purely attacking defender to one who can beat high-quality opponents one-on-one,” the Head Coach said.
This saw Conn also rewarded with his first senior guernsey the week after, and had an effective run with the Seniors; averaging 14 disposals, seven handball receives and three marks per game.
Looking forward to what next year will bring, Conn will go down in Coburg FC history as the final player to win the Eric Lines Medal in the Best and Fairest, with this year seeing the end of the Development League competition.
The top 10 polling players were:
- Mitch Conn (30 votes)
- Jack Sandric (28)
- Cameron McRorie (25)
- Daman Aujla (23)
- Michael Ercolano (23)
- Matt Merlo (23)
- Billy Cannolo (21)
- Zak Wunhym (20)
- Jackson McDonald (20)
- Karl Brown (19)
- James el Moussalli (19)
Thursday’s annual Best and Fairest night also saw other players, staff members, and supporters recognised for their hard work and contribution to the club.
The remaining award winners were as follows:
- Trevor Price Team Spirit Award – Ryan Exon
- Jeff Angwin Most Courageous – Keenan Posar
- Nick Carnell Leadership Award – Nathan Blair
- Phil Cleary Rising Star Award – Luke Bunker
- Leading Goalkicker Award – Peter McEvoy
- McGann Family Award – Leigh and Kaylene Allan
- Graham Douglas Clubperson of the Year award – Adam Paterson
- Lloyd Moss Trophy – Brendan Russell
- Terrace Player of the Year – Liam Hunt
Bringing a bit of humour to the night, the inaugural ‘Trainers Awards’ were also handed out where the trainers selected their recipients based on the overall season.
These winners were as follows:
- Trainer of the Year: Karen Friesen
- Mr Nice Guy: Mitch Betson
- Mr Fussy Eater: Sam Lowson
- Mr Best Friend: Tom Goodwin
- Mr Sunshine: Nick Dodge
- Mr Stylish: Nathan Blair
We thank all of our members, staff, sponsors, and supporters for their support and commitment during the 2017 season. Stay in touch with us over the off-season via our social media, and phone the club on (03) 9354 8228 to arrange membership for next year.
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Image courtesy of Kadek Thatcher Photography.
