WIDELY travelled Luke Tyrrell has taken out the 2009 Duncanson-Todd Medal awarded to the player adjudged best and fairest in the Pineapple Hotel Cup competition.
Tyrrell took the honours at the AFL Queensland second division’s gala presentation function in Brisbane on Monday night.
Tyrrell, a 27-year-old former SANFL player in his second year with the Noosa Tigers, missed the last 4 games of the season , yet did so well early in the early rounds he was able to hang on and take the coveted prize.
A midfielder or half-forward flanker, Tyrrell finished on 21 votes, one ahead of a three-strong group of on-ballers/midfielders in a count dominated by players from Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast clubs.
Equal runners-up on 20 votes were dual Medal winner Ryan White (Maroochy-Northshore), Mikal Bloom (Palm Beach-Currumbin) and Brad Scalzo (Surfers Paradise).
It was a case of good fortune for Tyrrell and not so good fortune for Bloom and Scalzo.
Bloom polled three umpires’ votes in the final round, but six weeks of inactivity before that – he was out with a broken hand - cost him.
Scalzo could have polled votes in the final round, but left the field after only 10 minutes in the match against Burleigh, thereby losing his chance for the individual prize.
White went ever so close to joining an elite group to have won three league best and fairests. The dreadlocked Maroochy star played most of the season under heavy tags, yet still almost snatched the Medal.
Burleigh’s on-baller Jesse Butt finished equal fifth on 18 votes, level with Travis Mills (Maroochy-Northshore), who in turn was one vote ahead of yet another Maroochy on-baller, former Sydney Swan Ben Mathews.
Leading vote catchers from the other clubs were: Wilston-Grange, Michael Rogers 11; Sandgate, Dan Dickfos 11; Coolangatta, Daniel Hawkins 10; Mayne, Andrew Housego 8; Springwood, Shane Murrihy 8.
Matthew Hicks finished on top for the goalkicking award, his 72 majors two ahead of Surfers Paradise’s Ben McEntee.
In reserve grade, Palm Beach-Currumbin utility Jhye Pearson won the Noel Wallis Medal in runaway fashion, polling 24 votes and finishing 10 ahead of Adam Thornton (Maroochy-Northshore).
Drew Hancock (Sandgate) and Jack Troedel (Noosa) shared third on 13, while Thornton won the goalkicking trophy for his season haul of 52.
And it was a big night for Sandgate, the northern Brisbane outfit claiming champion club honours for performance both on and off the field.
Last Modified on 22/03/2010 08:22