Crea takes top honour ahead of Bazzano

 

By Teo Pellizzeri

October 8 2008

Shepparton News

Cobram Victory's Joseph Crea can lay claim to outpolling North Eastern Soccer League best and fairest Frank Bazzano after winning Victory's top individual honour at the weekend.

Bazzano might have received the league's top gong, but Crea also had an outstanding season for the runners-up of men's division one, finishing equal top-scorer with 14 goals for the season.

However, the league best and fairest in the women's league was mirrored at Victory's count, as Georgia Oudeman took out the award with last year's winner Hayley Cornish runner-up.

Connor Campbell capped his first year in black and white by winning Shepparton South's best and fairest at the weekend.

Campbell led for most of the count as he held off Luke Nardella and Greg Nash in a tie for second, 49 votes to 40.

The Scottish import won a premiership with Shepparton last season before moving to South for this year's campaign, scoring three goals from midfield.

The pick of Campbell's goals came in the elimination final, putting South in front in the last 10 minutes of the match, only for the Southerners to be equalised by Shepparton United and then lose on penalty kicks.

South's top award in the women's league went to Beth Kilmartin, who leapfrogged Brittany Patafio and last year's co-winner Maddy McGuffie in the final round of the season.

Patafio fell just four votes short of completing a best and fairest double in the junior girls and senior women, finishing with 53 votes behind McGuffie on 54 and Kilmartin on 57.

Tatura's best and fairest was dominated by a pair of first-year players as defender Terry Kappadais edged out Carmelo Bazzano for the Ibises' top award.

Tatura endured a tough season in defence as it failed to keep a clean sheet in 15 games, but its race for the finals still went right down to the last day of the home and away season.

Mikayla Lia was the best and fairest for the Tatura women, winning the award from Sophie Findlay, who played regularly with the Bendigo Vipers' reserves in women's state league before breaking into the senior women's premier league by the end of the season.

There were no surprises in the vote counts for open women at Kyabram and Numurkah, with high-fliers Anna Campanelli and Stacey Tomasino taking out the respective best and fairests.

Campanelli surprised the competition with her equal fourthplaced finish in the league count in what was a winless season, her win in the Go-Annas' club award providing no shocks.

Tomasino was the Numurkah women's shining light scoring 14 of the Knights' 24 goals.

Shepparton, Shepparton United and Cobram will all hold their club awards in the near future.