A LATE-season hand injury probably cost stylish Palm Beach-Currumbin rover Mikal Bloom the Duncanson-Todd Medal that goes to the Pineapple Hotel Cup’s best and fairest player.
Bloom was out of action for six weeks with a broken thumb, yet missed out on the Duncanson-Todd by a single vote.
On Saturday, after a wonderful performance for the Lions against Noosa, Bloom was named Ray Poulter Medallist after PBC downed the Tigers by 29 points at Fisherman’s Road.
On many occasions a lot of critics disagree with grand-final best-on-ground recipients, yet in Bloom’s case it was an honour few argued this one was not warranted.
It certainly came as just reward for Bloom, who on Saturday completed his third season with Palm Beach-Currumbin, where he was the club’s best and fairest in 2007.
“It wasn’t easy,” declared Bloom as team-mates, officials and fans celebrated a premiership win against one of the toughest oppositions going around.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing them (Noosa) in round one or on grand final they, it’s always tough,” he said.
Well aware that Noosa may again target players such as Bloom, the Lions coaching panel wisely kept him away from the furnace that was the opening centre bounce when bodies went flying in all directions.
Bloom, instead, was posted up forward and spent the opening period running up the ground to create opportunities.
This was probably due to an incident in the second semi-final against Noosa at Salk Oval.
“I copped one two weeks ago off Trompfy (Noosa ruckman Peter Trompf). He got my nose nice and good.
“But I stayed out of trouble today.”
Bloom, now 24, rose through the TAC Cup ranks in Victoria with the Murray Bushrangers, then had a stint in the VFL with Port Melbourne before heading north to take up a PE course at university.
“Yes, I guess this is some compensation for missing that one (the Duncanson-Todd medal) but, don’t worry, I’d rather have this medal around my neck (the premiership medal,” he said.
Bloom revealed he is content to stay with PBC rather than have a crack at division one with one of the three Gold Coast cubs.
“I’m pretty happy at Palm Beach. I’ve played at the higher level, so now I enjoy training just two nights a week,” he said.
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