Benalla's Xavier Wapling and Mooroopna's Jayden Thorne tied in the Pattison Medal vote count. Photo: GVL
The Goulburn Valley League anointed its top junior players in a first-of-its-kind vote count at MOVE at the weekend.
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The league’s future stars were granted their own ceremony separate from the senior version that took place in September, with the GVL’s under-18 football and under-15 and under-17 netballers crowned.
The Pattison Medal count ended in a tie for the first time in eight years, with Benalla’s Xavier Wapling and Mooroopna’s Jayden Thorne sharing the under-18 best-and-fairest award.
GVL interleague representatives this season, Cats’ co-captain Thorne was brutally consistent in his vote-getting, featuring in his side’s best players on 14 occasions and playing a key role in their journey to finals.
Thorne is Mooroopna’s first Pattison Medallist since Cody Tancred in 2014, and his Benalla compatriot can also lay claim to breaking his clubs lengthy drought in the award.
Powerful Saints star Wapling has been one of the club’s ever-present performers in the age bracket, booting 20 goals for the season and starring in 16 of his 19 games.
He’s Benalla’s first league medal-winner in the age group in 24 years and is poised to be a key piece of the Saints future, adding the Pattison Medal to back-to-back under-18 MVP’s.
Echuca’s Baxter Cowley (21 votes) and Shepparton’s Cody Montgomery (20) rounded out the udner-18 podium.
Shepparton's Frankie Ewart in action during the under-17 grand final.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Meanwhile, Shepparton’s Frankie Ewart made it a three-peat of the club’s winners to claim the Carol Ryan Medal.
The under-17s top award belonged to the star Bear, who polled 32 votes in a season that saw her take her side to the grand final.
Ewart’s influence saw her rewarded with A-grade experience throughout the season, earmarking her as one to watch as a star on the court.
Echuca’s Kate Head and Bears midcourter Scarlet Byers tied three votes behind to finish joint runner-up, while Tatura’s Heidi Moon rounded out the podium.
In the under-15 count, Shepparton United’s Georgia Robertson was a runaway winner in the Jacqui Hudgson Medal.
The industrious midcourt star claimed the award with 34 votes, eight clear of Rochester’s Mila Cottam to bring another league medal to Deakin Reserve.
Mansfield’s Lara Klingsporn finished third with 25 votes.
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