Panthers’ Gawley Best and Fairest in West Gippsland

KILCUNDA-Bass ruckman Dale Gawley claimed the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition Best and Fairest, seeing off joint runners-up Hayden Bruce of Phillip Island and Will Hams of Inverloch-Kongwak by four votes.

Gawley finished with 28 votes, with Bruce and Hams on 24 votes a piece.

The winner played 18 games for the season, continuing to impose himself on the contest on a regular basis, with his ruck dominance backed by athleticism and ball-winning ability around the ground.

He kicked nine goals for the year.

Panthers’ coach Lee Rowe used Gawley in the backline for a quarter here and there.

With Dean McRae helping out in the ruck this year, Gawley was also able to spend brief periods in the forward line.

“He’s undersized in height and bulk for some of the bigger ruckmen,” Rowe said of Gawley, noting he provides the advantage of doubling as a tall midfielder and is also highly proficient at ground level.

The coach said left footer Gawley has a knack for extricating himself from traffic.

“He’s really elusive and even when he is tackled he can still get his disposal off; they’ll be clinging onto him and he still gets the handball,” Rowe said.

Gawley is an expert at filling the hole, reading the flight of the ball to perfection and snavelling intercept marks.

Backing up his runner-up place in last year’s league Best and Fairest by going one better this time shows the consistently strong performance Gawley delivers.

Once he gets the Sherrin in hand, he uses it effectively with his damaging kicking ability.

Rowe said when one first sees Gawley play, his dour appearance belies his effort and commitment.

“You watch him for the first time and think he’s so laconic in the way he goes about it but he’s not wasting his time and reads the play perfectly,” the coach said.

While Rowe thought Gawley’s 2022 season was arguably just as good or better than this year’s campaign, the big man had to keep up his high level despite a greater focus on him from opposition teams in 2023.

It will be exciting to see what the big number 10 delivers in 2024.

Pilkington and Dixon share West Gippsland best award

INVERLOCH-Kongwak’s Renee Pilkington has claimed her third West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) A Grade best and fairest award, not bad considering there have only been six such honours awarded.

She shared the award, on 28 votes, with Korumburra-Bena defender Gemma Dixon, who continued the tradition of Giants’ players at the top of the competition.

Pilkington has dominated on the West Gippsland Netball Competition courts, since the league was reformed in 2017, winning in 2019, 2022 and now in 2023.

Dixon follows Christie Hillberg and Kimberley Hillberg who won for Korumburra-Bena in 2017 and 2021.

Gemma Dixon led by three votes going into the last round but Pilkington captured three votes in the Sea Eagles win over Phillip Island in round 18 to join Dixon at the top of the leaderboard.

The top 10 vote-getters in A Grade were Gemma Dixon (KBG) 28, Renee Pilkington (IK) 28, Talia Charalambides (KWR) 27, Ashlee Murphy (KWR) 25, Lanni Pryor (IK) 25, Kelsey Buxton 27,

Meaghan Winter (NNG) 17 and Dalyston trio Britt Thomas (16), Chloe Bramley (15) and Alana McRae (15).

The top-seven placegetters were also all selected in the 2023 WGFNC Team of the Year.

Top vote-getters in each grade: A Grade: Gemma Dixon Korumburra-Bena 28, Renee Pilkington Inverloch-Kongwak 28.

Other grades: B Grade Brooke Weatherhead Warragul Industrials 41. C Grade Oona Shepherd Dalyston 35. D Grade Prue Hansen Nar Nar Goon 32, 17 Under Lily Mewett Phillip Island 37. 15 Under Miley Schade Cora Lynn 34. 13 Under Brilee Howes Tooradin-Dalmore 41, 11 Under Arlow Hallinan Tooradin-Dalmore 37.