Wallan’s Steve Boyall thought his football days could have been over after a serious knee injury in 2023.
Boyall had claimed the Bowen Medal in 2022 and had another strong Riddell District Football League season in 2023,
A knee injury ended his season just before finals and wiped out much of his 2024 season.
Boyall returned to his best in 2025 and on Wednesday night became a two-time Bowen Medal winner.
It was a count that went down to the wire with three players in contention heading into the final round.
Boyall and Digger’s Rest Marcus Calvaresi were tied on 20 votes heading into the final round, with Melton South’s Lachlan Pritchard three votes behind them.
Boyall was the only one of the three to poll in the final round when he had 44 disposals and two goals to claim the medal on 23 votes.
“I didn’t expect to be in front coming into the final round,” he said after claiming the medal.
“It was good to get the win.
“It is something one day I will be really proud of. At the moment, you play footy to win premierships.
“It’s nice to get something for the hard work that gets put in, but I would trade these for a premiership any day.”
Boyall said he was grateful to claim the medal with so many great players in the competition.
He admits the journey coming back from the knee injury wasn’t an easy one.
“I guess that is the most rewarding thing,” he said. “I feel quite emotional about it, so much work went into it.
“I thought I was probably done then.
“To come back and still play and still play some good footy, it’s something I’m proud of the work I’ve put in to play again.
“I’m really grateful for everything.”
Boyall stepped up into the captaincy role with Sean Morris this year and he said it was something he found a challenge.
They took over from Michael Mannix.
“I’ve captained at a club before when I was a bit younger and I didn’t take it as seriously,” he said.
“You invest a lot into it. I’ve learned a lot, better for it and enjoyed the challenge.
“[It was] a lot harder than what I thought it would be.”
It’s a third Bowen Medal win for the Magpies in four years, with Chris Stewart winning the award last year.
Boyall said he loved playing with the group they have.
“That is what footy is about, having fun, the footy will follow from there and I’ve had fun playing at Wallan,” he said.
In other awards, Woodend-Hesket’s Dan Tom won the player of the year award.
Pritchard was named as the Steve Turner young gun as the best player under-23 in the senior competition.
Diggers Rest coach Shaun Campbell was named coach of the year
