East Sunbury’s Steve Grey has been named coach of the year at the Essendon District Football League awards night.
Grey was rewarded at the league’s best and fairest night on Saturday, named the best coach from across all the senior grades for his work in developing the young Thunder line-up.
The Thunder, which finished bottom of the ladder with one win the season before Grey took over, this year won seven games and finished sixth.
Grey has already signed on to coach the club for next season.
Thunder under-18.5 coach Darrell Cartwright finished third in the coach of the year award. The under-18.5s finished on top of the ladder undefeated before going out in the finals in straight sets.
The Thunder’s Tom Cree, who made his senior debut this season, won the under-18.5 best-and-fairest award by six votes.
Cree finished on 33 votes, six clear of Moonee Valley’s Ben Fisher. Division-leading goal-kicker Jaxon Mobilio finished equal fourth on 12 votes.
In the division 2 reserves, Thunder veteran Alex Tomsic finished fourth, eight votes behind Jacana’s Trent Semmens.
It came down to the final round in the division 2 senior best and fairest, with the Thunder’s Kamen Ogilvie narrowly missing out on the top award.
Moonee Valley’s Ned Wilson polled three votes in the final round to overtake Ogilvie.
Wilson finished on 27 votes, one vote clear of Ogilvie. Ogilvie finished fifth in the same award last year.
For the first time, Ogilvie was named in the division 2 team of the year. He was the only Thunder player selected, named on the half-back flank.
In other awards, Hillside brothers James and Victor Micallef shared the W. Hutchinson Medal.
The two couldn’t be split in division 1 best and fairest, finishing on 16 votes a piece.
Craigieburn forward Cameron Cloke finished third for a second straight year, two votes further back.
In premier division, Aberfeldie’s Luke Blackwell won the R.S Reynolds Medal, one vote clear of Pascoe Vale’s Luke Foster. Blackwell finished on 22 votes. Last season he received just four
