Tara Murray
Tahlia Read was named the Calder Cannons’ best player as several Cannons were recognised at both club and league level in recent weeks.
Read, who is from Maribyrnong Park, won the Meg McArthur Medal as the Cannons best and fairest winner at the awards ceremony last Saturday.
Read finished ahead on 64.5 votes ahead of Strathmore’s Amy Gaylor on 60 votes and the Sunbury Kangaroos’ Reese Sutton on 58 votes.
Kilmore’s Maree Stephenson was named most improved, Oak Park’s Trilby Sheppard received the coaches award and Aberfeldie’s Kyla Forbes was named the best development player.
Michael ‘Pop’ Drummond was awarded life membership at the club.
The league best and fairest awards were held days later, recognising the best talent across the competition.
Dandenong Stingrays Amber Clarke continued her good season, being named the best and fairest winner.
Clarke, who won the best on ground medal in the grand final, finished on 20 votes, one clear of Western Jets captain Charlotte Baskaran.
Northern Knights Ava Jordan finished third on 14 votes, while Bridget Deed (10 votes) and Reese Sutton (nine votes) rounded out the top five.
Clarke said she was so proud to continue her form from a strong bottom age season, to this year.
“I think I’ve gone OK,” she said.
“I had some games I was pretty happy with how we played.
“I was so happy, [but] I feel like I could have done more. I think I worked hard during the pre-season and I hope it paid off.”
Premiership captain Baskaran was named the captain of the team of the year.
Baskaran, who was named in the middle of the ground alongside Jets teammate Montana Ham. Laura Elliott was the third Jets player named in the team of the year.
Baskaran said she was really proud of her season.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m incredibly honoured to be given that title.
“I’m just really excited from the season it has been… and to captain a bunch of talented girls, couldn’t be happier.
“I’m really proud of myself this season coming into round one, so much hard work had been done make sure I was ready to go and look back now and see all the work has been ticked off.
“To all the other girls in my team helped me play my best footy and all the coaches, couldn’t do it without them.
“I definitely think that everything this season has come together really well and all the hard work has paid off.”
Cannons’ Abbey McDonald was named on the half back flank in the team of the year, with Ava Jordan was named in the forward line.
Other players named in the team of the year include Tasmania Devils’ Georgia Clark and Claire Ransom, Dandenong Stingrays’ Charlotte Ryan, Mackenzie Eardley, Georgia Foran and Sofi Hurley, Murray Bushrangers’ Zara Hamilton, Zarlie Goldsworth and Keely Skepper, Eastern Ranges’ Mia Busch, Mia Austin and Bridget Reed, Greater Western Victorian Rebels’ Molly Walton, Oakleigh Chargers’ Erin Woodford, Bendigo Pioneers’ Lucia Painter and Geelong Falcons’ Elizabeth Dowling.
