A PREMIERSHIP winning coach and Premier are among the special guests at next month’s 50th presentation of the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser-Prime 7 Sports Star of the Year award.
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AFL coach Paul Roos will be guest speaker at the awards ceremony on Friday, February 27 at the All Seasons Motel in Bendigo.
Premier Daniel Andrews will announce the 2014-15 Sports Star of the Year.
The golden anniversary is a special occasion in the awards history.
Many past winners, yearly and monthly, will attend the night where Sandy Roberts is master of ceremonies.
Roos will speak about his journey as a player and coach in the AFL.
“Awards like Sports Star are excellent in terms of being recognised for excellence,” Roos said on Friday.
“No matter what you do, it’s important to give your absolute best.
“It’s been a consistent theme in my 30 years in the AFL and 40 years in sport.
“There’s no short-cuts. Effort is crucial.”
Roos said he played with and coached many talented footballers over the years.
“To have talent matched by exceptional workrate is what makes the best in any sport.”
Roos said Geelong captain Joel Selwood, drafted from the Bendigo Pioneers was a great example in terms of maximising his talent.
“Joel is an exceptional player.”
The same applies to dual Brownlow medallist and Sports Star Hall of Fame member Greg Williams.
“He was a super talent. His ability to work and continually be in motion was amazing.
“He was elite on both sides of his body and a superstar in any era.”
There have many highs for Roos in the big league.
He was premiership coach of Sydney in 2005, is an AFL Hall of Fame member, seven-time All-Australian, and played 356 matches, 269 for Fitzroy, and 87 with Sydney.
Roos returned to coaching at Melbourne last season.
Contenders for 2014-15 include Australian Open lawn bowls singles champion Nathan Wilson; WNBL champions Bendigo Spirit, and Tour de France competitor Zak Dempster.
Among the many highs in the past year were the gold medal-winning performances of netballer Caitlin Thwaites and cyclist Glenn O’Shea at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Adelaide-based cycling coach Tim Decker, who began his craft in Bendigo, was Cycling Australia’s international coach of the year.
Ashby and O’Shea are multiple winner of the gold statue, and Selwood is another on the list of yearly winners.
The monthly winners in the 50th Sports Star of the Year award:
February: Glenn Ashby, sailing; and Nathan Wilson , lawn bowls.
March: Bendigo Spirit, basketball.
April: Bryan Jolly, judo.
May: Matt White, BMX.
June: Zak Dempster, cycling.
July: Glenn O’Shea, cycling; and Brad Rawiller, horse racing.
August: Caitlin Thwaites, netball.
September: Lucas Herbert, golf; Emma Cox, shooting;. and Joel Selwood, football.
October: Gabe Richards, Tessa Lavey, and Belinda Snell, basketball; and Kristy Packham, kayaking.
November: Tim Decker, cycling; and Chloe Stewart, lawn bowls.
Finalists for December and January to be decided.
The Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser Prime 7 Sports Star of the Year night includes the Hall of Fame, Cyril Michelsen Trust Fund, Maxine Crouch Trust Fund, Faith Leech inspirational award, and the Sports Focus Administrator of the Year.