BREAKOUT seasons for Maryborough’s Lachlan Bond and Golden Square’s Bree Heiden have been rewarded by the pair being named the Bendigo Football Netball League’s 2018 Rising Star winners.
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The announcement was made during Monday night’s pre-Michelsen Medal vote count on Fresh FM 101.5.
Also broadcast were the winners of the reserves and under-18s football and A-reserve, B-grade, B-reserve and 17-and-under netball medals.
Bond was one of the success stories from an encouraging football season for Maryborough, which despite being light on for wins, brought considerable on-field improvement.
Fellow Rising Star Heiden was a shining light in the midcourt for Golden Square in her first full A-grade season, which ended with an elimination final’s berth for the Bulldogs.
It’s been a rewarding few days for Heiden, who was one of the best players on-court in Elmore’s 17-and-under netball Heathcote District league premiership win against Colbinabbin at Huntly on Saturday.
Gisborne’s Baxter Slater claimed the George Symons Medal as under-18s football best and fairest, while South Bendigo’s Nathan Newlan won the McDonald Medal as reserves best and fairest.
It was Newlan’s third McDonald Medal win, his previous two coming with his former club Kangaroo Flat in 2015 and ‘16.
Ella Wicks, whose Kangaroo Flat team will this weekend chase a 17-and-under netball grand final berth, won the Sing Medal as the competition’s best and fairest.
Other netball winners were Gisborne’s Rylee Connell (A-reserve); Sandhurst’s Briona Giddings (B-grade) and South Bendigo’s May Van Es (B-reserve).
It was the third career BFNL league medal win for Giddings, who this season reached 200 club games for Sandhurst, following victories in B-grade in 2013 and A-reserve in 2009.
The winners of the senior football Michelsen Medal and Betty Thompson Medal for A-grade netball will be announced at this Sunday night’s vote count at the Bendigo Club.
Monday night’s award announcements
Rising Star Awards: football - Lachlan Bond (Maryborough); netball - Bree Heiden (Golden Square.
Sing Medal (17-and-under netball): winner - Ella Wicks (Kangaroo Flat; runner-up - Charlotte Crook (Gisborne).
B-reserve netball: winner - Maya Van Es South Bendigo); runner-up -Morgan Lawson (South Bendigo).
B grade netball: winner - Briona Giddings (Sandhurst); runner-up - Emily Bakes (South Bendigo.).
Holborn Medal (A-reserve netball): winner - Rylee Connell (Gisborne); runner-up - Annie Spear (Kangaroo Flat).
George Symons Medal (under-18 football): Baxter Slater (Gisborne).
McDonald Medal (reserves football): Nathan Newlan (South Bendigo