HDFNL: Phillips, Bolton crowned back-to-back league best and fairest winners

LOCKINGTON-Bamawm United ruckman Tyler Phillips and Heathcote mid-courter Brooke Bolton have both gone back-to-back as Heathcote District Football-Netball League best and fairest winners.

For the second year in a row Phillips won the senior football Sam Cheatley Medal on Wednesday night with a huge tally of 34 votes.

And Heathcote co-coach Bolton won the A grade netball Esther Cheatley Medal for the second-consecutive year with 29 votes.

Both were runaway winners, with Phillips having a massive gap of 15 votes to joint runners-up Braden Padmore (Heathcote) and Dylan Klemm (North Bendigo), who both polled 19, while Bolton was eight clear of Elmore's Tahnee Cannan (21).

Phillips has become the first back-to-back winner of the Sam Cheatley Medal since North Bendigo's Josh Gitsham in 2010-11.

The calibre of ruckmen in the HDFNL was reflected in the voting.

The top 12 featured five ruckmen - Phillips (34), Mount Pleasant's Chris Down (12), Colbinabbin's Hadleigh Sirett (12), Huntly's Mitch Christensen (12) and Elmore's Dylan Gordon (11).

It was clear from the outset of the count that Phillips would be mighty hard to stop from going back-to-back and in the end, he had racked up what would prove to be enough votes to win the medal by round 12 when he had already reached 22.

Remarkably, Phillips polled in 14 of the Cats' 16 games, including being judged best-on-ground eight times, starting in round one against White Hills.

His breakdown of 34 votes featured 16 in the first half of the season (rounds 1-9) and 18 in the second half (rounds 10-18), with Phillips now aiming to join the club of players to have won both the Cheatley and a premiership in the same season with his Cats to take on Mount Pleasant this Saturday for the first spot in the grand final when they clash in the second semi-final at Gunbower.

Meanwhile, Heathcote's signing of Bolton from Sandhurst in August of 2019 was hailed as a major coup for the Saints and the past two years have shown why with her consecutive Esther Cheatley Medal victories.

Bolton - who took on the role of co-coach this year - earned votes in 13 of Heathcote's 16 games, including having already polled 14 by the end of round seven.

She was adjudged best-on-court in six games for the Saints, who just fell short of ending their finals drought in finishing sixth.

While it's back-to-back wins for Bolton, it was also consecutive podium finishes for Elmore's Cannan, whose runner-up finish followed her third-placing last year.

Across the competition there was some big winning tallies compiled with three players polling more than 30 votes - LBU's Phillips in the senior football (34), Huntly's Stacey Saddlier in the B reserve netball (37) and Heathcote's Telani Bibby in the 17-under netball (31).

Sam Cheatley Medal:

34 - Tyler Phillips (LBU)

19 - Braden Padmore (Hcote)

19 - Dylan Klemm (NB)

17 - Ben Weightman (MP)

16 - Jed Brain (Colbo)

13 - Aarryn Craig (NB)

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Esther Cheatley Medal:

29 - Brooke Bolton (Hcote)

21 - Tahnee Cannan (Elm)

20 - Alyssa Cole (WH)

18 - Tanzin Myers (Colbo)

17 - Gabe Richards (Elm)

17 - Molly Johnston (WH)

FOOTBALL:

SENIORS:

Winner: Tyler Phillips (LBU), 34.

Runner-up: Braden Padmore (Heathcote), Dylan Klemm (North Bendigo), 19.

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RESERVES:

Winner: Liam Edwards (Heathcote), 16.

Runner-up: Andrew Bennett (North Bendigo), 13.

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UNDER-18s:

Winner: Jude Ryan (Colbinabbin), 22.

Runner-up: Nathan Anderson (North Bendigo), Riley Pateow (North Bendigo), 19.

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NETBALL

A grade:

Winner: Brooke Bolton (Heathcote), 29.

Runner-up: Tahnee Cannan (Elmore), 21.

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A reserve:

Winner: Madison Keating (Elmore), 24.

Runner-up: Mikeely Baber (Huntly), 21.

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B grade:

Winner: Darcee Mann (Huntly), 24.

Runner-up: Emily Jones (LBU), 22.

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B reserve:

Winner: Stacey Saddlier (Huntly), 37.

Runner-up: Lily Giles (Elmore), 19.

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17-under:

Winner: Telani Bibby (Heathcote), 31.

Runner-up: Chelsea Jones (LBU), 23.

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15-under:

Winner: Madalyn Nihill (Mount Pleasant), 24.

Runner-up: Ryleigh MacDonald (North Bendigo), 22.

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13-under:

Winner: Scout Hayes (Elmore), 27.

Runner-up: Bonnie Flynn (Heathcote), Candence Major (LBU), Tayla O'Connell (Leitchville-Gunbower), 16.

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