Donald's Ross Young wins North Central league Feeny Medal with 25 votes

DONALD captain Ross Young has broken the stranglehold of ruckmen on the North Central Football League's Feeny Medal.

Midfielder Young was crowned the 2022 Feeny medallist on Wednesday night, becoming the first non-ruckman since 2015 to win it.

Young was a convincing winner of the medal, polling 25 votes to finish nine clear of Birchip-Watchem ruckman Lochlan Sirett on 16.

Then followed a three-way tie for third, with Birchip-Watchem's Elliott Jaeschke, Wycheproof-Narraport's Gedd Hommelhoff and Sea Lake Nandaly's Wade Donnan all polling 14 votes, with team-mate Josh Potter next on 13 votes.

Remarkably, Young's victory came 39 years to the day that his father, Garry Young, won the 1983 Feeny Medal with 30 votes.

Young was born 16 days after Garry's Feeny Medal win.

Young's tally of 25 votes included eight games where he was adjudged best on ground:

Rd 2 - v St Arnaud;

Rd 3 - v Birchip-Watchem;

Rd 5 - v Wyche-Narraport;

Rd 6 - v Wedderburn;

Rd 8 - v Boort;

Rd 9 - v St Arnaud;

Rd 13 - v Wedderburn; and

Rd 15 - v Boort.

He also earned one one vote in round four against Charlton.

Young has been a driving force in a Donald side that finished second on the NCFL ladder with a 14-2 record and is gunning for its first premiership since 2006.

The Royals have the opportunity to advance through to the grand final this Saturday when they take on Birchip-Watchem in the second semi-final at Sea Lake.

Wednesday night's win adds to what is already a stacked football resume for 38-year-old Young that features a WAFL Sandover Medal playing with Perth in 2009, six AFL games with Carlton in 2007 after becoming the first player to be drafted as a mature age rookie, best and fairests with Perth in 2009 and 2011 and VFL stints with the Northern Bullants and Richmond.

He also won Richmond's inaugural VFL best and fairest in 2014 - a year in which he captained the Tigers.

Young is the first Donald player since former Royals coach Luke Fisher in 2015 to win the Feeny Medal.

In total, 81 players across the competition polled in the Feeny Medal count.

25 - Ross Young

(Donald)

16 - Lochlan Sirett

(Birchip-Watchem)

14 - Elliott Jaeschke

(Birchip-Watchem)

14 - Gedd Hommelhoff

(Wycheproof-Narraport)

14 - Wade Donnan

(Sea Lake Nandaly)

13 - Josh Potter

(Donald)

12 - Bryce Delmenico

(Sea Lake Nandaly)

12 - Jordan Rosengren

(Wedderburn)

10 - Austin Mertz

(Sea Lake Nandaly)

10 - Matthew Chisari

(Boort)

9 - Dylan Adkins

(Birchip-Watchem)

9 - Nathan Twigg

(Boort)

9 - Ryan O'Sullivan

(Sea Lake Nandaly)

Meanwhile, the winner of the Tooleybuc Sporting Club President's Award was Wycheproof-Narraport's Gedd Hommelhoff.

In his first season at the Demons after joining from Eaglehawk, Hommelhoff polled 37 votes.

Donald's Brody Haddow was second on 25 votes followed by Boort ruckman Nathan Twigg (22).

In the reserves, the winner of the James and Jenny Goldsmith Trophy was Birchip-Watchem's Jack Ryan on 22 votes from Donald captain Josh Talty (20).

And in the under-17s, the Jeff 'Woofa' Guild Trophy was won by Charlton's Nick Thompson on 29 votes from Birchip-Watchem's Ty Colbert (22).

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