JOINT winners of the George Symons Medal as under-18s fairest and best, Sandhurst’s Jack Moresi and Strathfieldsaye’s Sam O’Bree will be opponents on Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL grand final day on Saturday.
Moresi and O’Bree will play crucial roles as the rising stars from the Dragons and Storm fight for the up at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
A maximum three votes for Moresi in the final round put him to top of the Symons Medal leaderboard with O’Bree on 17 votes.
“I was not expecting to be near the top,” Moresi said from the dais after being presented with medal by Ian Symons at last Sunday night’s presentation at Bendigo Club.
Moresi crossed to the Dragons this season from Maiden Gully YCW Eagles and still qualifies for two more seasons at under-18s level.
He played in an under-16s grand final with the Eagles last season.
It’s been a big season for O’Bree who played for Storm’s seniors in round 15 and 17, and also played three Talent League matches with La Trobe University Bendigo Pioneers under-18s.
“It was a huge step up,” O’Bree said of playing in the seniors.
“The speed and physicality were big challenges.”
Injury meant he did not play in Strathfieldsaye’s under-18s second semi-final win against South Bendigo.
“I am right to go,” O’Bree said when asked by Michelsen Medal night MC Joel Peterson about chances of playing in the grand final.
The Alan McDonald medallist for the reserves competition, Eaglehawk captain Ethan Hanley will be aiming to lead the Borough to a premiership victory.
The Hawks’ midfielder polled 19 votes to take honours as team-mate Jaxon Vroom, Sandhurst’s Guy Hay and Eaglehawk’s Jarryd Wiegard were joint runners-up on 14 votes.
Hanley and the Hawks will tackle Sandhurst in the grand final.
Three award winners at senior level will be aiming to help their club etch their name on the Bendigo Advertiser premiership cup.
Pat McKenna’s tally of 78 goals in the home-and-away series earnt the Ron Best Medal.
It’s a first league goalkicking victory for McKenna who joined Steven Reaper and Jordan Barham as Gisborne stars to win the award which honours the league’s greatest goalkicker.
For McKenna the focus is firmly on the grand final and adding a second premiership after the success in the ’22 season.
“It was gutsy,” McKenna said when asked about Gisborne’s fightback from 16-points down in the second quarter to beat Eaglehawk by 20 points in the preliminary final.
Confidence is high as the Bulldogs ride the wave of momentum generated from an elimination final to now be contending for the Cup once more.
Bulldogs’ team-mate Dylan Johnstone will be among those putting the ball into the forward 50m arc for McKenna and the rest of the attack.
A high of Johnstone’s season was the Derrick Filo Medal as best afield in the Bendigo FNL’s big win against Ovens and Murray on Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Since he crossed from Macedon, Johnstone has become a key cog in Gisborne’s on-ball and midfield group.
“I was looking to challenge myself more,” Johnstone said of the move to the Bendigo FNL.
His play also earnt a spot on Footscray’s VFL list and he played three matches for the club this season.
“Pre-season with the Bulldogs helped me so much.”
The disappointment of a four-point loss to Sandhurst in the ’24 grand final has motivated Johnstone and many of his Gisborne team-mates.
“It’s been awesome,” he said of the Bulldogs’ run from an elimination final to be in the grand final against Sandhurst once again.
Among those striving to deny McKenna, Johnstone and all of Gisborne another premiership is Sandhurst key defender Jaxon Howard.
In a 17-match senior career, Howard has taken on many of the competition’s best forwards.
Howard’s play earnt the Bart ‘n’ Print Rising Star award.
It was a different build-up to the ’26 season after calf surgery.
“I was struggling to run out games,” Howard said.
“I was unsure if I would play, but the surgery has made a massive difference.”
The young defender said he had learnt a lot in every match and had great support from the coaches and all his team-mates.
This Saturday will be a fourth consecutive grand final for Howard who previously played for Maiden Gully YCW Eagles at junior level and then joined Sandhurst.
