Jaxon Mumme capped off an outstanding year in the yellow and black, taking home his first best and fairest trophy in a premiership year, while Emilie Lowe won the respective women’s prize in just her first year of Aussie Rules.
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Defensive general Amy Symons was second in the women’s count, while Mumme won the crown ahead of in-and-under midfielder Mitch McKenna.
Tigers men’s coach Dale Hunter said having Mumme on his magnet board was a luxury.
“He’s a Mr Fix It, he can go forward or back, in the true sense of the word he’s a utility,” Hunter said.
“I’ve said it before but Jacko doesn’t have bad games, he has his good games and then on top of that he has his exceptional games.”
He was also elevated to the captaincy in one game for season 2018, which wasn’t something he’d wanted, but Hunter sought him out for.
Mumme polled in nearly all of the Tiger’s games in 2018, but was conspicuously absent from the top of the league Best and Fairest count two weeks ago.
Hunter said he wasn’t sure if his charges had taken votes off each other, citing the need to see the full count, but said it “really surprised me”.
“I would have thought being the team with the most wins – and even our losses, there weren’t any bad ones so I thought we would have polled votes in every game, I thought we would have had someone in the top five but … it’s out of our hands,” he said.
To the surprise of nobody, Tim Barry picked up his fourth goalkicking award in four full seasons at the Tigers, to go alongside an astonishing four premiership medallions, while first-year player Andrew Henry picked up the ‘most consistent’ award.
Lucas Kelly picked up the coaches award, which Hunter said was a nod to one of the easiest players to coach on the list, handing Kelly the award he said he hands to “selfless types of footballers”.
In the women’s awards, Jade Charnock was awarded most improved and Jen Whiley won the leading goalkicker award.
Laura Bennett picked up two awards, winning both player’s player and player of the finals in her first season of Aussie Rules.
Hunter said planning for 2019 hadn’t begun just yet, but said he was still assessing if he would go around again as coach.
“Initially the plan was just for two years,” he said.
“I’m leaning towards coaching next year … I said I wouldn’t make a decision in haste and I’ll have my answer by the AGM.”
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
