Check out all the winners from the 2022 Kyabram District League presentation night

By Zac Standish

Sep 27, 2022

Winner, winner: Violet Town’s Jack Exell won the 2022 McNamara Medal. Photo by Aydin Payne

It was Kyabram District League’s turn to celebrate the season that was, holding its annual presentation night via live stream on Tuesday night.

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Headlining the night was Violet Town spearhead Jack Exell, who capped an incredible 2022 season by winning the McNamara Medal in a thrilling count.

Booting 102 goals for the Towners this season, Exell won the prestigious honour with a tally of 20 votes, one clear of Avenel on-baller Braydon Avola in second place, while Lancaster’s Thomas Davies rounded out the podium on 17 votes.

The key forward becomes the third Violet Town player to win the McNamara Medal, following Russell Lee (2012) and Samuel Poole (2017) into the record books.

What made the count all the more intriguing was the fact the player who received the most votes, Stanhope’s Ryan Semmel, was ineligible to win due to being found guilty of intentionally striking another player in round 15.

The Lions on-baller was subsequently reprimanded for the incident and free to play the next week, but the league’s guidelines state that any player found guilty of an offence at the tribunal is ineligible to win the McNamara Medal.

Semmel was the clear standout in the eyes of the umpires, polling 25 votes to be five clear of any other player.

In the A-grade netball, Tallygaroopna’s Bree Giles romped to Warren Medal glory, with the defender winning the count by five votes to put the cherry on top of a premiership-winning season.

Polling 28 votes, Giles finished five clear of runner-up Sarah Maskell from Shepparton East, while Merrigum’s Breanna Baker and Dookie United’s Georgie O’Connor finished equal third on 16 votes.

Taking the honours: Tallygaroopna’s Bree Giles took out the 2022 Warren Medal. Photo by Aydin Payne

Giles becomes the first Tallygaroopna player to win the Warren Medal this century, with her work in the defensive circle vital to the Redlegs breaking their 14-year premiership drought.

In the other football awards, Stanhope’s Jarrod Mason took home the Wade Medal as the premier player in the reserves competition.

A thrilling count from beginning to end, Mason polled 15 votes to edge out Avenel’s Scott Richardson by one, with Lancaster’s Dean Moore and Murchison-Toolamba’s Thomas McCormick finishing equal third on 12 votes.

While in the under-18 Inch Medal, Dookie United’s Lachlan Ludeman emerged victorious — with his tally of 19 votes having him three clear of Lancaster pair Riley Williams and Steven George in equal second.

The Thunder forward was a force to be reckoned with all season, booting 66 goals to claim the competition’s goal-kicking award for a second straight year, along with his best-and-fairest triumph.

On the netball side of things, Tallygaroopna’s Lauren Good made it double delight for the Redlegs, winning the Whitford Medal as the best-and-fairest for the B-grade competition.

Good took the mantle with a tally of 22 votes, while Merrigum’s Allana Adams and Shepparton East’s Maddison Newey finished equal second on 20.

The C-grade crown went to Stanhope’s Kara Canny, winning the McCormack Medal by five votes over Tallygaroopna’s Kylie Merigan and Shepparton East’s Olivia Keady.

In the juniors, Ash Bedwell (Murchison-Toolamba) won the Glover Medal in the 17-and-under netball , Josh Francis (Rushworth) was victorious in the 15-and-under Scoble Medal, while Wynter Morgan-Eeles (Avenel) was the champion 13-and-under player, claiming the Good Medal.

The league also took the chance to recognise its Rising Star winners, with Stanhope’s Brady Wileman claiming the mantle in the football and Lancaster’s Millie Hill recognised in the netball.