Award winners in each grade were crowned and celebrated which has brought an end to the cancelled 2021 season.
History repeated in the senior A-grade men’s best-and-fairest count, with a past winner taking out the famed individual honour.
Strikers’ star talent Xavier McBain added a second gong to his name last night, following his triumph in 2017.
McBain polled 11 votes to finish two ahead of his nearest rival.
The forward enjoyed a stellar season that consisted of 22 goals, delivering him the leading goal-scorer award.
Strikers teammate Tim Russell and Mooroopna talent Shaun Collins finished equal second with nine votes.
McBain’s Strikers clinched the minor premiership after finishing the interrupted season in top spot.
In B-grade women, Mooroopna’s Alicia Cornelius edged out her nearest rival to clinch the best-and-fairest in a narrow vote count.
Cornelius claimed the award on 15 votes, one ahead of Strikers’ Olivia Forbes (14).
Cornelius adds to her trophy cabinet after she went back-to-back in the A-grade women’s best-and-fairest in 2009-10.
Echuca-Moama star Courtney Thompson netted 15 goals in 2021 to salute in the B-grade women’s leading goal-scorer award.
It was a much easier watch for B-grade men’s winner Declan Nabbs.
The Strikers’ jet secured his first best-and-fairest award with an 11-vote season, three ahead of runner-up Echuca-Moama’s Lucas Kell (eight).
Kell’s teammate William Kerr scored five goals to secure the goal-scorer silverware.
In the umpire awards, the Nathan Black Memorial (Junior Umpire) went the way of SYC Hockey Club’s Alex Dowe.
Fellow SYC member Ryan McKenzie was awarded the GVHA Senior Umpire Award.
The junior award categories were dominated by Mooroopna young guns.
Stephanie Cardamone secured the female Junior Sportsperson of the Year award, while club members Amie Forster and Jack Vaivars secured the Leesa Purcell Memorial and Tommy Alejandro Memorial awards respectively.
Benalla Hockey Club’s Charlie Grimwade was awarded the male Junior Sportsperson of the Year award.
It was a runaway count in the the under-17 best-and-fairest, with Goulburn Valley Grammar School’s Xavier Schmedje taking out the honour five votes ahead of the runner-up.
Schmedje enjoyed a sublime campaign and polled 16 votes, with runner-up Rhett Vaivars (Mooroopna) on 11.
GVGS’s Joel Hamill claimed the under-14 best-and-fairest on 14 votes, four ahead of Sam Holland (Strikers) and Liam Caiafa (SYC).
Lastly, SYC youngster Oliver Gillies triumphed in the under-12 vote count thanks to his 16-vote season.
It was a SYC quinella, with teammate Xavier Watson finishing runner-up on 13 votes.
By Aydin Payne of Shepparton News