Three perfect games to finish the season was enough to seal the 2016 South West Football League Hayward Medal for Eaton defender Jace Cormack.
The humble young player was locked in a tight three way battle for the medal for most of the evening, eventually prevailing with 29 votes ahead of Donnybrook’s Curtis Guglielmana (26 votes) and Harvey Bull’s Reece Blechynden (24 votes).
Cormack received the maximum three votes from the umpires in seven rounds and his victory was the first for his club since 1992 where Brett Glass triumphed for Boyanup-Capel-Dardanup.
“I’m a bit shell-shocked,” he said as he took to the stage to accept the medal.
“You don’t come to these night’s expecting to win anything or you go home disappointed.”
Cormack has gone close to the medal before and said this year he focused on his consistency.
“You’ve got to try and keep good form during the year and picking up votes along the way,” he said.
“Towards the end of the count I was shaking like hell and I couldn’t think straight.
The two time premiership winner said while the accolade is appreciated, he plays football for the chance to claim team achievements.
“I’m one for team success – this is a good feeling and it’s an honour to get this but winning two grand finals was better,” he said.
Cormack dedicated the medal to his mother and celebrated the win with his father John who claimed the same award in 1980 – making the Cormack’s the second father-son duo to claim the medal behind Neville and Blair Carter from Busselton.
He also said his older brother Jye could one day make the Hayward Medal a family treble.
“It’s players like him that make players like myself look good – he is one who gives me the ball and sometimes he goes unnoticed but he is a gun,” he said.
Cormack acknowledged the Boomers had a tough season, only winning four matches, but strongly believes the side can turn their form around in 2017.
“I’m pretty excited for next year with our new facilities going up we will be back bigger and better next year,” he said.
The night also saw a number of players claim prestigious awards.
Thomas Boyle from HBL won the colts goal kicking award with 46 goals while Glenn Garlett from Carey Park won the reserves goal kicking award with 51 goals. Bunbury’s Matt Martin and Collie’s Jayce Fontana tied the league goal kicking award with 47 majors while Jacob Pickett from Harvey kicked the most goals in the league by a player aged under 19.
Harvey’s Josh Krispyn on the coaches player of the year award while Cormack and Busselton’s Jackson Arbon tied for the league player of the year. Eaton’s Jordan Cuxson won reserves player of the year and Colin Jetta from Carey Park won colts player of the year.
Collie’s Jack Davidson won the Fairfax Media Medal as colts best and fairest while Donnybrook’s Luke Skehan was named the Times Medallist as reserves best and fairest.
Dylan Heasman from HBL was crowned as the league’s rising star while Bunbury’s Jordan Falco was named the future rising star.
Harvery-Brunswick-Leschenault were named champion club having finished second on the league ladder and first in the reserves and colts competition while club stalwarts Sue Newman and Jenny Sabourne were named joint volunteers of the year.