Remember when? Round 18
What a finish coming up in round 18 to see who will play finals in the football – can Albury Tigers break a league record by making it in 15 straight top five finishes? They currently sit equal with Wangaratta Rovers who played 14 finals series in a row between 1969 and 1982.
The last season Albury missed finals was in 2008 when they finished sixth – let’s go back and see what happened in both netball and football that year when Greg Claney was Chairman, Tom O’Connor was General Manager and Tony Saunders was the Operations Manager.
Wangaratta, after breaking its three-decade premiership drought the previous year went back-to-back premiers, beating Lavington at the Lavington Sportsground by 32 points 12-14-86 to 7-12-54.
Pies midfielder Sam Higgs was awarded the Did Simpson medal for Best on Ground.
Albury won its first 2nds premiership in 12 years beating Lavington by 2 points, while in the 3rds Wangaratta Rovers beat Yarrawonga by 21 points. Leading goalkickers were Lee Schmidt (CR) with 67 in seniors, Paul Scullie (Wang Rovers) had 55 in the 2nds and the 3rds was won by Lavington’s Josh Warren-Marmo with 52.
Wodonga Raiders Todd Bryant took out the SS&A Rising Star Richard
Hamilton Medal.
Jake Ryan from Corowa Rutherglen took out the Morris Medal with 31 votes – the equal highest votes along with Wangaratta Rovers star Robbie Walker who polled 31 votes back in 1991.
Wangaratta Rovers Jamie Allan was ten votes back in second. Allan two years later would win the Morris Medal at Wangaratta. Carl Norton won his third of four Leo Burke Medals in the 2nds, whilst Albury’s Jack Stean who took out the Leo Dean for the 3rds.
A Grade Netball was also a back-to-back premiership when North Albry overpowered Yarrawonga in a high scoring 65-51 win – it wasn’t until 2015 that the Paula Cary medallist for best on court was awarded. Myrtleford won its second B Grade flag when they beat North Albury 45-37 and in C Grade it was North Albury premiers beating Albury 35-25.
The 2008 Toni Wilson Medal was a cliff hanger with Wodonga’s Chrissy Greve polling 24 votes, one ahead of Albury’s Adelle Gormly, with Breda O’Kane (North Albury) and Stephanie Tyrell (Yarrawonga) a further vote back on 22. Wodonga Raiders Hailey O’Neill took out the B Grade B&F on 24 votes and in C Grade Wangaratta Rovers Simone Coote made it two in a row in C Grade. The SS&A Diamond Rising Star Award commenced in 2009.
