Barwon Heads ruck secures B&F in contentious count

A RUCKMAN has secured the Bellarine Football League’s highest individual honour for the first time in four years, while a low-level suspension ruled out the night’s top vote-getter.

Barwon Heads ruckman Luke Davis has secured the Les Ash Medal in an unexpected ending to tonight’s BFNL Awards Night, with Drysdale midfielder Ben Fennell ruled ineligible for a reprimand received following the Hawks’ Round 17 match with Torquay.

Davis polled 20 votes, while Torquay forward and the competition’s leading goal-kicker Lucas Anderson finished a vote behind to secure runner-up with 19 votes. The ineligible Fennell polled up 22 votes on the night.

Drysdale’s Ben Fennell polled the most votes in the Les Ash Medal count, but was ineligible due to a reprimand. Photo: MICHAEL CHAMBERS

Davis is the first ruck since Modewarre legend John Meesen won the league best and fairest award back 2019.

The Seagull was named best on ground in Round 2 against Portarlington to get his season under way, before adding two more votes the following weekend against Geelong Amateur in Round 3.

Davis lodged votes in Round 4 (two votes), Round 5 (one vote), and Round 6 (one vote), before snagging back-to-back best-on-grounds in Round 8 against Queenscliff and in Round 9 against Anglesea.

Voting slowed down for Davis in the second half of the season, polling three times in Barwon Heads’ last nine contests.

Torquay forward Lucas Anderson finished runner-up in the Les Ash Medal count. Photo: MARCEL BERENS/SPORTS MEDIA IMAGES

Davis picked up three votes in Round 13 against Ocean Grove, one vote against Torquay in Round 15, then closed his polling account with a lone vote in Round 16 against Anglesea.

While Fennell did not miss games for his Round 17 offence, the AFL Barwon by-laws state in section 24.1.4 of the handbook that “Any player found guilty by the Independent Tribunal on any charge or having accepted a Set Penalty during the current season shall be ineligible for the award of Best and Fairest, except where the charge relates to time wasting.”

2023 marked the first year the Les Ash Medal was awarded to a player following Les Ash’s passing in July. Photo: MARCEL BERENS/SPORTS MEDIA IMAGES

The top-10 vote-getters on the night were:

Ben Fennell (Drysdale) – 22 votes*
Luke Davis (Barwon Heads) – 20 votes
Lucas Anderson (Torquay) – 19 votes
Jordan Keras (Anglesea) – 18 votes
Lachie Kidd (Queenscliff) – 16 votes
Harrison King (Barwon Heads) – 14 votes
Joshua Finch (Modewarre) – 14 votes
Mitchell McGuire (Drysdale) – 14 votes
Tom Hornsey (Modewarre) – 14 votes
Tom Ruggles (Drysdale) – 14 votes

Torquay was well-represented in the Team of the Year with five players earning selections, while all clubs featured in the best 22.

Tigers co-skipper Ben McNamara, Billy Henderson, Charlie and Sheldon Ham, and Lucas Anderson received selections. Dom Gleeson was named the side’s coach.

Ben Fennell was named captain of the squad, alongside Hawks teammates Lauchlan Dalgleish, James Breust and co-coach Tom Ruggles (interchange).

Luke Davis, Kyle Polley, Oliver Wiltshire, and Harrison King represented Barwon Heads.

Here is the full 2023 Team of the Year:

In the reserves, Torquay midfielder Nick Garner (25 votes) secured back-to-back Don Cole Medals, tallying five votes more than Anglesea’s James Moverley (20 votes).