ROOKIE Glencoe coach Zacc Cocks won his first Mail Medal and evergreen Kalangadoo netballer Jayde Peacock won her eighth best and fairest trophy when the Mid South East sporting fraternity held its annual presentation function at Millicent on Sunday afternoon.
They claimed the top league honours at the annual ceremony in the Millicent War Memorial Civic and Arts Centre which lasted three hours.
Both have dominated their respective codes over the winter months.
Speaking to The South Eastern Times, Cocks said he aimed to return the Murphies to the finals in 2018 in his second year at the helm.
The on-baller was runner-up a year ago and was named in the Glencoe best players list by club officials in 15 of his 16 games in 2017.
He also represented the MSEFL and Murray South East teams with distinction midway through the season.
Teenage Mount Burr ruckman Henry Crauford polled 21 votes – two fewer than Cocks.
He won the Walker Medal as runner-up while 2000 Mail Medallist and Kalangadoo coach Ben Mules finished third with 19 votes.
The Mozzies have now had seven different players finish in the top three vote getters in the past eight seasons.
Cocks, Crauford and Mules had also led the leaderboard at the halfway mark of the count.
Coming into the count, The South Eastern Times had named Kongorong coach and 2011 Mail Medallist Bronson Saffin as the likely winner.
Saffin polled 14 votes while the other pre-count favourites included Hatherleigh ruckman Sam Waring (16) and Port MacDonnell’s four-time medallist Will Macdonald (11).
Rounding of the top five was Robe’s SANFL recruit Craig Pitt with 15 votes.
After not registering a single vote in 2016, the Nangwarry Football Club returned to the board this season with Andrew Russell, Carl Brodie and Russell Gabriel registering votes.
In 1933 the Adelaide-based Sunday Mail newspaper decided to promote South Australian country football by awarding a medal to the best and fairest player in each of the country leagues.
Peacock’s first medal in the MSE came 20 years ago when she was not far into her teens.
Further successes came in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and she has also played with distinction in the neighbouring Western Border Netball Association.
Her latest success came with the slimmest of margins as her tally of 25 was just ahead of teammate Abbey Duncan and Mount Burr’s Laura Schultz.
The Hatherleigh Football Club took the champion club trophy by a hefty margin from Port MacDonnell which has dominated this section for many seasons.
Teenage goalkicker Ned Wilke, of the Port MacDonnell Football Club, won the prestigious Triple M “Farmer” Phil Scanlon Memorial Rookie of the Year trophy.
Among the 20 other trophy presentations was a new award donated by Klasbilt for the Best Backman.
It was won by Aaron Lightbody, of the Kongorong Football Club.
Life memberships were presented to long-serving league administrators Peter and Naomi Mitchell and veteran Mount Burr defender Will Whitty,
For the tenth consecutive year, sporting and business identity Frank Brennan was the master of ceremonies at the evening function attended by a gathering of 300.
The host club was the Hatherleigh Football Netball Club which also catered for the junior football and netball awards at this venue on Sunday morning.
The Eagles took home some silverware including the champion club prize while their reappointed rookie coach Jason Faulkner was named senior coach of the year.
The attention of the Mid South East fraternity now turns to the second semi finals at Robe on Saturday.
