Shark, Falcon recognised with VFL/W gongs
SOUTHPORT co-captain Jacob Dawson and Darebin Falcons ball-winner Ange Gogos have taken out the respective VFL and VFL Women’s best and fairest awards at the 2025 Awards night held at Marvel Stadium last night. Both players also earned their respective Coaches MVP and were named in the Team of the Years as well.
Dawson won the J.J. Liston Trophy by five votes over Casey Demons’ Riley Bonner, with the reigning champion, Werribee’s Dom Brew a further two votes behind on 21. Meanwhile Dawson took home his second Coaches MVP after earning the title in 2022, and was on the podium the past two seasons as well.
Gogos won the Lambert-Pearce Medal after polling 25 votes across 11 games, pipping Essendon skipper El Chaston who finished runner-up for the second consecutive year on 21 votes. North Melbourne-Werribee’s Maddie Di Cosmo rounded out the top three with 19.
Williamstown skipper Emily Eaves shared the Coaches MVP with Gogos, having a brilliant season for the Seagulls as the pair both polled 77 votes. Meanwhile it was a big season for Collingwood young gun Tahlia Sanger who took out the Debbie Lee Medal as the VFLW Rising Star, and was named in the VFLW Team of the Year while also finishing fifth in the Coaches MVP.
Frankston’s Tom Blamires took home the coveted Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most promising VFL player aged 24 or under and was named at half-back in the Team of the Year. Box Hill had a league-high four representatives in the side, three of whom were Hawthorn-listed. The side also included Liam McMahon who had the rare feat of representing both Carlton and Essendon this season.
Di Cosmo skippered the VFLW Team of the Year and was one of six Roos in the side including with competition leading goalkicker Nyakoat Dojiok. Collingwood had four players with the two grand finalists making up almost half of the squad. In the men’s, Williamstown’s Brodie McLaughlin took out the Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal slotting 67 goals for the season.
AWARDS
J.J. LISTON TROPHY (Smithy’s VFL Best and Fairest)
Jacob Dawson (Southport Sharks) – 28 votes
Riley Bonner (Casey Demons) – 23 votes
Dom Brew (Werribee) – 21 votes
Deven Robertson (Brisbane Lions) – 20 votes
Henry Hustwaite (Box Hill Hawks) – 18 votes
Brodie McLaughlin (Williamstown) – 17 votes
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 15 votes
Ted Clohesy (Geelong Cats) – 15 votes
Harvey Hooper (Port Melbourne) – 14 votes
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 14 votes
LAMBERT-PEARCE MEDAL (rebel VFLW Best and Fairest)
Ange Gogos (Darebin Falcons) – 25 votes
El Chaston (Essendon) – 21 votes
Maddie Di Cosmo (North Melbourne-Werribee) – 19 votes
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 17 votes
Dominique Carbone (Collingwood) – 16 votes
Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne-Werribee) – 15 votes
Tahlia Sanger (Collingwood) – 13 votes
Alyssa Mifsud (Darebin Falcons) – 10 votes
Abby Favell (Geelong Cats) – 10 votes
SMITHY’S VFL COACHES MVP
Jacob Dawson (Southport Sharks) – 87 votes
Henry Hustwaite (Box Hill Hawks) – 80 votes
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 75 votes
Zac Foot (Southport Sharks) – 69 votes
Deven Robertson (Brisbane Lions) – 67 votes
Joel Trudgeon (Coburg) – 60 votes
Cooper Craig-Peters (Footscray Bulldogs) – 59 votes
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 59 votes
Ned Moyle (Gold Coast Suns) – 57 votes
Riley Bonner (Casey Demons) – 56 votes
Brodie McLaughlin (Williamstown) – 56 votes
rebel VFLW COACHES MVP
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 77 votes
Ange Gogos Darebin Falcons – 77 votes
Maddie Di Cosmo (North Melbourne-Werribee) – 76 votes
El Chaston (Essendon) – 68 votes
Abby Favell (Geelong Cats) – 57 votes
Tahlia Sanger (Collingwood) – 57 votes
Dominique Carbone (Collingwood) – 54 votes
Alana Barba (North Melbourne-Werribee) – 53 votes
Abbey McDonald (Essendon) – 51 votes
Ava Seton (Port Melbourne) – 46 votes
JIM ‘FROSTY’ MILLER MEDAL (Smithy’s VFL Leading Goalkicker)
Brodie McLaughlin (Williamstown) – 67 goals
ROHENNA YOUNG MEDAL (rebel VFLW Leading Goalkicker)
Nyakoat Dojoik (North Melbourne-Werribee) – 37 goals
FOTHERGILL-ROUND-MITCHELL MEDAL (Smithy’s VFL Rising Star)
Winner: Tom Blamires (Frankston)
DEBBIE LEE MEDAL (rebel VFLW Rising Star)
Winner: Tahlia Sanger (Collingwood)
Shark, Falcon recognised with VFL/W gongs
SOUTHPORT co-captain Jacob Dawson and Darebin Falcons ball-winner Ange Gogos have taken out the respective VFL and VFL Women’s best and fairest awards at the 2025 Awards night held at Marvel Stadium last night. Both players also earned their respective Coaches MVP and were named in the Team of the Years as well. Dawson won […]
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