Bulldogs’ skipper salutes as best in the league
WESTERN Bulldogs skipper Dominique Carbone is the toast of the Victorian Football League Women’s competition tonight, after she won the 2024 Lambert-Pearce Medal.
She won the award with 17 votes, pipping Don El Chaston, Hawk Tamara Luke and Darebin Falcon Angelica Gogos for the award.
Carbone in a tight battle early for the award, but was equal fifth after five rounds on five votes. She took the lead after round nine, and then polled in four of the five last matches of the regular season, and ultimately won the award with one round spare.
It has been a big few years for Carbone, who began her career in Darwin and her journey has led her to some time in the AFLW and now to lead the Bulldogs back to a Grand Final, all before her 23rd birthday.
There were several other VFLW Awards handed out during the night.
The Debbie Lee Medal went to Bulldog tall Keeley Hardingham, who won the award ahead of fellow finalists Isla Baldwin, Maddison Ford, Nyakoat Dojiok and Emily Eaves.
The Rohenna Young Medal for leading goal kicker went to Falcon Monique DeMatteo, while DeMatteo’s team mate Gogos won the coaches’ MVP.
The VFLW Team of the Year was also named tonight. Unsurprisingly the coach of the team of the year was North Melbourne’s premiership coach Brett Gourley, while the captain of the team of the year was Seagull Eliza Straford.
It was also the VFLM Awards night, with a number of key awards given out tonight.
The JJ Liston Trophy went to Werribee captain Dom Brew, who also won the coaches’ MVP award. The Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal went to Richmond young gun Sam Davidson, while the ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal went to Port Melbourne’s Billy Gowers.
The awards kept coming for Brew all night, because he was also named captain of the VFLM Team of the Year. His coach Jimmy Allan was named coach of the year.