{"id":222980,"date":"2026-09-16T09:41:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T23:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=222980"},"modified":"2026-09-16T09:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T23:41:44","slug":"rock-and-cooke-earn-talent-league-best-and-fairests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2026\/09\/16\/rock-and-cooke-earn-talent-league-best-and-fairests\/","title":{"rendered":"Rock and Cooke earn Talent League best and fairests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A NORTHERN Territory bottom-ager and rising Northern Knights ball-winner were recognised as the best and fairest players in the respective Talent League competitions last night. Tenacious Peggy Rock<\/a> – who also plays from the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels – took out the girls’ award, while Knights’ top-ager Harvie Cooke<\/a> won the Morrish Medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rock not only becomes the first GWV Rebels and Northern Territory prospect to win the girls’ best and fairest, but has done so despite missing games due to Allies representation. The Ballarat Grammar student has had a big year in her penultimate junior season, averaging 21.7 disposals, 6.3 tackles and 2.7 tackles across three games for the Territory, before joining up with the Rebels to add eight games to her season tally, managing 20.4 disposals, 8.5 tackles and 3.4 clearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her league best and fairest comes after winning the MVP and All-Australian selection as an over-ager at the National Development Championships earlier this year. She also featured for the All-Stars side against the National Academy, played a full carnival for the Allies, and was part of the AFL National Futures program last weekend. Rock is tipped tp be among the first-round contenders for next season and the leading prospect from the Top End.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rock polled 17 votes in the best and fairest count, two clear of Eastern Ranges’ bottom-age ruck\/forward Tillie Baldwin<\/a> and Gippsland Power top-ager Lily Milner<\/a>. Dandenong Stingrays forward Jasmine Whitten<\/a> – one of the best performing top-agers outside the Draft Combine invites – finished third with 13 votes, while Tasmanian jet Matilda Lange<\/a> and bottom-age Calder midfielder Coco Balmain<\/a> managed 11 votes to tie for fifth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peggy Rock is a promising 2027 AFLW Draft prospect. Image credit: Rookie Me Central<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cooke became the sixth Northern Knights player in history to take out the Morrish Medal and the first from the region since Anton Woods<\/strong> earned the honour back in 2009. Cooke played 14 games and averaged 24.7 disposals, 5.9 clearances, 4.9 tackles and 4.0 inside 50s, progressing from being a bottom-age regular to a genuine draft prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also represented Vic Metro at the AFL National Championships, averaging 17.5 disposals and 7.0 marks across his title-winning side’s four games. That performance earned Cooke selection in the Under 18 Boys All-Australian side, and also finished fifth in the Larke Medal, further illustrating the volume of impact he had against the best around the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooke finished with 23 votes in the Morrish Medal count, two clear of Dandenong Stingrays’ Clancy Stuart<\/a>. Gippsland Power’s Cody Templeton<\/a> managed 17 votes across the season, the same as Western Jets’ Angus Tippett<\/a>. Another Jets draft prospect in Western Bulldogs’ Next-Generation Academy member Khaled El Souki<\/a> polled 14 votes to round out the top five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The awards night wraps up the bulk of the season, with just the grand finals in each respective competitions to come. The Dandenong Stingrays feature in both the girls and boys deciders, taking on Oakleigh Chargers in the former from 10:45am on Saturday, before the latter tackle Gippsland Power at 1:15pm. The matches take place at Whitten Oval, with entry free and both games available to stream live via the AFL Live Official App and AFL website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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