And The 2006 Winners Are...!
13/02/2007

Luke Barisic has finally shed the tag of 'bridesmaid' to win the 2006 Vitale Medal after finishing 2nd in 2004 and 3rd in 2005. In a tight finish, Barisic edged out one of last year's joint Vitale Medallists, Andrew Merryweather. Three consecutive best-on-grounds from Round 6 through to Round 8 helped Luke claim the top prize in recreational football. Here is the final leaderboard:

Final Vitale Medal Leaderboard:

Luke Barisic - 37 votes
Andrew Merryweather - 33
Debbie Murray - 22
Dean Jones - 17
Danijela Mijic - 12
Dave Beattie - 5
Rob Rizzo - 5
Narelle Jones - 4
Elodie O'Connor - 4
Keith Randall - 3
Rob Hazell - 2
Maree Fewster - 2
Michelle Barisic - 2
Asher Newton - 1
Lucy Burford - 1

Other 2006 award winners were:

Best Clubperson: Dave Beattie
Leading Goalkicker: Andrew Merryweather (27 goals)
Best First Year Player: Debbie Murray
Most Improved: Rob Rizzo

Beattie joined The Bullets at the start of the season having previously captain-coached The Barracudas. Despite the hoopla surrounding his signing, he didn't come to the club with a prima donna attitude. Rather, it was the opposite. Through some nagging injuries, Beattie was most weeks only capable of playing one half of football. However, there were a number of times he played more than that when required. Despite the toll it took on his body, he never once complained. He also attended and organised quite a few training sessions in a bid to improve his form and fitness. He also encouraged his teammates out on the field of battle.

Despite narrowly missing out on a second Vitale Medal, Andrew Merryweather did not leave season 2006 empty handed. For the second year running, Merryweather topped the goalkicking. His haul of 27 goals was down a bit from the previous year, but it must be remembered that he did miss a couple of weeks and also played a full game in defence.

Debbie Murray really burst onto the scene this year, consequently winning the Best First Year Player Award. The Bullets were spoiled with the number of excellent debutantes they unveiled this year (e.g. Danijela Mijic, Rob Hazell, Maree Fewster). To win opposed to these great players is a real feather in the cap of Murray. Her third-placed finish in the Vitale Medal is further testament to just how good a season she had.

The Most Improved Player Award is always a tough choice and, as always, there were a number of players who were unlucky to miss out. However, Rob Rizzo is a well-deserved winner. While playing five games over the two previous seasons, Rizzo had always shown glimpses of brilliance. But by making much more consistent appearances in the side this season, he managed to be much more consistency in the brilliance he displayed on the field. Whether he was playing forward or back, he showed he could get the job done.

Full Round-By-Round Vitale Medal Voting:

Finals
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Danijela Mijic
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Debbie Murray
1 - Dean Jones

Round 9
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Luke Barisic
3 - Dean Jones
2 - Debbie Murray
1 - Dave Beattie

Round 8
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Andrew Merryweather
3 - Debbie Murray
2 - Maree Fewster
1 - Rob Rizzo

Round 7
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Debbie Murray
3 - Dean Jones
2 - Danijela Mijic
1 - Narelle Jones

Round 6
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Elodie O'Connor
3 - Debbie Murray
2 - Danijela Mijic
1 - Dean Jones

Round 5
5 - Debbie Murray
4 - Rob Rizzo
3 - Andrew Merryweather
2 - Dave Beattie
1 - Lucy Burford

Round 4
5 - Dean Jones
4 - Danijela Mijic
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Andrew Merryweather
1 - Asher Newton

Round 3
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Rob Hazell
1 - Dave Beattie

Round 2
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Andrew Merryweather
3 - Keith Randall
2 - Michelle Barisic
1 - Narelle Jones

Round 1
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Luke Barisic
3 - Debbie Murray
2 - Narelle Jones
1 - Dave Beattie