The Insider: Backstage At The Vitale's!
15/02/2007.

After my abrupt sacking from New Idea magazine following my 'unsubstantiated' story involving Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, a monkey, a goat, a bowl of custard, a bunch of bananas, and a bellboy at a five-star hotel (I won't go into full details), I have been hired by thebulletsfc.com to provide the website with some scoops. My true identity is a secret, my sexual identity is ambiguous, and I liked the movie 'The Bourne Identity'. My first assignment was to attend The Vitale Medal awards night. I won't bore you with all the details. Instead, I'll bore you with some of the details. Here are some of the scoops I uncovered...

Romance is in the air at The Bullets Football Club. Andrew Merryweather and Narelle Jones have both announced their engagements...not to each other, mind you. Narelle is engaged to Bullets one-gamer Keith Randall, while Merryweather is engaged to Paris Hilton...my sources are still trying to verify this.

Speaking of romance, rumours that Warren 'Coachy' Burford has become engaged to a giant-sized football are grossly exaggerated. I have no idea where these idiotic rumours start. It is, in fact, a regular sized football...

Still on romance, it was great to see Bullets glamour couple Asher Newton and Casey Elliott together at the dinner. While Newton managed a game this year, Elliott has not been sighted on the field since the 2004 season. However, did The Insider hear her mutter the word "comeback" or did I easily mistake her saying "please pass the salt, Jack"? Stay tuned on that one...

Star forward Dean Jones was a late withdrawal from the dinner. I heard a number of stories as to his whereabouts ranging from him attending a cricket umpires end-of-season dinner to him auditioning for Australian Idol to him being abducted by aliens. I'm leaning towards the alien abduction. Apparently, my source has concrete evidence...

Flamboyant midfielder/forward Danijela Mijic arrived at the dinner with an attractive female friend. According to one source, the two girls spent most of the night arguing over who was going to "score with Luke" later in the night. I would take this story with a grain of salt as my source for this news item was none other than Luke himself...

Rob Rizzo was not a happy man at the awards night. A talented musician, Rizzo is still annoyed that he was not considered as a replacement for the 'Yellow Wiggle'...

Dave Beattie has already been busy in the off-season sharpening his comedy act. For those who don't know, Beattie moonlights as a stand-up comedian (beattie.net.au). Beattie used the evening to try out some of his new material. He even told The Insider a few jokes...at least, that's what I'm told they were...

Man-of-the-moment Dan Vitale seemed to be humbled by the evening that was named in his honour. He confided to The Insider that this was the biggest night in his life alongside his now legendary 'Hogan's Heroes' marathon of December 1996...

See you around the traps...

Hero To Zero: Coachy Demands Curfew For Wayward Star!
14/02/2007.

The 2006 Vitale Medal has been marred by the disturbing behaviour of controversial midfielder, Luke Barisic. Just eight hours after being presented the 2006 Vitale Medal, police were called to Greville St. Prahran, where they found Barisic's comatose body sprawled on the sidewalk just outside the trendy Boutique nightclub. According to observers at the club, Barisic arrived shortly after 11pm with an entourage that included 'good mates' Chris Tarrant, Heath Scotland, and Daniel Kerr. According to one of the revelers, things got "pretty wild" and culminated with Barisic allegedly urinating on "that cute barmaid chick", although she was allegedly "asking for it, mate". When finally revived early this morning by paramedics, Barisic blew a staggering 0.86 on the breathalyser, a new world record and far beyond a lethal level. One Bullets fan at the scene commented that the fact that Barisic was still alive was "a testament to his strength and courage" and that "his story should be an inspiration for children everywhere". Others at the scene were less reverent, including one group of backpackers who were unimpressed at being unwilling participants in a spirited game of 'Break The Beer Bottle Over The Tourist's Head'.

The Bullets Football Club reacted swiftly to the news, by dropping Barisic from the senior leadership group. This has come as a shock to many at the club as they were not even aware there was a senior leadership group. He will also be fined and may be suspended. Some members felt the club could have handled the situation better by not delivering the news to Barisic while he was having his stomach pumped. When contacted for comment, Warren 'Coachy' Burford (currently in rehearsal for the next season of "Dancing With The Stars") was scathing of his ruckman. In a largely incoherent rant, it was revealed that 'Coachy' has placed a curfew on the 2006 Vitale Medallist and has demanded that Barisic seek counselling. Barisic is also nursing a broken heart after Channel 9 personality and marriage-wrecker du jour Lara Bingle dumped him moments after they 'hooked up' once she found out he was single and not currently in a relationship. 'Coachy' is hopeful that Barisic can turn it around, after witnessing the rehabilitation of former wayward stars Dean Jones and Andrew Merryweather, who both succumbed to the temptations that fame and fortune can bring to a Vitale medallist. The incident was a sour finishing note to what had up until that point been a wonderful evening.

Barisic became the third Vitale Medallist in Bullets history, edging out last year's recipient, Andrew Merryweather, by four votes. Debbie Murray, who won the award for Best First-Year Player, claimed third position, while two-time Vitale Medallist Dean Jones' attempt for a three-peat fell short; he finished in fourth place. Danijela Mijic polled very well in the handful of games she played for the club. Other award winners were Rob Rizzo, who was named the Most Improved Player for the 2006 season, and Dave Beattie, who was named Best Clubperson. In the one award that had previously been decided, Andrew Merryweather was named Leading Goalkicker for the 2006 season. The 2004 and 2005 award winners were also retrospectively presented with certificates acknowledging their past feats. A number of past and present players attended the event. It was great to see the likes of Asher Newton and Casey Elliott present. Of course, the evening wouldn't have been complete without the guest of honour, club Hall-Of-Famer Dan Vitale, whom the top award is named after. Vitale was particularly delighted to have his favourite band of all-time, 'Twoloudlatinmusicians', performing at the event.

2006 Award Winners:

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

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

Round 7 Votes Are In: Who Will Win?
12/02/2007

We have reached Round 7 and, with only three more rounds of voting left, there are only four possible winners of The Vitale Medal. Luke Barisic has opened up a six vote lead, thanks in part to the holidaying Andrew Merryweather. Another best-on-ground effort by the ruckman saw him streak ahead. Debbie Murray, as predicted, is finishing the season full of running. Her four votes for the round see her stay in third position, but she is still within striking distance. Dean Jones, who collected three votes, is still a mathematical chance, but you would have to think he would need three best-on-grounds and hope the leaders don't poll well. Danijela picked up another two votes, while Narelle Jones picked up a vote. Here is the leaderboard:

Luke Barisic - 25 votes
Andrew Merryweather - 19
Debbie Murray - 15
Dean Jones - 13
Danijela Mijic - 8
Dave Beattie - 4
Narelle Jones - 4
Rob Rizzo - 4
Elodie O'Connor - 4
Keith Randall - 3
Rob Hazell - 2
Michelle Barisic - 2
Asher Newton - 1
Lucy Burford - 1

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

Round 6 Votes: We Have A New Leader!
11/02/2007

Andrew Merryweather's mid-season Queensland getaway has cost him the lead in The 2006 Vitale Medal. Luke Barisic earned best-afield honours to sneak ahead by one vote in the race for recreational football's highest honour. The race has really heated up now with Debbie Murray continuing her good from to move into outright third position. Dean Jones scored one vote for the round to also stay in contention with 10 votes. Danijela Mijic keeps polling in every game she plays, but has probably played too few of them to make a serious charge. Elodie O'Connor was superb in her one game for the season and jumps to equal sixth. With four rounds remaining, there are still a total of 20 possible votes up for grabs meaning anyone can still win this!!! Here is the leaderboard:

Luke Barisic - 20 votes
Andrew Merryweather - 19
Debbie Murray - 11
Dean Jones - 10
Danijela Mijic - 6
Rob Rizzo - 4
Dave Beattie - 4
Elodie O'Connor - 4
Narelle Jones - 3
Keith Randall - 3
Rob Hazell - 2
Michelle Barisic - 2
Asher Newton - 1
Lucy Burford - 1

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

The Votes For Round 5 Are In!
10/02/2007

We have now reached the halfway mark of The 2006 Vitale Medal count and the leader at the halfway mark is Andrew Merryweather. 'Mez' picked up a handy 3 votes to extend his lead to 4 votes from Luke Barisic in second. Merryweather missed the next two games, so his position on top will be challenged in the next couple of rounds. Dean Jones couldn't add to his total, but still remains within striking distance in third place. Debbie Murray was the big mover, making her return to the side and earning best-on-ground honours to move into fourth place. Rob Rizzo starred in his first game for the season and has now thrown his hat in the ring. Dave Beattie continues his climb with another good performance, while Lucy Burford gets a vote for arguably her best game for the club. Here is the leaderboard:

Andrew Merryweather - 19 votes
Luke Barisic - 15
Dean Jones - 9
Debbie Murray - 8
Danijela Mijic - 4
Rob Rizzo - 4
Dave Beattie - 4
Narelle Jones - 3
Keith Randall - 3
Rob Hazell - 2
Michelle Barisic - 2
Asher Newton - 1
Lucy Burford - 1

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

The 2006 Vitale Medal Count Continues!
09/02/2007

We're not yet at the halfway mark of the season, but there have already been some big moves in the 2006 Vitale Medal count. Andrew Merryweather, joint winner of the award last year, has now taken the outright lead from Luke Barisic after the two were level following Round 2. Dean Jones had a very good Rounds 3 and 4, amassing 9 of a potential 10 votes. He has now moved into third position and is back in the hunt to claim his third consecutive Vitale Medal. Danijela Mijic polled very well in her first game to move up to fourth position. Mijic's infrequent appearances in the latter part of the season may hurt her chances. Debbie Murray, on the other hand, had a strong finish to the season, and is still very much a chance. Rob Hazell and Asher Newton have also made their way onto the leaderboard, but injury will keep Hazell from winning, while this was Newton's only appearance of the season. Dave Beattie also received more votes and could be a bit of a wildcard in the later rounds. Here is the leaderboard:

Andrew Merryweather - 16 votes
Luke Barisic - 15
Dean Jones - 9
Danijela Mijic - 4
Debbie Murray - 3
Narelle Jones - 3
Keith Randall - 3
Dave Beattie - 2
Rob Hazell - 2
Michelle Barisic - 2
Asher Newton - 1

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

The 2006 Vitale Medal Count Begins!
08/02/2007

Andrew Merryweather and 'some other guy' have skipped out to an early lead in the 2006 Vitale Medal. The joint winner of the medal in 2005, Merryweather will be looking for an outright win this year, while 'that other dude' will be looking for his first win after finishing second and third in the prior two seasons. Two-time winner Dean Jones is off to a sluggish start after he missed the Round 1 encounter. Debbie Murray started well in Round 1, but missed Round 2 and the following two rounds after going AWOL. Expect a strong finish, though. Keith Randall made an impact in his one game. Somehow, 'the sister of that ruckman chap' has managed to score some votes, while Narelle Jones and Dave Beattie are also progressing nicely. There is still a long way to go as we are yet to feel the impact of: the return of Rob Rizzo, the debut of Danijela Mijic, the vote magnet Dean Jones, and the wizardry of Rob Hazell in defence. Here is the leaderboard:

Andrew Merryweather - 9 votes
Luke Barisic - 9
Debbie Murray - 3
Narelle Jones - 3
Keith Randall - 3
Michelle Barisic - 2
Dave Beattie - 1

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

The 2006 Vitale Medal Count Begins!
07/02/2007

Andrew Merryweather has skipped out to an early lead in the 2006 Vitale Medal. The joint winner of the medal in 2005, Merryweather will be looking for an outright win this year. Here is the leaderboard:

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

Round-By-Round Voting:

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

And The 2005 Vitale Medallist Is...!
06/02/2007

In an extraordinary result, Dean Jones and Andrew Merryweather finished equal on 32 votes to be the joint winners of the 2005 Vitale Medal. The two players held the lead at various stages throughout the count, and with two rounds remaining, Jones had edged ahead by 3 votes. However, Merryweather reeled him in and tied for the medal after a great finish to the season. Luke Barisic was once again the bridesmaid after finishing 2nd in the 2004 medal count and is seemingly the Gary Hocking of the Vitale medal. Other strong votegetters were Margit Gailis, Asher Newton, and Narelle Jones. Here is the final leaderboard:

Dean Jones & Andrew Merryweather - 32 votes
Luke Barisic - 27
Margit Gailis - 15
Asher Newton - 10
Narelle Jones - 9
Stuart Akers - 7
Nicole Franklin - 6
Catherine Croft - 4
Rob Rizzo - 4
Lucy Burford - 2
Jane Northey - 2

Other 2005 award winners were:

Best Clubperson: Stuart Akers
Leading Goalkicker: Andrew Merryweather (40 goals)
Best First Year Player: Margit Gailis
Most Improved: Narelle Jones

Akers was the role model team player. If he didn't already have the award stitched up before the finals, he certainly secured it by attending the final and supporting the side despite suffering from a rolled ankle. He was determined not to miss a game this season, and he wasn't going to let injury prevent him from doing so. But it wasn't just that. Stuart was Mr.Reliable; showing up early to the games each week and having numerous training sessions with 'Coachy' on the weekends. And he was always very encouraging of his teammates, combining well in defence with last year's best clubperson, Asher Newton.

The spoils continue for Merryweather, as he also collected the leading goalkicker award. 40 goals in ten games was a phenomenal achievement, but his 17 goals in the final two games left many speechless. His nine goals in a final is a record that may never be surpassed, much like gary Ablett's nine in the 1989 VFL grand final. And the comparisons with Ablett don't end there! Both are freakish players on the field, and both are tortured souls away from it...okay, maybe not.

Gailis capped off a fine season by winning the best first-year player. Margit was the obvious choice as the other contenders to choose from (Nicole Franklin, Jane Northey, Lucy Burford, and Narelle Jones) only played a handful of games each. With her netballing background, Gailis stepped into the side and picked up the game very well from early on. Some fine-tuning of her skills and the result speaks for itself: fourth in the Vitale Medal. And that was despite missing two games!

The Most Improved Award was an interesting one with 'Coachy' awarding it to Narelle Jones. It was a difficult choice as there were a number of players who played in 2004 who showed good improvement in 2005. However, despite the fact that she debuted that year and played just four games, Narelle's improvement from her first to her final game was excellent. While she was a ball magnet right from the start, her kicking and marking skills improved tremendously in such a short space of time. So while you could possibly make the argument that some players showed improvement from 2004 to 2005 to rival Narelle, the comparatively brief period of time that Narelle achieved her improvement got her over the line.

Each of these players will receive their awards at the club's first annual Awards Night on February 13th.

Round-By-Round Voting:
Finals
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Andrew Merryweather
3 - Dean Jones
2 - Narelle Jones
1 - Asher Newton

Round 9
5 - Margit Gailis
4 - Andrew Merryweather
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Dean Jones
1 - Narelle Jones

Round 8
5 - Asher Newton
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Andrew Merryweather
2 - Catherine Croft
1 - Narelle Jones

Round 7
5 - Narelle Jones
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Margit Gailis
2 - Luke Barisic
1 - Andrew Merryweather

Round 6
5 - Dean Jones
4 - Luke Barisic
3 - Andrew Merryweather
2 - Catherine Croft
1 - Stuart Akers

Round 5
5 - Stuart Akers
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Lucy Burford
1 - Nicole Franklin

Round 4
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Margit Gailis
3 - Dean Jones
2 - Luke Barisic
1 - Asher Newton

Round 3
5 - Nicole Franklin
4 - Rob Rizzo
3 - Andrew Merryweather
2 - Margit Gailis
1 - Stuart Akers

Round 2
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Andrew Merryweather
3 - Dean Jones
2 - Asher Newton
1 - Margit Gailis

Round 1
5 - Andrew Merryweather
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Jane Northey
1 - Asher Newton

And The 2004 Vitale Medallist Is...!
03/02/2007

Dean Jones has been retrospectively named the Vitale medallist for the 2004 season, winning the award by the narrowest possible margin...one vote. With 2004 being a four game season, the leaderboard was always going to be tight with the count going right to the final round. Jones won the award with 11 votes, from Luke Barisic with 10 votes and Asher Newton on 9 votes. The final leaderboard looked like this:

Dean Jones - 11 votes
Luke Barisic - 10
Asher Newton - 9
Warren Burford - 8
Rob Rizzo - 7
Catherine Croft - 6
Casey Elliott - 6
Stuart Akers - 3

Other award winners were:

Best Clubperson: Asher Newton
Leading Goalkicker: Dean Jones (5 goals)
Most Improved: Catherine Croft

Jones also was the recipient of the goalkicking award by kicking five goals for the season. In a season where The Bullets were struggling on the field, and still finding their feet, Jones' five goals were far more impressive than they may sound on paper. The side could only manage nine goals in their four games for the season (a total the current side averages in one game) and for Jones to kick over half of those was a tremendous achievement, more so because he only played in three of those games.

Newton won the best clubperson award. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, Newton was always very encouraging of his teammates out on the field in what were very trying conditions at times. Playing mainly in defence, he never dropped his head and never gave up despite the constant forward assaults by opposition teams. His commitment to the team was exemplary as he didn't miss a game and arrived early each week to have a kick-to-kick with teammates.

In a very short space of time, Catherine Croft showed marked improvement and so, not surprisingly, won the Most Improved Award. Her spectacular diving mark in the final game of the season showed exactly how far she had come along. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to consistently play in 2005 and missed the entire 2006 season, which has since stifled her development. However, she is the kind of player who, if she returns someday, won't take too long to get back up to that elite level.

Each of these players will receive their awards at the club's first annual Awards Night on February 13th.

Round-By-Round Voting:
Finals
5 - Rob Rizzo
4 - Dean Jones
3 - Luke Barisic
2 - Catherine Croft
1 - Asher Newton

Round 8
5 - Dean Jones
4 - Catherine Croft
3 - Casey Elliott
2 - Rob Rizzo
1 - Luke Barisic

Round 7
5 - Luke Barisic
4 - Warren Burford
3 - Asher Newton
2 - Dean Jones
1 - Stuart Akers

Round 6
5 - Asher Newton
4 - Warren Burford
3 - Casey Elliott
2 - Stuart Akers
1 - Luke Barisic

Announcing The 2006 Vitale Medal!
02/02/2007

WHO'S TAKING 'DAN' HOME? FIND OUT ON FEBRUARY 13TH!

Awards fever is sweeping the air. With The Golden Globes done and dusted and with The Academy Awards still a few weeks away, the focus of the media has now shifted to recreational football's night of nights, The 2006 Vitale Medal. Named after club legend and Hall-of-Famer Dan Vitale, the Vitale Medal is awarded to the best and fairest player for The Bullets Football Club, as judged by Warren 'Coachy' Burford.

This year's event will be held at Michelangelo's Pizza And Pasta Restaurant in Burwood after an unfortunate double booking at the Crown Palladium left The Bullets out in the cold. The change of venue is the latest in a string of budget cutbacks to this year's ceremony following the decision to replace last year's host, Billy Crystal, with an 'as yet unannounced' Big Brother evictee. And after last year's event featured U2 and The Rolling Stones performing live, this year's guest musicians, The Chantoozies and Craig McLachlan, were always going to be a letdown. This year's event is also under threat of not being televised due to the ongoing broadcasting negotiations between Channel 7, Channel 10, and Foxtel.

One part of the evening that seems to grow in popularity each year is the red carpet arrivals of The Bullets superstars. With each passing year, they continue to prove that they are just as trendsetting off the field as they are on it. Last year, we saw Warren Burford step out in a delightful Versace singlet and stubbies, while Luke Barisic sported a Giorgio Armani matching polo shirt and sweatpant outfit, but both were outdone by Dean Jones, who dazzled in his Prada moccasins.

But the event is not all about the glitz and the glamour. It is about eating dinner. Furthermore, it is also about recognising some of the great recreational footballing talent that has thrilled spectators on those inclement summer nights at Sandringham. There will be five awards presented on the evening: The Vitale Medal, Best First Year Player, Most Improved Player, Best Clubperson, and Leading Goalkicker. One of the awards has already been decided with Andrew Merryweather winning the goalkicking from Dean Jones in what was a cliffhanger finish, 27 goals to 23. This is Merryweather's second leading goalkicker award, having won it last season as well.

There were a number players who made their recreational football debuts this year, including Rob Hazell, Debbie Murray, Danijela Mijic, and Maree Fewster. All four of these players can lay solid claims to the Best First Year Player Award as each displayed moments of brilliance throughout the season. The Most Improved Award is open to any player as, although it is traditionally awarded to the player who improves the most from the previous season, it can also be awarded to first year players if they show a lot of improvement from their first game to their last. The Best Clubperson Award is generally awarded to the player who shows a lot of commitment, trains hard, encourages their teammates, and is very team-oriented in their thinking, decision making, and gameplay. The Vitale Medal is awarded to the best and fairest player at the club. Votes are awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 system by The Bullets coach, 'Coachy'.

In the week leading up to the awards ceremony, we will be revealing the votes for the first seven rounds of the season. Voting for the last three rounds has been kept secret by Coachy, with the winner to be revealed on February the 13th, 2007. Retrospective awards will also be presented on the evening for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. To follow the awards voting, keep checking the news updates for the current and retrospective countdowns.

Site Updates: Stats, Coachy's Review, And More!
01/02/2007

The 2006 season may be over, but there is still plenty of movement at thebulletsfc.com:

- Coachy's end-of-season review and player report cards are now online at Coachy's Corner.

- There won't be a Stats Amazing column this month, but I will mention that the website had 110 visits for the month of January. This was obviously down quite a bit from the 201 visits we had in December, but was slightly more than the 108 visits we had in November. Not bad considering the season is over!

- Stay tuned for an announcement regarding the end-of-season dinner and awards night in the upcoming days.

- We also have a new contact page on the website. This form will make it a bit simpler to leave hero messages. You can access it by clicking on the 'send a hero message' button or via the menu at the bottom of each page. There is now a sitemap and an about page (coming soon) that are also accessible via the bottom menu.