Standout year: Mulwala’s Jackson Gash is presented with his second O’Dwyer Medal
Photo by
Josh Huntly
The Murray Football League senior best-and-fairest had a runaway winner last night ― until it didn’t.
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Mulwala’s Jackson Gash has his second O’Dwyer Medal with 23 votes, finishing a single vote clear of Nathalia’s Bailey Bell to add to his 2019 award in a thrilling finish to the count that almost saw the spoils shared.
Controversy dominated proceedings, though.
Jamason Daniels was a whopping 10 votes clear of the pack when all was said and done, but was ruled ineligible for the medal due to a suspension for striking against Nathalia in round four.
What a year: Mulwala's Jackson Gash enjoyed a stellar 2023 season.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Numurkah star Daniels was clearly in front for the latter two-thirds of the count, first grabbing a share of the lead in round seven with a best-on-ground performance against Tongala and never looking back.
Gash was slow to get out of the blocks with just three votes to his name after the first seven weeks of football, as teammate Matthew Gorman and Congupna’s Daniel Schaper put together imposing tallies with their early-season form.
Gorman and Daniels would share the lead after 10 rounds as Gash rallied superbly, producing three best-afield outings between rounds eight and 11, with the other set of three in that time going to Gorman.
Last year’s co-medallist, Brodie Ross, would insert his name into the upper echelon in a similar fashion with three best-on-ground games from rounds 14-17, setting up a grandstand finish in which no fewer than six contenders were within two votes of Gash, in front on 19.
A pulsating count came down to the final round where Gash, knowing he had mathematically secured at least a share of the medal, failed to poll and was awaiting the tallies from two other Round 20 fixtures.
The last men standing with a glimpse of sharing the coveted prize were Bell and Tongala’s Kyle Fitzgerald, each needing a perfect three having been kept alive.
Fitzgerald missed out on a place, though, and Bell only managed two of the three votes needed to tie Gash at 23 for a piece of the medal, settling for outright second.
He was perhaps spoiled by his teammate Ross, whose top marks on the day entitled him to a share of third place alongside Schaper and Gorman with 21 votes, two shy of the winner.
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