By Nick Creely
Passion, pride, resilience and determination are the core fundamentals of a successful and thriving football club.
For the Noble Park Bulls, these four key ingredients are what make them such a proud club.
For 32 long and agonising years, the Under 19s have been devoid of success – and finally they broke through spectacularly, claiming a gritty premiership against all odds.
This feat was one of many stories to come out of the Peter Reece Medal awards night at Club Noble on Thursday 29 September.
From their star midfielder Kyle Martin, who claimed yet another Peter Reece Medal, the retirements of club legends Stewart Kemperman and Craig Anderson, the touching tribute to club great Chris ‘Rabbit’ Heenan who passed away recently and the recognition of new life members, it was a night of celebration, pride and emotion for the blue and gold.
The club has endured some tough years and have struggled to win premierships, but the energy, passion and overall love for the club was plain to see.
Peter Reece Medal
STAR midfielder Kyle Martin has yet again claimed the club Best and Fairest award, winning by 18 votes.
The 26-year-old, who played six AFL games for Collingwood, is no stranger to individual accolades.
He has not only won countless best and fairest awards at Noble Park, but he has also done so for Frankston in the VFL and for Collingwood’s VFL side.
Martin first won the Peter Reece Medal back in 2009, at the age of 19, a remarkable achievement which raised the eyebrows of several recruiters.
Now back at the club he grew up loving, the midfielder was all praise for the Bulls and believes ultimate success is certainly not far away.
“It’s been a big year for the club and it’s great to see so many people here.
“To the players, obviously we didn’t get the end result that we wanted and as a team we strive to be the best and be the best team in the competition and unfortunately we fell short.
“If we all stick together and put it in the hard yards, I’m sure we will be better off for it.
“To the U19s, congratulations on winning the flag.
“You must be on top of the world at the moment and I know it’s a great feeling and you should really savour it but bring that drive into the next pre- season.”
Martin also paid special mention to the support staff and volunteers of the club.
“To all the support staff, the work that you do is really appreciated and I know it dosen’t seem like it a lot, but the players really do appreciate it.
“To all the supporters, thankyou very much and hopefully next year will bring bigger and better things for us.”
Runner-up Best and Fairest: Vergim Faik
Most Consistent: Ben Giobbi
Most Determined: Ryan Morrison
Best Finals Player: Tim Harper
Other Awards
Cosi Anagnostou has taken out the David Spence Medal as the U19 best and fairest in a close count, while Ben Andonov and Mitch Anderson have tied for the Paul Brightman Medal as Reserves Best and Fairest.
Anagnostou was thankful for the season, in which he kicked 11 goals from 17 matches and was a constant force in the midfield, and the help of his coaches in the breakthrough premiership.
“Thankyou to Jamie for the year and you’ve been a really great coach,” Anagnostou said.
“I’d like to also thank my mum who came down to all my games and thanks to all the boys for a really great year.
Benjamin Andonov enjoyed a terrific season in the reserves for the Bulls, being named in the best virtually every single week and making his senior debut for the club this season, while Mitch Anderson enjoyed a breakout season, kicking almost a goal a game and also featuring at senior level on three occasions.
