By Marcus Uhe
Pakenham Netball Club captain Caitlin Cooke has taken out the 2024 Jodi Chandler Medal as the best player in the Outer East Football Netball A Grade netball season at the league’s presentation night on Monday 16 September.
The Lions’ A-Grade skipper enjoyed a stellar season from the Lions’ defensive third, leading Pakenham back to the finals and reaching as far as the semi final rounds with a young and talented squad.
It was a special night for the Cooke family, with Caitlin also named Goal Defence in the A-Grade Team of the Year, and her father, Matt, selected as coach of the team.
Cooke finished the count on 32 votes, five clear of Lions teammate Jordyn Adams in second place and 11 ahead of Narre Warren captain Brittany Mashado, and Emerald’s Krista Tomlinson, tied for third place on 21 votes.
After 10 rounds Cooke was in second place behind Mt Evelyn centre Montana Wallis by two votes in a tight count, but polled 19 votes in a stellar final eight games of the year to run away with the honour after 18 weeks.
In her first season back on the court after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in late 2022, Cooke enjoyed a campaign of full health, playing all 18 games in the regular season and the two finals that Pakenham qualified for, instrumental in the brilliant comeback against Emerald in the first week when the Lions stared down the barrel of an early exit.
Tenacious in the defensive goal circle, she can often be seen picking herself up off the ground after flying for an interception and putting her body on the line time after time to give her team an advantage.
Adams, meanwhile, was one of the recruits of the season in the A-Grade competition, with her competitive spirit and experience playing in higher levels of netball in South Australia helping her to elevate Pakenham to new heights.
Taller than most centres, she offered tremendous defensive support and made a habit of getting her hands into passing lanes to disrupt opposition attacking plays.
Adams was viewed as a favourite heading into the count and sat four votes adrift from Wallis at the halfway mark but like her captain, powered home with a strong second half of the season to finish with 27 votes.
Narre Warren captain Mashado is no stranger to the podium, having won the award back in 2022.
Mashado will lead her Magpies into battle in this week’s grand final seeking back-to-back premiership glory after the successes of 2023.
B-Grade saw ROC captain Sidney Kneebone voted the competition’s best, sneaking home by one vote ahead of Woori Yallock’s Jaymee Tough, while Narre Warren’s Dorothy Maepu cruised to victory in the C-Grade count by nine votes.
In football, the league’s highest accolade, the Smith-Ramage Medal for the Premier Division best-and-fairest went to Woori Yallock ruck Zach Monkhorst.
The son of Collingwood’s 1990 premiership ruck, Damian, Zach claimed the league’s top gong for the second time, having previously won the award back in 2019.
Widely regarded as one of the best big men in the game, he was also named as the starting ruck in the Team of the Year, and pipped Upwey Tecoma midfielder Sam Raru by one in the count.
Wandin co-captain Patrick Bruzzese rounded-out the podium with 22 votes.
In the reserves, Officer’s Tanner Thomsen pulled off a remarkable feat by winning the count despite playing just 10 of a possible 18 home-and-away games.
Thomsen began the season playing for Reservoir in the Northern Football Netball League before making his debut in round six against Gembrook Cockatoo.
Polling 21 votes, he earned a staggering 2.1 votes per game, and even missed the final two of the home-and-away season, but impressed the umpires enough to hold on to his lead ahead of Upwey Tecoma’s Blair Sheppard.
Selections in the senior football team of the year were dominated by the competition’s three best sides, with Narre Warren, Wandin and Woori Yallock each rewarded for brilliant seasons with four players each selected.
One Magpie, Sam Toner, clinched a spot in the forward pocket despite playing just 13 games.
