On Friday 3 November, Lakes United RLFC held their 2017 Presentation Night at Swansea RSL.
It was a great night to celebrate a successful year, especially winning the Mal Woodford Trophy (Club Championship) for the first time since 1997.
Award winners for the night were;
LLT Awards
Presented by Craig Martine, Michelle Stewart
Best Forward – Nat Hilder
Best Back – Emily Caton
Coaches Award – Sarah Dodds
Coaches Award – Bree Burgess
Players Player – Emily Caton
Under 19s Awards
Presented by Robbie Payne
Best Forward – Conner Whittaker
Best Back – Ben Hibberd
Coaches Award – Sam Hibberd
Players Player – Johnathon Walsh
Reserve Grade Awards
Presented by Lyndon Shepperd
Best Forward – Jarrod Holmgreen
Best Back – Steven Leask
Coaches Award – Isaac Wilton
Players Player – Matt Calder
First Grade Awards
Presented by Dean Noonan
Best Forward – Sean Boss
Best Back – Kyle Kennedy
Coaches Award – Nick Glohe
Players Player – Chris Randall
Dean in his last official role as Coach for Lakes, made special mention for the support and assistance over the previous four years of Lee Clark and Craig Kimmorley.
In closing, Dean gave special thanks to Chris Adams for his support and the crucial role he has played in the success of the Club. Grizz responded with heartfelt thanks to everyone at the Club for all they have done for him. It has been an emotional time for all, as these current day legends retire from the Club. Thanks to all, your contributions to the Club will be remembered for many years to come.
Other Awards Acknowledgement of 2017 representative players, including;
Men’s U23
Jacob Gagai, Nick Newman, Jack Kelly, Chris Randall, Kyle Kennedy and Jamie Ghoulmieh.
Ladies League Tag
Angela Jones, Caitlin Johnson, Emily Caton, Logan Flannagan and Sarah Dodds
Luke Huth represented Australian Schoolboys on their tour of NZ.
Paul Wallace is currently working with Fiji as part of their 2017 Rugby League World Cup campaign.
Life Members
Lakes Life Members Chris Paul & Mick Sullivan were asked on stage to make two Life Member presentations.
These outstanding Club men were nominated for their outstanding contribution to the Club, they are Dean Noonan and Craig Kimmorley. After losing 13 or 14 premiership games in 2013, Dean and Craig started to rebuild the Club. The success speaks for itself, 2015 Major Premiers for First, Reserve, Thirds. 2016 Major Premiers, Reserves and U19. 2017 Club Championship, U19 grand finalists & Reserve Grade minor Premiers.
Dean spoke fondly of the culture and friendships that he has built at the Club and encouraged everyone to be proud of their Club.
Dean Noonan and Steve Brown were called to the stage to present the awards for Rookie of the Year, Clubman of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year.
The winners were;
Rookie of the Year – Ben Hibberd
Clubman of the Year – Brendan Walsh
Sportsperson of the Year – Shaun Boss
Thanks to everyone for a fantastic year, enjoy the off season and be ready for an outstanding 2018 season.