Towering above the competition is a familiar feeling for Keilor
ruckman Andrew Browne as he capped a stellar individual season with the
Dick Reynolds Medal last week.
Browne was the Essendon District Football League premier
division’s best and fairest by nine votes – he polled 27 to win the
Reynolds medal from Avondale Heights’ Pat Rose on 18.
Keilor missed the finals but Browne’s ruck work from round one to
18 was a constant talking point among the league as the stand-out
strength of the Blues’ outfit.
Browne, 23, was recruited by Keilor after Richmond ended his AFL career after just three seasons and 12 games.
Recruited from Mansfield via the Murray Bushrangers, Browne
debuted in Ben Cousins’ first Richmond game in round one 2009; an
inglorious 83-point thrashing by Carlton.
Browne may have been fresh out of the AFL but said he still had to find his feet on the step back to EDFL level.
“It’s a touchy subject that I got de-listed last year,” Browne said.
“I was pretty nervous come round one … back to a new competition and you never know what you’re going to produce.
“To be able to have an impact surprised me, but in the same breath it is an honour to win the medal.”
Browne put his popularity with the umpires down to his 205 centimetre stature and red hair.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster at Keilor this year, but I think 2014 might be the one,” Browne said.
Greenvale’s Eric Kuret finished third with 15 votes while fellow
on-ballers Trent Lee (Maribyrnong Park) and Matt Cravino (Avondale
Heights) polled 14 each.
In division 1, former Morrish medallist Fort Caruso won the Bill
Hutchison Medal with brother and playing coach Nat Caruso runner-up.
Teenage sensation Beau Naim of Jacana took out the division 2 medal.
At the Liston Trophy, St Bernards junior Jordan Schroder capped a
strong season with Geelong by winning the medal in a tie with North
Ballarat’s Steve Clifton and Box Hill Hawks’ Mitch Hallahan. A member of
the Calder Cannons star draft-class of 2010, Schroder polled 17 votes
despite being called up by the Cats AFL outfit for four games.
