Luca Felesina capped off another stellar Bundaberg Touch year by snaring a double as Ankle Bullies claimed a 7-4 victory over QNZLDer in a pulsating men’s grand final at Greg Duncan Fields on Saturday night.
He then picked up the award for season best and fairest.
Earlier in afternoon, Luca had also taken out the gong for the Mixed Division 1 Male Season Best and Fairest, which eased the pain after his side Fence Sitters had been beaten by QNZLDer Maroon 10-8 despite his four touchdowns.
Oliver Moreny had scored twice for Ankle Bullies as scores were locked at 2-all at half-time, and he grabbed one more in the second stanza, while Luca scored twice, with one each to young gun Jimmy Gear and Ashleigh Pole, but another team-mate Nick Mason took out the Player of the Final.
Two young QNZLDers were also among the season major award recipients, Ryan Bugeja and Jesse Young, who were hailed as the Junior Coach of the Season, and Tremaine Tairawhiti Memorial Trophy winner, respectively.
In the Mixed Division 1 play-off, scores were also level at 5-apiece at the break after Luca crossed three times, with his feat matched by Maroon’s Sally Gardiner.
Maroon secured the title with a 5-3 second half with five individual scorers, including Sally, Jack Ellis who completed a double, Alexandra Whitaker, who was crowned Player of the Final and added the Female Season Best and Fairest honour, and QNZLDer doyen Blake Hornbrook.
Apart from Luca’s heroics in the beaten side, Nick Mason was their other multiple scorer with a double.
Meanwhile, Shalom College PRD racked up their fifth straight Women’s championship in five seasons since their internationally acclaimed master coach Peter Robinson formed the side after moving to Shalom and starting up their High Performance Program three years ago, edging out Weekes Property Co 4-3 in another epic finale.
Shalom took a 3-2 lead to the break and held on despite Weekes Property’s Candice Higgins being named as Player of the Final and team-mate Rosemary Pimm winning the Season Best and Fairest.
The Masters Division 1 grand final was won by NADS, outgunning Lawngrubs 9-1 with the four members of the extended Russo family all featuring with former Australian representative star Jack Russo notching a double, along with two of his cousins, brothers Jeremy and Chris Russo, while another cousin Matt touched down once.
Team-mate Matt Churchill however was the Player of the Final, while Lawngrubs’ Graham O’Shanesy took home the Masters Division 1 Season Best and Fairest.
Grasshoppers, which is made up of four family groups – Matt and Pauline Churchill and their children Fletcher and Alexandra; Tracey Nugent and her children Cooper and Sienna; Michael and Gail Pimm and their son Riley; and father and son Dougall and Ben Rudd – sunk Titanic 7-2 in Mixed Division 2.
Sienna was their only multiple scorer with two, while Cooper was Player of the Final, Riley was acclaimed as the Male Season Best and Fairest, but Lara-Jane Hancock, of Titanic, was the Female Best and Fairest.
Long serving association committee member Michael Pimm was a thoroughly deserved recipient of the coveted Club Person of the Year.
Fletcher and Alexandra were also rewarded with the Junior Male and Female Referee of the Season awards, respectively.
Payton Longden doubled up for Titanic, but it was not enough.
Finally, Hot Crab was on the menu in Masters Division 2, going all the way at the expense of Spartan Touch 6-1 with Wade Knott posting a hat-trick in a Player of the Final performance, but Spartan’s Daniel Finter was the Season Best and Fairest, and Hot Crab’s Peter Munckton received the Jakey Award in recognition of the late Steve Jacobsen.
Sam Woodman got his name on the Luke Turnbull Memorial Trophy, presented to a player in their last season in juniors for all-round excellence.
Results – Masters Division 1: NADS 9 (Jack Russo 2, Chris Russo 2, Jeremy Russo 2, Craig Holden, Anthony McLucas, Matthew Russo) defeated Lawngrubs 1 (Maria Curtis). Player of the Final: Mathew Churchill (NADS), Season Best and Fairest: Graham O’Shanesy (Lawngrubs)
Masters Division 2: Hot Crab 6 (Wade Knott 3, David Bonser, Tony Gaze, Peter Munckton) defeated Spartan Touch 1 (Simon Ricciardi). Player of the Final: Wade Knott (Hot Crab). Season Best and Fairest: Daniel Finter (Spartan Touch)
Mixed Division 1: QNZLDer Maroon 10 (Sally Gardiner 4, Jack Ellis 2, Will Hamilton, Nathan Harvey, Blake Hornbrook, Alexandra Whitaker) defeated Fence Sitters 8 (Luca Felesina 4, Nick Mason 2, Tegan Mason, Breanna Harms). Player of the Final: Alexandra Whitaker (QNZLDer Maroon). Season Best and Fairest – Male: Luca Felesina (Fence Sitters), Female: Alexandra Whitaker (QNZLDer Maroon)
Mixed Division 2: Grasshoppers 7 (Sienna Nugent 2, Fletcher Churchill, Cooper Nugent, Tracey Nugent, Gail Pimm, Ben Rudd) defeated Titanic 2 (Payton Longden 2). Player of the Final: Cooper Nugent (Grasshoppers). Season Best and Fairest – Male: Riley Pimm (Grasshoppers), Female: Lara-Jane Hancock (Titanic).
Women: Shalom College PRD 4 (Jade Garland, Abbey King, Jess Richards, Ella Hagen-Jenkins) defeated Weekes Property 3 (Cassandra Ash, Sally Gardiner, Brittany Edwards). Player of the Final: Candice Higgins (Weekes Property). Season Best and Fairest: Rosemary Pimm (Weekes Property)
Men: Ankle Bullies 7 (Oliver Moreny 3, Luca Felesina 2, Jimmy Gear, Ashleigh Pole) defeated QNZLDer 4 (Tom Brierley, Ethan Hoger, Ryan Bugeja, Matthew Craven). Player of the Final: Nick Mason (Ankle Bullies). Season Best and Fairest: Luca Felesina (Ankle Bullies)
Special awards: Club Person of the Year – Michael Pimm. Junior coach of the Season – Ryan Bugeja. Junior Male Referee of the Season – Fletcher Churchill. Junior Female Referee of the Season – Alexandra Churchill. Luke Turnbull Award – Sam Woodman. Tremaine Tairawhiti Award – Jesse Young. Jakey Award: Peter Munckton.
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