Dave Ingraham Memorial Medal Preview

SOUTH Fremantle’s colts once again played finals football in 2016 with a host of players realistic contenders to take out the Dave Ingraham Memorial Medal as the fairest and best on Friday night.

The WJ Hughes Medal dinner will be held this Friday night at Fremantle Community Bank Oval in the Griff John Function Centre and it will include the announcements of the Dave Ingraham Memorial Medal winner along with all the other colts award recipients.

Under new coach Mark Foster, the Bulldogs colts returned to finals action in 2016 following a one-year absence. They finished the season in third position on the ladder before losing in the finals to the two teams who contested the Grand Final, Claremont and East Perth.

WJ Hughes Medal Preview

Plenty of Bulldogs colts players all had terrific seasons as well with Shai Bolton, Daniel Burke, Bruno Faulkner, Kyle Russell, Dylan Brown, Jimmy Miller, Jacob Warne, Caleb Datson, Seaton Thompson, Zane Sumich, Brodee Knight and Chad Pearson all among the Ingraham Medal contenders.

Burke is the only South Fremantle colts player to take part in all 20 matches of the home and away season plus the two finals. Along the way he kicked 14 goals and averaged 22 possessions and over five marks a game to be a strong, consistent performer.

Burke backed up being named Best First Year Player in 2015 to have an outstanding 2016.

Faulkner, Warne and Knight all played in 21 games making them likely to be right up in contention for the fairest and best award as well.

Faulkner averaged 15.2 possessions a game while Warne worked hard in the ruck with 9.9 disposals and 16.2 hit outs a game. Knight also played well in his 21 matches averaging 15.3 touches and kicking nine goals.

Pearson played 20 of the 22 matches for the Bulldogs colts in 2016 averaging 14.6 possessions while Chris Ah Siu was another consistent performer across 20 matches.

Russell was a prolific ball winner racking up 18.7 possessions across his 19 matches while Sumich had a good impact in his 19 appearances kicking 13 goals along with 13.3 possessions.

Brown was another big possession gatherer with 21.6 touches over his 16 games while kicking seven goals. Datson also averaged 15.3 possessions in 16 matches to be another sure to poll well.

Bolton played 15 of the 22 matches but was exciting in the forward-line kicking 37 goals while averaging 16.6 possessions.

Miller was another standout performer for South Fremantle in his 16 games in 2016 kicking 22 goals while averaging 12 possessions and 3.7 marks.

Antionne Forrest-Yarran was another exciting forward this season playing 15 games and kicking 18 goals.

Despite playing just nine games with the colts due to playing league and reserves football late in the season, and with the WA State 18s through the middle of the year, exciting young ruckman Tim English could also poll well for the Bulldogs’ colts.

Taking a look at the colts award winners of recent years and it provides a good glimpse of what’s to come in the future. Just last year, Brandon Donaldson was the fairest and best winner in the colts and he went on to play terrific senior football in 2016.

Jake Florenca was runner-up and he had an outstanding season in the reserves while earning a taste of league football while Josh Collard also transitioned well to senior football.

Back in 2014, Matthew Ah Siu was the Ingraham Medal winner and he’s had two solid seasons of senior football since while Jarrod Pickett and Kade Stewart are now AFL players, and Jacob Dragovich a regular in the league line-up.

Dragovich was the fairest and best winner back in 2013 as well ahead of Bailey Matera, Jarrod Garlett and Tim Stewart who have all gone on to either player WAFL league or AFL football.

It will be a big night to celebrate the 2016 season for South Fremantle with the presentation of the colts, reserves and league fairest and best winners, along with all the other award recipients.