VAFA 2015: A year of highlights

What a year 2015 proved to be in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.

As supporters, we were spoiled as every week provided more and more highlights both on and off the field.

From Chris Swinburne’s win as Victorian AFL Volunteer of the Year to Old Ivanhoe’s Carl Groth taking out the Zachariah Medal on 19 votes after playing just seven games for the season.

Below is a list of just some of the highlights from a sensational year in the VAFA, so sit back, relax and reminisce on season 2015.

• The senior VAFA representative side defeated the Northern Football League by five points in AFL Victoria’s Metro Championships at Ikon Park and earnt the crown as the number one community football competition in Melbourne for the second year in a row.
• The William Buck Premier grand final was played away from Sportscover Arena, Elsternwick Park for the first time since 1968, with St Bernard’s defeating Old Trinity by eight points at Ikon Park.
• VAFA umpire, Tom Windlow, and five representative players Simon Caven (St Bernard’s), Gabe Hamilton (Old Trinity), Kelvin Williams (St Kevin’s), Tom Quinn (University Blues) and Josh Cowan (Mazenod) were named in the U23 All-Australian Team of the Carnival.
• The Woodrow Medal was tied between Adam Bentick of St Bernard’s and Ross Young of University Blues.
• Matt Handley surpassed 500 senior goals as an Old Xaverian.
• Ross Young won the Premier Coaches MVP and became the first person to win the Woodrow/MVP double.
• University Blacks and Collegians hosted the first-ever ‘Gay? That’s OK!’ match in their Round 18 clash at Melbourne University.
• St Kevin’s Old Boys (Premier B) and St Francis Xavier (Club XVIII 2) won their respective premierships on the back of undefeated seasons.
• St Kevin’s Old Boys won the Winning Edge Club Championship.
• AJAX best and fairest, Adam Caplan, won his club a Volkswagen Golf in the Bayford ‘Kick for a Car Competition’ after he landed a 50m punt into the back of a Volkswagen Amarok at the half time break of the Premier B grand final. (See below)
• Old Haileybury flicked the switch and turned a fourth placing at the conclusion of the home and away season into a memorable premiership.
• Carl Groth won the Zachariah Medal in Premier C with 19 votes after playing just seven games for the season.
• Peninsula young gun, James Fletcher, capped off a sensational season by taking out the Club Warehouse Rising Star Award.
• Kew won their third senior premiership in a row for the first time in club history when they defeated Ormond by 30 points at Coburg City Oval.
• St John’s Old Collegians’ secretary, Chris Swinburne, was named as the Victorian recipient of the AFL Volunteer of the Year Award.
• West Brunswick won back-to-back premierships when they defeated the previously undefeated Emmaus St Leo’s by one point at Trevor Barker Oval.
• Paul Baranello of Emmaus St Leo’s won back-to-back Hutchinson Medals as the best and fairest in Division 3 for the first time since Vic B Zanin in 1985/86 for UHSOB.
• Westbourne Grammarians forward, Dale Collins, kicked 108 goals for the season and became the highest single-season goal kicker in Division 4 since 2009 when Attila Yaman of Swinburne University kicked 115.
• Parkside made the Division 4 grand final and earnt promotion to Division 3 in their first season back in the VAFA.
• UHS-VU/Flemington youngster, Mohamed Mohamed, was named joint winner of the 2015 Bachar Houli leadership medal at the Bachar Houli AFL Academy Camp.