By DAVID NAGEL
CRANBOURNE goal kicking ace Marc Holt completed a brilliant individual season when he took out the Norm Walker Medal for best and fairest in the Casey Cardinia league on Monday night.
Despite missing two games throughout the season, the champion full forward polled 19 votes to win by a single vote from two-time winner, Tooradin’s Beau Miller. Beaconsfield skipper Daniel Mislicki, who was runner up to Miller in last year’s count, was a further vote away in third place.
Holt’s season has been spectacular, kicking 130 goals from just 14 games during the home and away season. He kicked 22 goals against Hampton Park, joining Narre Warren’s Kerem Baskaya as the league record holder for most goals in a match, and was named captain of the Casey Cardinia Team of the Year.
He will lead his beloved Eagles into battle against Tooradin in this Saturday’s preliminary final, so had his game face on when he spoke to the Gazette.
“It’s something that you never really think about, team success is what you play for, but yeah, it’s definitely a good thing to achieve,” Holt said.
“I don’t normally poll too well, and it all happened really quickly so I didn’t get a chance to get nervous.”
Holt has never had trouble getting the ball, he has one of the best pairs of hands in country football, but his conversion rate was something he worked on heading into last year’s finals series. The hard work has paid off in spades.
“It’s a minor thing, I just put the ball over my right foot when I’m lining up and it’s like a trigger to remind me what to do” he said. “I kicked 48.11 in the last seven games last year and 138.40 this year, so it seems to be working.”
The umpires didn’t have a total love affair with the big man, giving him just two votes for a 14 goal haul against ROC in round eight, and no votes for a nine goal haul against Berwick in round 10.
AWARD WINNERS
Kevin Allison Memorial Award: Narre Warren Football Club 93 points
VCFL Most Disciplined Club: Beaconsfield Football Club
Most Valuable Player: Beau Miller (Tooradin)
Leading Goal Kicker Seniors: Marc Holt (Cranbourne) 130 Goals
Leading Goal Kicker Reserves: Jake Gray (Narre Warren) 57 Goals
Leading Goal Kicker Under 18’s: Mitchell Johnson (Berwick) 55 Goals
Norm Walker Medal : Marc Holt (Cranbourne) 19 Votes
Best and Fairest Reserves: Cameron Fletcher (Berwick) 17 Votes
Best and Fairest Under 18’s: Taylor Joyce (Beaconsfield) 20 Votes
