The decision to give up cricket and focus solely on football has paid off for Westmeadows Aaron Evans.
A Tiger through and through, Evans shone for the side as they made it through to a second straight Essendon District Football League division 2 grand final.
On Wednesday night, he capped off the season as he claimed the division 2 league best and fairest medal.
Evans finished on 25 votes, five clear of Hadfield’s Joshua Trembearth and Keilor Park’s Samuel Pontin.
Evans said he thought he’d had a good year but the medal was still a shock.
He averaged 28 disposals and kicked 51 goals for the year.
“You never know what the umpires think,” he said. “When I looked at the leaderboard I knew it was going to be hard to catch me.
“I’m just honoured the privileged.”
Tigers coach Ash Flavel said many times during the season he thought that Evans would win the medal if not go close.
Evans said his coach was one of his biggest supporters.
“He has been massive Ash,” he said. “He let me do what I wanted really.
“Even during the week if I’m sore and don’t want to train, he says you know your own body now.
“I’ve played enough footy to get to know my own body.”
Evans, who has played nearly 300 games for the Tigers, decided to focus just on football this year.
It allowed him to get really fit in the off season and he put in the extra sessions and recovery when needed.
Evans said the decision to give up cricket was an easy one.
“Things just got in the way with work all week,” he said. “I didn’t have the love for cricket any more.
“I was happy to just focus on footy and in the off season and go and watch them and relax.”
Evans said the extra goals this season came down to him actually making the most of his opportunities for once, instead of kicking a lot of behinds.
While honoured to get the medal, it wasn’t the one he was after this season.
After a surprise grand final appearance last season, the Tigers were one of the favourites heading into this season.
They just fell short at the final stage.
“It would have been good if we had an extra one,” he said. “Unfortunately it didn’t happen.
“I think we keep doing the same things, our game plan works.
“We’re due for a bit of luck in the finals if we get there again.”
Evans was one of two medal winners for the Tigers, with Gemma Wright claiming the women’s division 1 best and fairest medal.
Tigers secretary Liana Keenan said the medals for the pair is a reflection of the long period of time they have both spent at Westmeadows in order helping to rebuild and continue to building the club’s culture, “They have both been integral to redevelop our community and club identity, and also to shape our direction with their efforts on and off the field,” she said.
“They are both passionate about the club’s values and our mission, and they work hard to foster an environment where the community can thrive from Auskick to seniors.
“As we strive to get those long desired men’s and women’s senior flags under our belt we are grateful for players like Gemma and Aaron leading the way for our club.”
For more on Wright’s win and other winners, keep an eye on the Star Weekly website.
