As Monday night’s Magarey Medal count came to its dramatic conclusion and a number of former AFL players and stalwarts of South Australian football jostled for the SANFL’s top individual honour, there was a largely unknown name climbing his way up the leaderboard.
Coming across to Adelaide to ply his trade for Norwood at the end of 2019, Shepparton premiership star and Morrison medallist Nik Rokahr has developed into one of the premier midfielders in the SANFL in the past three seasons.
And in Monday night’s vote count, his standing as one of the competition’s elite was solidified, as he finished second in the illustrious Magarey Medal, one vote behind former Port Adelaide and Gold Coast utility Aaron Young (who is currently playing for North Adelaide).
Speaking in the aftermath of the night, Rokahr recalled the emotions of the night and how he handled being one of the frontrunners.
“It was fairly stressful going into it, I am not going to lie,” he said.
“Still playing we weren’t able to have any beers to settle the nerves and what not which did make things a little bit harder.
“And being one of the two or three favourites it was a little bit nerve-racking, especially towards the end there as it got close.
“But overall it was a very good night, despite the deflating result at the end.”
After getting off to a fast start, Rokahr found himself entrenched in the top five for the entirety of the night, locked in a tight battle with Young, former Adelaide Crow Riley Knight (Woodville West Torrens) and son of a gun Casey Voss (Sturt).
But unfortunately for the Shepparton product, a foot injury in round 18 would cut his home and away season two weeks short and cost him the opportunity to maintain his position atop the count.
“Getting injured against Glenelg in round 17 probably cost me in the end as I didn’t poll in that game and missed the final match as well,” Rokahr said.
“It was just a matter of being able to hold on or not and, unfortunately, I couldn’t.
“But moving over I didn’t ever really I think I’d get to this point (where I’d be fighting it out for a Magarey Medal), that’s not the reason I moved over there.
“I moved over just to prove to myself that I was able to play at that higher level and each year I have just been able to improve a bit, and to get to the stage where I am fighting it out for a Magarey is pretty cool.”
During his three seasons as a Redleg, Rokahr has had an impact, beginning his SANFL career as a small defender before moving into the midfield and claiming a stack of accolades along the way.
In 2021 Rokahr claimed Norwood’s highest honour, the Michael Taylor medal, its best-and-fairest award, while this year he was selected to represent South Australia in its showcase game against Western Australia and was picked in the SANFL Team of the Year.
Continuously taking his game to new heights, he said he could not be more grateful for the opportunity Norwood had given him to grow as a footballer.
“My game has grown immensely since coming over to Norwood, it comes down to opportunity as well, my first year I had Jarrod Cotton as coach and he really backed me,” he said.
“And then Jade Rawlings came over in 2021 and he has been massive for me, he is almost like a father figure to everyone at the club and loves the way I go about it, which has really allowed me to grow.
“For me, things like getting fitter and trimming down a bit, getting used to the game style and getting more comfortable has made things a lot easier this season and have helped me go to that next level.”
Rokahr isn’t the only 2018 Bears premiership player taking his game to new heights at Norwood, with ruckman Harry Boyd also thriving at the Parade.
Joining him at the top end of the Magarey Medal (finishing in sixth spot), in the South Australian representative team and in the SANFL Team of the Year, Rokahr said it had been great having a familiar face around the club.
“It has been really good (having Harry around), I obviously know a lot of his habits out on the ground and it favours me a bit being a midfielder reading his taps,” he said.
“We have a really good relationship and I actually live with him as well, which has made life a lot easier over here in Adelaide.
“But in terms of footy, Harry has had a really good season playing predominately in the ruck and it has been great to watch him grow.”
Despite all of these incredible accolades, Rokahr’s number one priority has always been team success.
And for Norwood a fantastic opportunity awaits in the next fortnight, as it is currently one of three teams remaining in the SANFL competition.
Deep in the midst of preparations for a preliminary final against Adelaide on Sunday, Rokahr said he was confident the Redlegs had what it takes to go all the way.
“They (Adelaide) gave us a bit of a touch up a few weeks ago which was not ideal, having beaten them both times during the year we may have gone in a bit overconfident,” he said.
“But if we bring our hard edge and game style I am pretty optimistic we can get the job done.
“The goal for me is to be a premiership player and, hopefully, over these next two weeks we can make that a reality.”