Picola District Football Netball League crowns its champions on senior presentation night

Some counts were close, others were more cut and dry.

The latter was the case in the senior football best-and-fairest race, with Tungamah playing co-coach Sam Ferguson bolting away to clinch the Pearce Medal by a sizeable five-vote margin.

The ex-Shepparton Swans and Congupna gun beat out Katunga’s Cameron Bishop for top spot, polling 25 votes to Bishop’s 20 ahead of third-ranked Katandra multi-talent Mitch McGrath (19).

Rounding out the top five was Katandra’s Seb Fernandez with 18 votes while Katamatite’s Toby Kopa finished the season with 14.

Ferguson joins Nick Doyle as Bears representatives to take the league medal back to Tungamah.

He collected three votes in Tungamah’s first outing of the season, going on to notch triples on five other occasions while leading his side deep into finals territory.

Despite the Bears falling to Katandra in Saturday’s preliminary final, Ferguson can hold his head high following a ripping campaign both individually and from a team perspective.

Remarkably, the A-grade netball prize also went to a playing coach.

However, the winning margin was much slimmer than in the senior football.

Jerilderie mentor Ella Arnold pipped Katandra’s Rebecca Osmond, who is also an ex-coach of the Kats, by a single vote to walk away with the Lukies Medal around her neck.

Both Arnold and Osmond polled in 11 matches during the season, but the former had the edge as her tally of 27 proved enough to bring the gong back to Demonland.

It’s a sweetener for Arnold off the back of a hard season with Jerilderie, which finished the 2024 PDNL campaign in 10th.

Best and fairest victories weren’t the only drawcard for the league’s night of nights, with a raft of other awards bestowed to players and club members during the event.

In the least surprising moment of the presentation, Strathmerton sniper Tim Looby picked up the senior football leading goalkicking prize for his astounding haul of 113 majors.

The football rising star gong went to Deniliquin Rovers’ Cameron Willis, who beat out Tyler Stephens (Strathmerton), Jake Bell (Katunga) and Jayden Arnold (Tungamah).

Meanwhile, Waaia’s Holly Boyd beat out a competitive field of seven to win the netball rising star award.

Katandra sealed the champion football club honour ahead of its grand final berth while on the netball front, the same went for Deniliquin Rovers as it eyes off consecutive A-grade premierships on Saturday.

And though Katamatite’s season on the court and oval are done, the Tigers completed a coaching clean sweep.

Katamatite mentor James Hazelman claimed the senior football coach of the year while fellow Tiger Cassia Colbeck picked up the equivalent netball honour.

Lastly, Waaia’s Makenzie Sprunt was named administrator of the year and Picola United’s Blake Jorgensen won the Schifferle Transport award.