THREE local schoolteachers have a great ‘show and tell’ for their classes, after taking out top accolades at the Dartmoor Football Netball Club’s end-of-season medal counts and presentations.

Sacred Heart educators, Chloe Finnigan, Kathryn Jarrad and Marlee Gartlan took out the A Grade Best and Fairest, A Reserve Runner-Up Best and Fairest and A Reserve Best and Fairest, respectively, at the club’s end-of-season function.

After a stellar season, the Giants’ A Grade side headed into the 2022 grand final but was pipped sat the post, going down by just five goals in an epic battle with Tyrendarra

While not taking home a premiership medal, Finnigan was rewarded for her outstanding year on the court, named league A Grade Best and Fairest for 2022, ahead of the club accolade.

In a clear demonstration of the team’s depth, especially in its defensive third, Finnigan shared the club’s highest honour with fellow defender, Holly Smith.

Finnigan said it was a great reward for a tough but successful year for the club.

“It was even better to do it with Holly who I play in the ring with, sharing the achievement with her was really good,” she said.

She said the close relationship the players had built across the season had allowed both herself and Smith, along with runner-up Bec Van Kalken, to get the best out of themselves.

“The friendships we’ve built together have really helped us create a cohesive unit, and I think it really paid off in the end,” she said.

For her part, Smith said the team falling just short of their main goal of a premiership trophy would absolutely going to push them to even better things in the future.

“I think we’re expecting most of the girls to be back next year… I think we’re all looking forward to hopefully going one better next year,” she said.

Smith agreed with Finnigan’s assessment of the closeness of the team, iterating that the club had grown very tight-knit throughout the season.

“Everyone looked out for one another, and I think we grew closer as a result… it was good to see,” she said.

Other Giants also featured in the league netball counts, with fellow Castertonian, Hana Layley, joining Gartlan in equal third place for the A Reserve Best and Fairest and Jarrad in fourth place, while in the A Grade, Smith placed equal fifth  and teammate Bec van Kalken placed equal sixth.

Deputy takes top football honour

WHILE the Polaski brothers (Jayden and Lachlan) were strong contenders for the football best and fairest, with the former coming runner-up and the latter winning the league’s runner-up, it was assistant coach Jarrod O’Brien who came out on top.

O’Brien - who also won the award for best player in finals, after the senior footballers earned a spot in the grand final - said it was a great way to cap off a solid but challenging year for the club

“It’s always a privilege to win these individual awards… and it was certainly a good way to finish up what was a successful season for the club,” he said.

“It was a real hard time for the club in the early stages when we lost Korrey (Smith), but the club has held strong through that difficult period which was good to see.”

O’Brien added that winning the best and fairest, along with the side making the grand final but ultimately falling just short, had done nothing but add more fuel to his desire to see the club achieve the ultimate success.

“Any time you fall just short of the premiership you feel a little bit more motivated to go one better next time,” he said.

O’Brien said he had a number of people to thank for helping both him and his team achieve such lofty heights this season.

“I’ve got to start by thanking everyone on the committee, especially Ryan Childs up the top as president… as well as Jayden as coach, he’s led us through a very challenging year,” he said.

“Joey (Joseph Franklin) has been the other assistant coach, and he took charge when Jayden was away… it’s really just been a good all-around effort from the club as a whole.”