Lee Sweeps Olympic Awards
Words: Matt Dorman
Image: Patrick Kearney/Olympic FC
Michael Lee has capped a fine first season at Olympic FC by securing the major men’s honours at the club’s award presentation on Friday night.
The Blackburn-born midfielder scooped both the Players’ Player and Best and Fairest titles in a ceremony held at Goodwin Park.
Lee appeared in all but one of Olympic’s 23 PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland matches this season, contributing eight goals as the Yeronga outfit qualified for a third straight Finals Series.
The 24-year-old attributed his eye-catching form this season to an easy rapport with teammates.
“I’ve really enjoyed it this year,” Lee said.
“The boys have been great for me and as cheesy as it sounds it’s felt like I’ve been playing back home, back in England with all my friends and having a laugh.
“I’ve been enjoying my football again.”
Lee joined Olympic from Redlands United over the off-season and quickly settled into an important role behind striker Tim Smits.
The playmaker notably scored in both fixtures against the Red Devils but said a Semi Final berth fell short of the team’s expectations.
“As a whole, with the players we’ve got, I would say disappointed,” he said of the season’s finish.
“We’re too good of players to have finished where we did, as harsh as that sounds. We all know ourselves we should have done better especially with the talent we have in the team.
“We know we’ve got each other’s backs but it didn’t pay off for us in the end.”
Midfielder Sam Cronin, defender Matt Byrne and fullback James Cuminao were all also recognised on the night for their strong campaigns, while Smits’ 16 goals sealed the team’s Golden Boot for a second time.
Olympic FC 2015 Men’s and Boys Award Recipients:
Senior Men
Best And Fairest - Michael Lee
Players' Player - Michael Lee
Most Conisistent - Matt Byrne
Most Improved - Sam Cronin
Encouragement Award - James Cuminao
Golden Boot - Tim Smits
Youth Men
Best and Fairest - Youeil Shol
Players' Player - Corey Leggett & Matt Williams
Most Improved - Nick Alithinos
Under 18 Boys
Best and Fairest - Salvatore Aceto
Players' Player - Max Davidson
Most Improved - Jordan Dozzi
Under 16 Boys
Best and Fairest - Lachlan Griffiths
Players' Player - Preston Hugo
Most Improved - Paniyioti Bellas
Under 15 Boys
Best and Fairest - Jake Balzano
Players' Player - Flynn Megahey
Most Improved - Mehali Michael
Under 14 Boys
Best and Fairest - Thanasi Kalatzis
Players' Player - Xavier Trovato
Most Improved - Lachlan Newby
Under 13 Boys
Best and Fairest - Alex Crocker
Players' Player - Alex Crocker
Most Improved - Jordan Simpson
Under 12 Boys
Best and Fairest - Mason Cross
Players' Player - Oliver Dearn
Most Improved - Geordan Vaitsas
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