Playing all 21 games this season, the hard working rover joins a long list of exceptional players, becoming the 90th person to receive the award in the league’s 83 year history.
“It’s a real shock to be honest…I was not expecting this at all,” Dean said when accepting his award.
The Priest Medal caps off a stellar season for the 25-year-old, who earned a Team of the Year selection, was a WRFL Senior Interleague representative and was named in the best players on 15 occasions, five of which were best on ground performances.
With the Tigers returning to the WRFL after 17 seasons in the Victorian Amateurs Football Association, Dean becomes the first Werribee Districts player to take home the league’s top individual honour.
“As a club we have had a fantastic season back in the WRFL at both senior and junior levels so to be awarded with the Barry Priest Medal is a huge honour,” he said.
Sitting behind St.Albans’ Joel West and Hoppers Crossing’s Wayde Skipper after Round 15, Dean managed to poll in all three remaining rounds, two of which he was deemed best on ground to take home his first Priest Medal.
Moving from the Bendigo Football League to join the Saints in 2012, West’s second-place finish (19 votes) was a sensational effort after missing two matches during the home and away season, while the transition from VFL level to local football was a seamless one for Hoppers Crossing star recruit Wayde Skipper who finished close behind in third place (18 votes).
Despite being ineligible for the top prize, 2014 Herb Pascarl Medalist and Deer Park dual premiership playerKwame McHarg finished close behind in fourth place with 16 votes.
“I had a pretty good season I guess but I always think that individual accolades aren’t really individual because you have 21 other blokes out there working with you towards the same goal each week, so I would really like to share and thank this with my teammates,” Dean said.
“There is such a high caliber of players in the league, with a lot of standout players across all clubs, so it was always going to be a close count, but I never thought that it would be me who would accept the award that’s for sure.”
In other awards, Deer Park’s James Wong kicked his way to the top of the goal kicking table taking home the 2014 Andrew Gibson Medal (81 goals) while Werribee District young gun Tyler Crennan stood out from his peers to secure the Rookie of the Year Award.
Last Modified on 03/02/2016 16:23