ON MONDAY the Loddon Herald asked Bridgewater’s coach and star goalkicker Lachlan Sharp how he thought the Loddon Valley League’s best-and-fairest count would go that night.
He didn’t know it was on, but quipped, “At least I’ve got something to watch tonight.”
A few hours later he was named as the Frank Harding Medal winner for 2025, adding the accolade to his Bendigo League Michelsen Medal in 2017.
“I listened in to see how Jack Neylon went, Harry and Oscar McKinley, Luke Ellings,” Sharp said on Tuesday morning.
They all polled well but Sharp’s 17 votes were enough to win by one over Marong rover Jimmy Gadsden.
“Jimmy would have run away with it if he hadn’t missed the last few games,” Sharp said.
“It’s one of those things.
“I’ll be more proud of a grand final win in two weeks.
“If you get to my age, what really matters is team success, although these things are nice to have along the way.”
Sharp’s impact on the Loddon Valley league is hard to overstate.
He finished equal second in the Harding vote last season and has kicked 257 goals in 37 games for the Mean Machine, taking the side into the grand final in his first season as solo coach.
Sharp did not win a vote until round five but polled three votes in rounds 11, 12 and 16 – remarkably not getting a vote in the final round when he kicked 11 goals against Mitiamo.
Gadsden did not play after round 13, by which time he had polled 16 votes, including five best-afield votes.
Inglewood’s Bregon Cotchett and Pyramid Hill’s Kai Daniels shared third place on 15, with another four players on 14 votes, highlighting how tight the count was.
Bridgewater had four players in the top 10 – Sharp, Harry McKinley (14), Luke Ellings (14) and Jack Neylon (12) – but Marong’s next best after Gadsden were Michael Bradbury and the ineligible Nathan Devanny on nine.
Marong’s Cooper Hale was a runaway winner of the John Forbes Medal for the reserves competition on 30 votes, 10 ahead of Calivil’s stalwart Evan Ritchie.
Riley Doorty of Marong took out the Stephen Dowling Award for the under-18s with 24 votes, with Tyler Rasmussen of the East Loddon Rams second on 20.
Pyramid Hill’s Harrison Goodes was named as the Rising Star. He played 17 senior games, kicking 30 goals for the Bulldogs, along with four matches in the under-18 comp.