By Tyler Lewis
Berwick Springs and Gembrook Cockatoo have littered the Outer East Division One Football Team of the Year.
Brookers coach Brad Coller was named Coach of the Year, while Rodney Benstead was listed as his assistant.
Brayden Weller, Joshua Tilly, Blake Simondson, Thomas Nelson, Jay Verhagen, Myles Wareham, Aaron Firrito and Daniel Ousley all featured in the side.
Wareham correctly sits at full forward after a season that grossed 61 home and away majors, while one of his stablemates Jay Verhagen is poised further up the ground for his 43-goal return.
The only player inside the top six for league goals to miss out on TOTY selection is ex-North Melbourne player and Brookers legend Michael Firrito (42 goals).
Seville’s Nathan O’Keefe remarkably made the side for his scintillating seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in round eight.
Ousley – who was listed as ruck rover – was also awarded the Harold Ramage Medallist as the best and fairest player of the home and away season.
The right-footer shared the award with Seville’s Jake Strachan, after the star Blue polled three in the final round of the season.
The award came as somewhat of a surprise for Ousely, who thought his maiden season at the Titans was strong, but not as strong as it appeared to be.
“I was pretty confident I’d had a good year, I didn’t think I’d had that good of a year,” he said.
“I know there were a few good footy players from other teams, so I was pretty surprised to actually win the whole thing that’s for sure.
“I never came off thinking ‘I killed it here’; I have never been like that.
“Probably when we got up to the later rounds of the year, I saw my name up there and thought geez, I could be in with a chance here.
“I saw Jake Strachan coming up and I thought back to when I didn’t play the last game, so I thought I was going to lose it, he got three votes in the last round in the end, but it was good.”
The ball-winner feels his season is far from over and that the Titans have a fortnight remaining.
“It’s been a great year, a really positive year,” he said.
“No matter what from here, we’ve done really well I think.
“It’s a really young team and it’s very exciting – the boys definitely have two more games in them, so it will be good.”
The netball side is far more spread, with seven clubs filling the seven available spots.
Berwick’s Chloe Phillips was named Coach of the Year, while fellow Wickers Lainey Bidwell, Olivia Macente and Emily Pupuke also featured.
Macente also completed her sensational season with the Division One league best and fairest.
Fascinatingly, Berwick’s Emma Clarke – who compiled 422 goals this home and away season – was not selected in the Team of the Year.
DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL TEAM OF THE YEAR
FULL BACK: Jye Sciortino (Seville), Brad Raaymakers (Belgrave), Jayden Schille (Yarra Glen)
HALF BACK: Riley Hillman (Berwick Springs), Jack Nolan (Seville), Brayden Weller (Gembrook Cockatoo)
CENTRE: Joshua Tilly (Gembrook Cockatoo), Jake Strachan (Seville), Blake Simondson (Berwick Springs)
HALF FORWARD: Sam Gebert (Healesville), Thomas Nelson (Berwick Springs), Jay Verhagen (Gembrook Cockatoo)
FULL FORWARD: Patrick Chin (Emerald), Myles Wareham (Gembrook Cockatoo), Max Donegan (Healesville)
FOLLOWERS: William Kristelly-Kelety (Healesville), Daniel Ousley (Berwick Springs), Joshua Weightman (Seville)
INTERCHANGE: Jake Pedder (Emerald), Nathan O’Keefe (Seville), Deng Nai (Seville), Aaron Firrito (Gembrook Cockatoo)
COACH: Brad Coller (Gembrook Cockatoo)
ASSISTANT COACH: Rodney Benstead (Berwick Springs)
DIVISION ONE NETBALL TEAM OF THE YEAR
GOAL KEEPER: Peta Fay (Yarra Glen)
GOAL DEFENCE: Ashlee Bowden (Gembrook Cockatoo)
WING DEFENCE: Lainey Bidwell (Berwick)
CENTRE: Olivia Macente (Berwick)
WING ATTACK: Ella Bayliss (Seville)
GOAL ATTACK: Ashlee Murphy (Belgrave)
GOAL SHOOTER: Kaylah Loulanting (Emerald)
INTERCHANGE: Suria Loulanting (Emerald), Emily Pupuke (Berwick), Chelsea Birchall (Yarra Glen), Cleo Minney (Seville), Laura Walker (Berwick Springs)
COACH: Chloe Phillips (Berwick)
ASSISTANT COACH: Peta Fay (Yarra Glen)
2022 LEAGUE MEDALLISTS
FOOTBALL
Harold Ramage Medal Division One Seniors
Daniel Ousley Berwick Springs
Jake Strachan Seville
Len Strattford Medal Division One Reserves
Beau Haslam Healesville
NETBALL
Division One A Grade: Olivia Macente Berwick
Division One B Grade: Caitlin Anthony Berwick
Division One C Grade: Tarsha Collette Seville
Division One D Grade: Dehansa Herath Berwick
