GNFL Awards: Who will take home JJ Clune Medal for best and fairest this season

It is the night of nights for the Great Northern Football League with the JJ Clune medal count and presentation. The highly anticipated event brings the league’s best players around as they count down the votes umpires votes from each match of five through one, to decide who will be presented as the fairest and best for the season. Last year saw Rovers Chris Scott take out the award with 35 votes, making him the fifth straight Demon to win the award. This year it is looking like it could be anyone’s award, with multiple players having big seasons and making an impact on the field. Brigades brothers Jayden and Kim Schofield have each put up impressive campaigns in 2023, both in the GNFL and with their selections for WA Country representation, with Jayden also being picked as the Country Week player of the tournament. More players to look out for are Brigades’ Klay Sipila, Railways pair Ryan Le Tessier and Jesse Adamini, Northampton’s Braden Jupp, Towns’ Callum Marquis and Rover Tom Denton. Scott could be looking at a repeat or an outside player could emerge as a dark horse. In the women’s, last year’s award was shared between Towns’ Olivia Bidwell and Chapman Valley’s Tayah Palmer after they tied with 22 votes each. This year Jessica Guicide-Nairn looks to be a strong contender after helping her team, Brigades, go undefeated. Other contenders include Bidwell, Chapman Valley’s Taylah Broadhurst and Brigades’ Gemma Dix. The awards presentation will be on Tuesday night at the Batavia Coast Conference Centre.