SWAN Hill midifelder Matthew Wade has claimed his third Jack Betts Medal, almost completing a clean-sweep of this year’s senior awards.
Alongside the league’s highest honour, Wade was also voted as the Central Murray’s Most Valuable Player and adjudged as the winner of the Goal of the Year.
He becomes just the second player in Central Murray history to be named league best and fairest three times, after Tooleybuc Manangatang’s Ryan O’Sullivan.
Wade said that the win had come as shock to him.
“To be honest, I’m just completely shocked and so honoured for this,” he said.
“I had no expectations tonight. You have people around the club telling you you’re doing well but you don’t do it for the individual awards, you do it for the playing finals.
“We’re a bit off that at this point but we’ll get there.”
In a tense vote count, Wade was able to edge out Cohuna’s Joel Helman by just three votes, to win the count with a total of 31.
Balranald star Jydon Neagle finished the count in third place with 23 votes, two ahead of teammate Ethan Gant.
Helman started the count in blistering form, carrying a one-vote lead from Gant through the first 10 rounds.
It was the same leader at the Round 15 mark, but this time barely ahead of Wade, with the Swan Hill ball-winner rewarded for his late season form.
Following Round 10, Wade polled 20 votes from a possible 24, including five three-vote games between Round 12 and the end of the season.
Wade’s form was key to the Swans’ late season push towards finals football, with the side falling agonsingly short by percentage.
After relinquishing the senior coaching role before the start of the 2023 season, Wade’s focus on looking after his body was integral to his fantastic end of season.
He said the change had made a big difference personally and around the club.
“Cal Beasy taking over as coach took massive weight off my shoulders,” Wade said.
“He did such a good job instructing the boys and getting the ball rolling, so I could just literally concentrate on me and get my body right.
“I was lucky enough to work with some good osteos, because my body was pretty knackered last year but I got back and moving and I’m feeling feel fit and strong so it’s good.”
There’s no stopping for Wade, who has taken over a junior coaching role and looks forward to the years to come at Swan Hill.
“Swan Hill are very family orientated club and we’re putting so much effort into our junior structure at the moment which we’re starting to see some rewards from,” Wade said.
“I’ve played with three guys half my age this year in the seniors and it rocked my world, that’s for sure but it’s great to see how much respect they have for the club and for the people they play with.
“There’s such a high calibre of players in this league, obviously a few stealing votes from each other which probably helped me get through the end.
“I’d love to get interleague back, because there’s some high quality players and the league itself is in a really strong position.
“We’ve got to keep this rolling and hopefully get some players in, bring our kids up and get them playing some good footy.”
Wade was awarded Goal of the Year for a clean effort against NNW United in which he controlled the ball in the pocket and snapped the goal through under pressure.
Tyntynder’s Matthew Gilbee was awarded Mark of the Year for an outstretched leap over a pair of Koondrook Barham players.
