Brendan Iezzi of Old Tritnity last night won his second Woodrow Medal by 11 votes from Adam Bentick and Tom Sullivan (St Bernard’s) and Bede Mahon (University Blacks who all tied for second on 17 votes. The win for Iezzie is his fourth VAFA competition best and fairest putting him in elite company.
Iezzi was the runaway winner, polling a staggering 20 out of a possible 27 votes in the first nine rounds of the count. If he didn’t play again for the rest of the season he still would have won by three. But he did and despite Bentick and Sullivan slowly cutting the gap over the course of the night as Old Trinity went on their losing streak, Iezzi still polled a further eight votes in the last nine rounds.
Despite getting to within six votes of Iezzi, at Round 16 he couldn’t be beaten. Iezzi polled two votes against Blacks for his four goals in a losing side and then in Round 17 Iezzi collected all three against Xavs to take his total to 28.
His 28 votes were the highest winning total in over a decade, but despite his dominance in the count, Iezzi told MC Jason Richardson, that 2014 wasn’t his best year.
“I don’t think so, I think we have a better team this year and people ask me why that is and it’s because we have guys like Harry Tinney (winner of the Coaches MVP) play all 18 games and young 18 year olds like Anthony Scott (winner of the Club Warehouse Rising Star) playing for us each week” said Iezzi.
All VAFA section best and fairests were presented with their medals on the night and there was definitely a common theme from all the players that spoke in their acceptance speeches. Regardless of the section, the theme was that they loved playing in the VAFA and many were glowing that it was the best community competition in Australia.
Iezzi went further, “I love it when people ask me where I play and I tell them Old Trinity in the VAFA, the best football competition in Australia.”
High praise from one of the VAFA’s finest ever players. With four VAFA Best and Fairests, Moore Medals 2009, 20013 and Woodrow Medals in 2011 and 2014, Iezzi is now in the upper echelon of amateur footballers.
Iezzi now joins Jock Nelson and Geoff Hibbins to have won two Woodrow’s and two Moore Medals. Although Hibbins has won three Woodrow’s and Nelson has also won a Zachariah Medal in Premier C.
By winning his second Woodrow Medal, Iezzi takes the list of multiple winners to seven: Lindsay Hassett (Geelong) 1935-36, Geoff Hibbins (Collegians) 1951, ’58 & ’61, Jock Nelson (MHSOB) 1964-65, Norman Beattie (Coburg) 1969-70, Matthew McConvil (Ormond) 1994-95, Bernard Dinneen (Marcellin OC) 2001-0.
Iezzi will be 27 years old by the time next season rolls around and if as most people expect, Old Trinity improve on their showing this year, then expect to hear B. Iezzi called out a few more times next year.
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