William Buck Premier Men’s 2025 Club Best & Fairest winners

With the club Best & Fairest Awards presented for another year, here’s who took home their club’s top individual award across Premier Men’s in 2025:

OLD BRIGHTON: 1^st (18-2)

1. HARRY HILL

2. Tom Fisher

3. Finn Campigli

4. Jordy Segar

5. Tom Burnell

The Tonners are officially in their Golden Era, with both their senior Men’s and Women’s teams collecting premierships, while their Under 19 team successfully defended its 2024 flag.

Skipper Harry Hill led superbly from the front once again, finishing fourth in the Woodrow Medal count and winning his SIXTH Old Brighton Best & Fairest, including four of the five since COVID (2017-18-21-22-24-25).

He averaged 25 disposals (14 contested), 5 tackles and 7 clearances, and led the Tonners in Disposals, Contested Possessions, Clearances, Centre Clearances, Intercept Possessions, Groundball Gets, Loose Gets, Handballs, One Percenters, Smothers and Inside 50s.

He was Top 5 in the comp for Disposals (5^th), Contested Possessions (3^rd), Groundball Gets (2^nd), Hard Ball Gets (3^rd), Loose Ball Gets (2^nd), Clearances (4^th), Centre Breaks (5^th) and Inside 50s (2^nd)

Tom Fisher finished second in the Best & Fairest, and third in the Woodrow count after his fantastic season, where he averaged 26 disposals (14 contested), 7 tackles and 7 clearances, and racked up seven 30+ disposal games – peaking with 38 against De La Salle in Round 16.

Finn Campigli rounded out the Top 3, with the hard-working wingman averaging 21 touches per game, 5 marks and 5 Score Involvements per game.

OLD SCOTCH: 2^nd (11-10)

1. CHARLIE CORMACK

2. Sam Grant

3. Henry Brown

4. Brodie Easton

5. Aidan Franetic (4^th last year)

Just like Harry Hill at Brighton, Charlie Cormack continued his run of stellar 2004 form into 2025 to collect back-to-back Best & Fairests for the Cardinals – the first player to do so since the great Jack Bull in 2017-18.

The competition’s premier interceptor led the competition for Intercept Possessions, Intercept Marks, Kicks and Rebound 50s as he won the ball across half-back for Old Scotch, then launched their counterattacks time and again.

Charlie averaged 27 disposals, 8 intercept possessions, and 6 Rebound 50s as he continued to turn defence into attack, racking up 34 disposals against Old Xavs in Round 4 and St Bernard’s in Round 16.

Sam Grant enjoyed an outstanding season as the competition’s premier ruckman to finish 11^th in the Woodrow Medal and second in the Cards’ B&F.

Dominant in Hit-Outs & Hits to Advantage, he played a huge role in the Cards’ success, not only with his ruck craft but also with his ability to drop back into defence and provide aerial support.

Henry Brown rounded out the podium after a season that saw him rack up some big numbers, posting back-to-back 36 disposal games against the Dogs and Blacks in Rounds 16-17. He ultimately led the Cards in Disposals, Contested Possessions, Groundballs, Hard Gets, Loose Gets & Clearances.

Not only did he win plenty of footy (averaging 24 disposals, 12 contested, 5 tackles & 7 clearances), he was also the #1 ranked Pressure & Goal Assist player at the club.

OLD XAVERIANS: 3^rd (15-5)

1. MARCUS STAVROU

2. Alex Trigar & Charlie Knott

4. Tom Dunne

5. Charlie MacIsaac

2025 saw Old Xavs take another significant step towards their first top-flight flag since 2016.

But despite earning the double chance after a superb 15-3 home & away campaign, their September exit in straight sets (losing an epic 1-point Preliminary Final to Old Scotch) has left them with a burning desire to take the next step in their premiership journey.

Marcus Stavrou led from the front until suffering a nasty ankle injury in Round 15. But such was his dominance that his second Woodrow Medal (after he won it in 2021) was already in the bag.

The 27 year-old averaged 29 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 4 tackles, and 7 clearances per game, while also kicking 7 goals for the season. His best performances included 39 touches against St Kevin’s in Round 10 and 35 against St Bernard’s in Round 12, earning 3 votes in both matches.

He duly collected his fourth Old Xaverians Best & Fairest in five years, having previously won it in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (Alec Spralja broke up the 5-in-a-row with his win last year as Marcus finished second).

It was a tie for runner-up in 2025 between tall defender Alex Trigar & hybrid half-forward Charlie Knott.

Trigar got the job on all the big-name forwards around the competition and handled those tasks with aplomb, improving from a 4^th place Best & Fairest finish in 2025, while Knott led the comp in Goal Assists (22) while booting 21 majors of his own.

ST KEVIN’S: 4^th (12-7)

1. LIAM GUNSON              

2. Anthony Seaton

3. Cam Hodges

4. Luke Winter

5. Sam Barnett

SKOB qualified for their seventh consecutive finals campaign, finishing third before bowing out in the First Semi-final to an in-form Old Scotch.

21-year-old wingman Liam Gunson had a breakout year in his third season at the club, polling Coaches’ Votes in 9 of his 17 games this season, including SKOB’s finals appearance, and polled 3 Woodrow Medal votes for his 26 disposals, 7 Inside 50s and 8 Score Involvements against St Bernard’s in Round 11.

Liam averaged 23 disposals, 7 marks, 4 Inside 50s and 5 Score Involvements to win his first Best & Fairest award. He led SKOB for Kicks, Marks, Inside 50s and Goal Assists, and was ranked 2^nd for Disposals & Intercept Possessions.

Anthony Seaton committed full-time to SKOB in 2025, and his 2^nd place in the Best & Fairest count demonstrated what a handy permanent acquisition he was for Plugger Lynch’s line-up.

The 25-year-old ‘young veteran’ has 69 games of VFL experience with Sandringham and was a vital defensive leader in a backline that conceded 100 points only once during the entire season (that was in the final round without Seaton and other regulars out there).

Ever reliable, he polled Coaches’ Votes in 11 of his 17 matches and averaged 20 disposals, 7 Intercept Possessions, 6 Marks and 6 Rebound 50s, peaking with back-to-back 33-touch games against the Blues and Lions in Round 13 and 14.

Cam Hodges rounded out the Top 3 for his hard-working season, which saw him lead the club in Pressure Rating and Tackles, and rank 2^nd in Groundballs and Loose Gets in a campaign where he averaged 20 disposals, 6 Groundballs, 5 tackles, 3 clearances and 3 Inside 50s.

The 26-year-old is always prepared to commit his body and do the team-first things that every coach loves, and he caught Plugger’s eye in 10 of his 18 games this season. He was outstanding against De La Salle in Round 17, racking up 32 disposals (at 75% Efficiency), with 10 Inside 50s and 6 Score Involvements.

OLD HAILEYBURY: 5^th (9-9)

1. OLLI HOTTON

2. Brede Seccull

3. Andreas Stefanakis

4. Max Sivers

5. Will Paul

While the ending was a disappointment, 2025 was a season full of promise for the Bloods, who returned to the top flight with a vengeance, sitting inside the Top 4 for nearly the entire season before narrowly missing out on September action via percentage after losing their last 3 matches.

21-year-old Olli Hotton gave the Haileybury faithful plenty to get excited about in his first season with the Bloods. After being delisted by St Kilda at the end of 2024, Olli shone in his debut season as an outside midfielder & medium forward, winning the Best & Fairest despite only playing 14 matches, by polling Coaches’ Votes in 11 of them, including 5 of the last 6.

He averaged 27 disposals (15 contested), with 10 groundball gets, 8 clearances, and 5 score involvements, demonstrating his ability to win the contested ball and effectively use it, especially by hand.

He enjoyed a couple of truly eye-catching performances, headlined by his 40-disposal game against Old Scotch in Round 11, which also featured 28 contested possessions, 20 groundballs, 8 tackles, 12 clearances and 6 Score Involvements.

He represented the Big V this season and is an elite young talent in our competition.

Second place went to a reliable veteran of the comp – 31-year-old Brede Seccull, who first pulled on the Bloods jumper in 2012 and immediately established himself as an elite player, who went on to play VFL and SANFL before returning full-time to his VAFA roots.

Playing as an inside midfielder, Brede averaged 22 disposals (12 contested), 7 tackles, 8 groundball gets, 7 clearances, and 5 score involvements. He received Coaches’ Votes in 10 of his 15 matches and also represented the Big V against Perth.

Third place went to the league’s leading goalkicker, Andreas Stefanakis, who booted 59 majors for the season, including hauls of 7 against Uni Blacks, 6 against De La Salle and three bags of 5 against Old Brighton, St Kevin’s and St Bernard’s.

The 20-year-old livewire small forward, who will continue his relationship with coach Daniel Ward when he joins Sandringham as his VFL club next season, averaged 13 disposals and 7 Score Involvements per game to finish second in the Woodrow Medal behind Marcus Stavrou.

Quick, clever, creative and immensely skilled, Dre is certainly a player to watch in the seasons ahead.

UNIVERSITY BLACKS: 6^th (8-10)

1. JAMES CLARK & KANE LOFTUS

3. Sam McKenzie

4. Liam O’Neil

5. Angus Rana

Uni Blacks played some good footy in 2025 – most notably their 5 straight wins from Rounds 6 to 10 – but ultimately not quite enough to get them into September, as they lost their last 4 to fall short of the finals.

Dale Bower’s team had an even spread of contributors throughout the season, as evidenced by the TIE for first place in their Best & Fairest.

Young guns James Clark & Kane Loftus – the first more inside mid, the latter more outside mid – could not be split throughout the entire count and, for the first time in recent memory, the Blacks would crown joint winners.

21-year-old Clark, who came up through the famous Ballarat football pathway, polled Coaches’ Votes in 10 of his 16 games in his second season at the Blacks, including 5 of his last 7 matches as he delivered sustained excellence for his team on the inside.

23-year-old Loftus was just as influential, stepping up in big moments, winning vital contests and kicking critical goals. Kane polled Coaches’ Votes in 8 of his 18 games and bagged 2 goals on 5 separate occasions.

All up, their Premier Data numbers show just how evenly-matched their seasons were.

Average Disposals: 23 – 21 Clark                              Contested Possessions: 12.4 – 11.7 Loftus

Clearances: 7.6 – 7.1 Loftus                                         Inside 50s: 4.0 – 3.8 Loftus

Hard Gets: 3.1 – 2.3 Loftus                                         Rebound 50s: 2.5 – 2.1 Clark

Third place went to the Blacks’ defensive rock – Sam McKenzie – who is widely regarded as one of the premier key defenders in the competition, and with good reason.

The 29-year-old has served the Blacks with distinction for a decade and did so again in 2025, handling the biggest jobs and averaging 15 disposals, 7 intercept possessions, 4 marks and 5 Rebound 50s.

ST BERNARD’S: 7^th (7-10-1)

1. MATT SAURO

2. Luca Alessio

3. Mitch Hughes (5^th last yr)

4. Ethan Schumann

5. Luke Di Lizio

If a DVD box set of St Bernard’s 2025 season was published, it might be titled ‘The Great Escape,’ after the Snowdogs defied the odds to knock over two Top 4 teams in the final two weeks of the season to escape relegation and remain in the top-flight in 2026.

The Dogs flew out of the gates to win 3 of their first 4 matches, then found the going a lot tougher, managing just two wins against the winless De La Salle and a draw with Uni Blues from Rounds 5 to 16. But they managed to save themselves in the last fortnight and have another season of experience under their belts as they look to go to the next level in ’26.

Big man Matt Sauro battled hard all season and was rewarded with the Best & Fairest. He shouldered the bulk of the ruck load (778 hit-outs; next best was 126), and ranked 2^nd for Contested Possessions and Centre Breaks due to his tireless follow-up work.

Young tall Luca Alessio continued his promising trajectory that also saw him play 6 VFL games with Port Melbourne. The 20-year-old filled multiple roles for the Snowdogs, switching between Tall Defender, Marking Forward & Second Ruck as required, and his 2^nd placed finish (despite only playing 9 games) speaks volumes for his impact.

Mitch Hughes rounded out the podium. The 28-year-old finished 5^th in last year’s B&F, and this year moved up a couple of spots after another consistent season playing as a Rebounding Defender and Outside Mid that also saw him earn a Big V jumper against Perth.

UNIVERSITY BLUES: 8th (6-10-2)

1. DARCY CHIRGWIN

2. Marty Gleeson

3. Mitch Lloyd

4. James Stewart

5. Cam O’Shea

If you were a Uni Blues supporter with a heart condition, then 2025 certainly wasn’t the season for you!

The Blues played in six single-digit games, including back-to-back draws in Rounds 9 and 10. Unfortunately, a couple of close losses (after the siren to the Dogs in Round 1, and a 2-point loss to Xavs after leading at every change in Round 7) ultimately cost them a shot at September.

But it could have been much costlier, given they avoided relegation by just half-a-game – so those two frustrating draws actually saved their bacon at the end of the day.

The Blues crowned a new club champion for the first time in 4 years, with Marty Gleeson pipped for a 4^th straight Best & Fairest by gun inside midfielder Darcy Chirgwin.

The 24-year-old ball-magnet from East Geelong was arguably the Recruit of the Year in 2025, leading the competition for Disposals at a whopping average of 30 per game. He also led the comp in Groundball Gets and Loose Gets, and was 2^nd for Contested Possessions, Clearances and Handballs.

He polled Coaches’ Votes in 11 of 18 matches, and finished equal 7^th in the Woodrow Medal.

After becoming the first man since Michael Yeoh in the 1980s to win three consecutive Best & Fairests for the Blues, Marty Gleeson continued his consistently brilliant form in 2025.

One of the competition’s premier rebounding defenders, he ranked 3^rd in the comp for Rebound 50s, averaging 24 disposals (at 77% Efficiency), 7 marks, 7 intercept possessions and 7 Rebounds per game.

2025 Rising Star Mitch Lloyd finished third, turning heads in his first VAFA season, holding down his position as a key defender in the top tier of the competition.

The 19-year-old from Koroit (on the outskirts of Warrnambool) also played 4 VFL games for Geelong and has signed with Werribee for 2026.

COLLEGIANS: 9^th (6-11-1)

1. Max Pinchbeck

2. Alex Lukic

3. Jonty McGuiness

4. Campbell Walker

5. Ben Van Twest

The 2023 premiers suffered the heartbreak of final-round relegation after St Bernard’s defeated St Kevin’s on the last afternoon of the season, and they will head down to Premier B as one of the more accomplished relegated teams of the modern era.

Not only did the Lions win 6.5 games, but they also lost 5 single-digit games in addition to those – a win in any of which would have seen them safe in the top flight next season.

The Top 5 in their Best & Fairest featured 5 different players to 2024, indicating a changing of the guard in a line-up that has undergone a massive overhaul since their commanding flag win two years ago.

Max Pinchbeck was a worthy winner. He polled in 12 of 18 matches and no-one in the entire competition threw themselves into the fire more than Max this season.

He led the league in Tackles by a mind-blowing 73 (211 to the next best – Josh Gasparini – on 138) and was the leading tackler in all three zones on the field!

The #1 ranked Pressure Player by a mile (322 to Gasparini’s 228), the 24-year-old is more than just a tackling machine, though. He averaged 23 disposals (13 contested), 12 tackles, 7 groundballs, 7 clearances, and booted 7 goals.

Alex Lukic was another Lion to take his game to the next level in 2025. The 22-year-old was one of the league’s premier key forwards, averaging 13 disposals, 4 marks, 6 score involvements and kicking 44 majors to finish 4^th in the League goalkicking.  

He kicked goals in 15 of his 18 games this season, with 5 against Old Scotch in Round 3, and 4 against the Blues (Round 2), St Bernard’s (Round 4) and Blacks (Round 13) his biggest hauls.

Jonty McGuiness arrived in the VAFA from Gippsland and made an instant impression as an athletic, physical ruck.

The 24-year-old played 148 games with Sale before heading up to the big smoke in 2025, and after an impressive opening round performance in the Reserves, was immediately elevated into the senior side and never looked back.

He polled Coaches’ Votes in 9 of his 16 matches, averaging 13 disposals (9 contested), 42 hit-outs, 5 clearances, 3 tackles and 4 One-Percenters. His willingness to throw his body around for the good of the team was duly rewarded with a podium finish in the Best & Fairest.

DE LA SALLE: 10^th (0-18)

1. TOM FILIPOVIC

2. Ryan O’Meara

3. Rob Amendola & Jake Williams

5. Fraser Cameron

It was a challenging season back up in Premier Men’s for De La Salle, who will return to Premier B after a winless top-flight campaign, where they proved themselves capable of stretching teams for patches in games, but unable to go hard enough for long enough to ultimately secure victories.

Midfielder Tom Filipovic won the club’s Best & Fairest after averaging 19 disposals (10 contested), 6 tackles, 6 groundballs and 5 clearances as one of De La’s prime-movers.

Often fighting against the tide, he continued to crack in and finished the season leading the club in Loose Gets and ranked 2^nd for Disposals, Contested Possessions, Groundballs and Intercept Possessions.

The 21-year-old polled Coaches’ Votes in 10 of his 18 matches, including a 5-week stretch from Rounds 3 to 7.

Swingman Ryan O’Meara finished outright second for De La. Tasked with arguably the most difficult job in the league (key defender in a winless team), the 25-year-old stuck to the task admirably, leading the club in Intercept Possessions, while also showcasing his talents up forward, booting 14 goals for the season, including 3 against St Bernard’s in Round 13.

Third position was a tie between ball-magnet Rob Amendola and 2-time Woodrow Medallist Jake Williams.

Amendola’s consistency was outstanding – the 22-year-old marking his arrival at De La after a couple of seasons with East Malvern in the Southern Football League by leading the club in Disposals, Contested Possessions, Groundballs, and Hard Gets.

He averaged 27 disposals (16 contested), 6 tackles, 8 clearances and 4 score involvements, and racked up four 30-plus disposal games, headlined by his brilliant 39 touches and 11 clearances against Blacks in Round 14.

Jake Williams is one of De La’s all-time most decorated players, and adds another Best & Fairest podium to his glittering CV. He first pulled on the boots for the Blue & Gold in 2011 and went on to win the Woodrow Medal in 2013 and 2016.

He’s still going strong at age 31, averaging 22 disposals and providing plenty of leadership to his young team.