MELBOURNE marquee player Daisy Pearce has claimed the inaugural VFL Women’s best and fairest award for the 2016 season.
Pearce, who captains the Darebin Falcons in the state league, was voted the winner at the VFL best and fairest night at Crown Palladium on Monday evening.
The midfielder led the count from round one, polling 33 votes in total to finish four votes clear of runner-up Brianna Davey from the St Kilda Sharks.
The win brings Pearce’s total league best and fairest tally to seven after previously winning six Helen Lambert Medals in the Victorian Women’s Football League.
On the men’s side, the J.J Liston Trophy for the VFL’s best and fairest player was awarded to Williamstown midfielder Michael Gibbons who polled 17 votes to take the top honour from Geelong’s George Horlin-Smith (15 votes).
Melbourne young gun Alex Neal-Bullen polled 13 votes in the count to tie for fourth place, while Jack Grimes (11 votes) and Ben Kennedy (10 votes) also performed strongly.
VFL WOMEN’S BEST AND FAIREST LEADERBOARD
Daisy Pearce (Darebin) 33
Brianna Davey (St Kilda) 29
Ellie Blackburn (Melbourne Uni) 23
Katie Brennan (Darebin) 22
Steph Chiocci (Diamond Creek) 22
Bree White (VU Western Spurs) 20
Emma Kearney (Melbourne Uni) 20
Bianca Jakobsson (Cranbourne) 17
Jaimee Lambert (Eastern Devils) 15
Sarah Perkins (Eastern Devils) 15
2016 J.J. LISTON TROPHY LEADERBOARD
Michael Gibbons (Williamstown) 17
George Horlin-Smith (Geelong) 15
Ben Jolley (Williamstown) 14
Toby Pinwill (Port Melbourne) 14
Alex Neal-Bullen (Casey Scorpions) 13
Eli Templeton (Sandringham) 13
Will Hams (Essendon) 13
Sam Dunell (Williamstown) 12
Jack Grimes (Casey Scorpions) 11
Tom O’Sullivan (Port Melbourne) 11
Ben Kennedy (Casey Scorpions) 10
Darcy Lang (Geelong) 10
Mitch Honeychurch (Footscray) 10
Ben Moloney (Collingwood) 9
Lin Jong (Footscray) 9
Shaun McKernan (Essendon) 9
Willie Wheeler (Williamstown) 9
