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October 01, 2005
Kirk Takes Home the Bobby
In a Best and Fairest win that sums up the Swans season, Brett Kirk ran away with the Bob Skilton Medal to upset the favoured Barry Hall 575 votes to 501. Craig Bolton capped a magnificent year with 482 votes to take the third place and show how under-rated he is. Amon Buchanan finished fourth with 442 votes.
When handing out the award named in his honor Bob Skilton said the midfielder "optimises what football is about" believing that from the time he came to the club in 1999 "if we have ever had a better player, then I haven't seen him."
For Kirk this goes to show how far he has come as a player since been rejected by the Swans in our Grand Final year of 1996 only to turn up on our rookie list 3 years later and earn a full time spot on the senior list 2000. Since then he has turned himself into one of the game premier inside midfielders, after being first used in a tagging role that in time allowed him to become an International Rules representative in 2003 and 2004, Best and Fairest runner up also in 2003 and 2004 and gain All-Australian selection in 2004. Those honors, plus this year gain a premiership medal, Best and Fairest win and a run with the captaincy make his story one of the best in a long time to come out of football.
Other awards from the night included:
Player of the Finals Series: Jared Crouch
Rising Star: Sean Dempster
Most Improved: Amon Buchanan and Luke Ablett
Players' Player: Barry Hall
Best Clubman: Jude Bolton
Sydney Gas One Percenter Award: Amon Buchanan
Life Memberships: Paul Roos (Premiership Winning Coach), Adam Goodes (150 Games), Ben Mathews (150 Games), John Gerahty (Club Director) and Graeme Cox (Service to the Club)
Posted by robbieando at October 1, 2005 10:56 PM