Werribee's Hudson Garoni celebrates a goal in round three, 2021. Picture: AFL Photos

ANOTHER young star will shine bright when the VFL announces the winner of the prestigious Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal on Thursday night.

The medal, which honours Des Fothergill, Barry Round and Sam Mitchell, the three men to have won the J.J. Liston Trophy-Brownlow Medal double, is awarded for the VFL’s most promising talent under the age of 24 at the start of the season.

While there is no Liston Medal this season due to the uneven number of games played by each club, all other awards will be presented on a special video stream of the VFLW’s Lambert-Pearce Medal announcement hosted by Nigel Carmody and Nat Edwards on vfl.com.au from 7pm.

ALL TIED UP Morrish Medal ends in a dramatic draw

The past 14 winners of the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal have gone on to be drafted to the AFL, with 2017 winner Bayley Fritsch kicking six goals for Melbourne in last week’s AFL Grand Final and Michael Hibberd also starring for the Demons – and there is a crack field assembled dreaming of being No.15.

The nominees are headed by Williamstown key defender Charlie Dean, who enjoyed an outstanding first season averaging 7.3 marks and 14.8 disposals per game and scoring an invite to the NAB AFL Draft Combine, and Werribee full-forward Hudson Garoni, who averaged 6.7 marks and kicked 17.17 including hauls of 5.2, 4.2 and 3.6 as he aims to follow Ben Brown, Josh Corbett and Jake Riccardi as Tigers’ spearheads to have been drafted.

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Frankston star Mitch Cox was electric all year, averaging 21.7 disposals and kicking 15 goals, teammate Connor Riley averaged 21.5, Box Hill’s Vincent Adduci has AFL admirers as a small forward and Coburg’s team is built around young guns Marcus Lentini, Charlie Thompson, Luke Bunker and key defenders Jack Maibaum and Harry Nolan.

Port Melbourne’s Harvey Hooper, Southport’s Kwabe Boakye and Carlton’s Stefan Radovanovic are also in contention, while Giant James Peatling found his way onto GWS’s senior list in the mid-season draft and would automatically lift the draftees’ record to 15 in a row.

The other nominees are Bruce Reville, Tahj Abberley and Toby Triffett (Brisbane Lions), George Gray, Corey Ellison and Tom Freeman (Casey Demons), Sam Conforti (Essendon), Charlie Cormack (Footscray), Bailey Lambert and James Rendell (Frankston), Jackson McLachlan (Geelong), and Mutaz El Nour and Jack Boyd (Northern Bullants).

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The VFL Team and Coach of the Year will also be named on Thursday night, as will the Alex Gillon Award for Volunteer of the Year and the Jim “Frosty” Miller Medal for leading goalkicker, while two new life members will also be inducted.

The headline act of the night is the Lambert-Pearce Medal, which honours women’s football pioneer Helen Lambert, who died in August, and the competition’s greatest player in seven-time winner Daisy Pearce.

There are plenty of contenders to join Darebin stars Pearce, Katie Brennan and Lauren Pearce and Williamstown’s Jess Duffin as the fifth winner of the VFLW award and add their name to a VWFL honour roll that includes the great Debbie Lee, Shannon McFerran and Sharon Bonnici.

The Debbie Lee Medal for the most promising young player, the Rohenna Young Medal for leading goalkicker, the Team and Coach of the Year and the Ann Rulton Award for Volunteer of the Year will also be presented.

Twitter: @BRhodesVFL

The VFL/VFLW Awards Ceremony, featuring the Lambert-Pearce Medal for the VFLW best-and-fairest, will be streamed on vfl.com.au from 6.30pm on Thursday, October 7.

FOTHERGILL-ROUND-MITCHELL MEDAL

2019: Jake Riccardi (Wer)
2018: Josh Corbett (Wer)

FOTHERGILL-ROUND MEDAL

2017: Bayley Fritsch (Cas)
2016:
Luke Ryan (Cob)
2015:
Adam Marcon (Wil)
2014: Nic Newman (Fra)
2013: Kane Lambert (NBl)
2012:
Dean Towers (NBa)
2011: Ahmed Saad (NBu)
2010: Michael Hibberd (Fra)
2009: Michael Barlow (Wer)
2008: Robin Nahas (PM)
2007: Shane Valenti (San)
2006: Jason Davenport (Gee)
2005: Jackson Barling (Wil)
2004:
Adam Fisher (San)
2003:
Aaron Davey (PM)
2002:
Michael Firrito (Box)
2001:
Kristian DePasquale (Cob)
2000:
Michael Swan (PM)
1999:
Mark Passador (Spr)
1998:
Andrew Shipp (Spr)
1997:
James Puli (Wer)
1996:
Paul Dooley (Wil)
1995:
Mark Porter (Cob)
1994:
Bruce Cohen (Box)
1993:
Adam Williams (San)
1992:
Julian Shanks (Wil)
1991:
Ron De Iulio (Box)
1990:
Mathew Quirk (Oak)
1989:
Chris Owen (Pre)