Rekenow named 2024 North West AFL best and fairest

Gunnedah Poochette Katrina Rekunow has been crowned the 2024 best and fairest player of the North West AFL women’s competition, beating a field of strong rivals that included fellow Poochettes.

The North West A Blue Heelers representative was adjudged the honour via an accumulative votes process, where after each match, officiating umpires during the course of the season put forward their 3-2-1 votes during the home and away season.

Rekunow is a well-recognised ball magnet and consistently, is a standout of the competition, polling 18 votes across the course of 12 home and away matches.

She pipped previous winner in Gabby Mooney from Inverell who finished on 12 votes in the count, and fellow representative Poochette Alexa Walker, who polled nine votes.

Rekunow is the second Poochette behind current Sydney Swans AFLW star Alice Mitchell to achieve the Best and Fairest feat.

In further recognition, Rekunow along with six Poochettes team mates were named in a ‘Team of the Year’ unveiled by the AFL North West committee.

Laura Ewington and Casey O’Connell, also representatives of the Blue Heelers squad that defeated the North Coast Force at the midway point of the season, combine with Walker in the ruck, and Rekunow as ruck rover for the side.

Small forward and leading goal kicker for the Poochettes, Breanna Ward, and utility Zoe Palmer, were also identified as key contributors within the competition, garnering their selection in the side.

Meanwhile, Darcy Hill fared well in the votes in the men’s competition, placing second behind Tamworth Swans midfielder Nick Fisher in the accumulative voting process.

Hill’s 12 votes were high recognition for his efforts during the season, where the Bulldogs won only four matches throughout the home and away season. It exemplified his outstanding contribution to the Bulldogs and consistency throughout the competition.

As with the women’s competition, the AFL North West committee unveiled a side it determined as best performers across the home and away season.

Hill, a smooth operator that makes precise decisions with ball in hand and a graceful overhead mark, was named on a half back flank, and two other Bulldogs were named in the side.

Captain Adam Curgenven was named as starting ruck rover, and Hayden Edwards slotted his way into a forward pocket on the full forward line.

Like Hill, Curgenven was a standout for the Bulldogs through the midfield, constantly in and under for the side and leading from the front throughout a consistent season, whilst Edwards injected life into the Bulldogs late in the season and was recognised a special talent with a significant ability to hit the scoreboard.

For Rekenow though, it was a special moment to be crowned the AFL North West women’s competition’s best and fairest player for season 2024, an honour that’s bestowed upon her through five years of toil for the Poochettes since beginning her career in AFL with the Poochettes inaugural side in 2020.

Since then, she’s achieved club success through two premierships, and a best and fairest for the Bulldogs club in 2022, but regards her latest recognition as her highest achievement on a personal level in the sport of AFL.

“It’s an absolute honour to achieve this with the amount of talent in the league,” Rekenow said.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my club, coaches, team mates over the years and partner Adam (Bulldogs captain Adam Curgenven).

“With only playing five years in this sport and winning best and fairest, I think it’s pretty bloody awesome.”

With the season now concluded, attention turns to the Bulldogs/Poochettes senior presentation later this month, which will honour the standout performers for the season.

Rekenow and Hill are odds-on favourites to take out the best and fairest gongs for their respective sides, however, both men’s and women’s sides had valuable contributions from various team members throughout a successful season for the club.

AFLNW Women’s Best and Fairest count:

Katrina Rekenow – 18

Gabby Mooney – 12

Alexa Walker – 9

Clare Eley – 7

Lauren Appleby – 7

AFLNW Women’s Team of the Year

FB – Lua Roser (TS), Hayley Beck (TK)

HB – Laura Ewington (GP), Christine Watters (IS), Casey O’Connell (GP)

C – Sophie Weeks (TS), Gabby Mooney (IS), Lauren Appleby (TK)

HF – Emmelene White (TS), Mel Young (TK),

FF – Katrina Doak (IS), Jordan Smith (TS)

Ruck – Alexa Walker (GP), Jane Ervine (TK), Katrina Rekenow (GP)

Bench – Zoe Palmer (GP), Breanna Ward (GP), Miren Davis (TS), Anna George (TS), Clare Eley (IS), Rachael Van Der Merwe (TK)

AFLNW Tony Gillies Medal – Men’s Best and Fairest count:

Nick Fisher – 19

Darcy Hill – 12

Jed Carroll – 9

Lachie Bennetts – 8

Jordan Sue-Fong – 7

AFLNW Men’s Team of the Year

FB – Carl Frazer (TK), Tim Beattie (IS), Ben Myler (IS)

HB – Cooper Taveira (IS), Liam Beattie (IS), Darcy Hill (GB)

C – Jake Cosgrove (IS), Nick Fisher (TS), Nicholas Buckland (TK)

HF – Nash Tome (IS), Hayden Chappel (IS), Seb Blair (IS)

FF – Kaleb Crowhurst (TS), Lachie Bennetts (TS), Hayden Edwards (GB)

Ruck – Jordan Sue-Fong (IS), Jed Carrol (IS), Adam Curgenven (GB)

Bench – Rex Quail (TS), Liam Rodgers (TK), Wyatt Roberts (TS), Max Reis (GB)

Gunnedah’s Darcy Hill finished second in the North West AFL men’s best and fairest standings.