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TANFL / TFL / SFL
Southern Tasmanian Football Competition – Best & Fairest Award Winners 1925 – 2018
1925 W H Gill Memorial Trophy (Inaugural Award)
Below are the minutes from the TFL meeting in 1925
Winner Eric “Leisha” Smith
It was a 3 way tie for the 1925 W H Gill Memorial Trophy & Eric Smith was named the winner after a vote from the umpires.
Horrie Gorringe (Cananore) & Athol Paul (New Town) were the players who tied with Eric Smith
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1926 – NO AWARD
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TANFL Honour Board – Best & Fairest Players 1927 – 1980
If you have seen this Honour Board can you please us know where you have seen it as we are trying to locate it.
1927 – 1930 Wilson J Bailey Medal
Winners
1927 – Keith Roberts (New Town)
1928 – George Cole (New Town)
1929 – Alan Leitch (New Town)
Letter to Alan Leitch from New Town FC congratulating him on his Wilson J Bailey Best & Fairest Award.
Letter provided by Alan’s son Peter Leitch
Wilson J Bailey medal winners George Cole, Keith Roberts & Alan Leitch in a TFL representative side photo
1930 – Jack “Cocky” Billett (Cananore)
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The father of Tasmanian football William D Leitch offered to fund a new medal in his name for the best and fairest in the senior competition which was to be known as the
William Leitch Medal.
The William Leitch Medal was awarded for the 1st time in 1931
Above is Eric Hanlon’s medal above from 1933
***William Leitch Medal WINNERS***
1931 – Albert Collier (Cananore)
1932 – Len Pye (North Hobart) & Pat Hartnett (Cananore)
1933 – Eric Hanlon (New Town) & Burnell Edwards (North Hobart)
1934 – Stan Sproule (North Hobart) & Eric Hanlon (New Town)
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Between 1935 – 1941 the Best & Fairest award was known as the George Watt Medal
WINNERS
1935 – Len Powell (North Hobart)
1936 – Eric Zschech (Lefroy)
1937 – Len Pye (North Hobart) & Eric Zschech (Lefroy)
1938 – Len Pye (North Hobart)
1939 – Eric Zschech (Lefroy)
1940 – Geoff Kilmartin (Cananore)
1941 – Max Abbott (North Hobart)
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1942 – 1944 NO AWARD – WORLD WAR II
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After WORLD WAR II in 1945 the TANFL competition resumed and the William Leitch Medal was named as the Best & Fairest award as it was between the years 1931 – 1935
WINNERS
1945 – Noel “NOGGA” Reid (North Hobart)
1946 – Ernie Pilkington (Sandy Bay)
1947 – Jack Sullivan (Hobart)
1948 – Jim Brown (New Norfolk)
1949 – Hamish Yaxley (Clarence)
1950 – Warren Smart (Sandy Bay)
1951 Rex Garwood (New Town)
1952 – Cliff Busch (New Norfolk)
1953 – Terry Cashion (Sandy Bay)
1954 – Bruce Roe (New Norfolk)
1955 – Rex Garwood (New Norfolk)
1956 – Robert Lewis (Sandy Bay)
1957 – Trevor Leo (Hobart)
1958 – Rex Garwood (New Norfolk)
1959 – Mal Pascoe (Hobart) & Murray Steele (Sandy Bay)
1960 – Stuart Spencer (Clarence)
1961 / 1962 – Roger Browning (New Norfolk)
1963 – Geoff Whitton (Sandy Bay)
1964 – David Sullivan (Hobart)
1965 / 1966 Burnie Payne (Hobart)
1967 – John Richmond (Clarence) , Stuart Spencer (Clarence) & Neville Johnston (Glenorchy)
Photo above taken at the 1967 William Leitch Medal Count of past winners back to 1925 who attended the Medal Count.
1968 – Robert Lucas (Clarence)
JOHN RICHMOND(1967) -LEFT AND STEWIE SPENCER(1960 1967) WELCOME BOBBY LUCAS (1968) CENTRE TO THE WILLIAM LEITCH MEDAL CLUB
1969 / 1970 Roger Steele (Sandy Bay)
1971 – Rodney Olsson (Sandy Bay)
1972 – Ricky Graham (New Norfolk)
1973 – Rodney Olsson (Sandy Bay)
1974 – Tony Browning (New Norfolk)
1975 – Trevor Sprigg (Glenorchy)
1976 – Trevor Sorrell (Clarence)
1977 – Michael Hawkins (North Hobart)
1978 / 1979 – Peter Hudson (Glenorchy)
1980 – Gary Linton (Glenorchy)
1981 – Robbie Dykes (New Norfolk)
1982 / 1983 Tony Martyn (Sandy Bay)
1984 – Scott Wade (Hobart)
1985 – Graham Hunnibell – (New Norfolk)
1986 – Andy Bennett (Sandy Bay)
1987 – David Code (Devonport)
1988 – Adrian Fletcher (Glenorchy) & Michael Seddon (Sandy Bay)
1989 – Scott Wade (Clarence)
1990 – Ricky Hanlon (New Norfolk)
1991 – Gary Williamson (Clarence)
1992 – Jason Gibson (North Launceston)
1993 – Darryn Perry (North Hobart) & Rene Peters (New Norfolk)
1994 – Michael Maple (North Hobart)
1995 – Danny Noonan (Clarence) & Geoff Wiggins (Sandy Bay)
1996 – Danny Noonan (Clarence)
In 1996 the TFL Commission retrospectively awarded players who had tied for the Best & Fairest Award but lost on a countback – 1932 P Hartnett, 1933 B Edwards, 1934 E Hanlon, 1937 E Zschech, 1959 M Steele, 1967 S Spencer, N Johnston
1996 William Leitch Medal Dinner Menu – In Retrospect
1997 – Fabian Carelli (Devonport)
1998 – Wayne Weidemann (Devonport)
1999 – Ben Atkin (Glenorchy) , Matthew Jones (Clarence) & Darren Trevena (North Launceston)
Ben Atkin’s Medal
2000 – Nathan Howard (North Launceston)
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After the demise of the Statewide League at the end of the 2000 season football went back to regional football and the South had the one competition the SFL Premier League consisting of the following teams: Clarence, Glenorchy, North Hobart, Hobart, New Norfolk, Cygnet, Channel, Kingston, Huonville, Kermandie, Sorell, Brighton, Lauderdale, Dodges Ferry, Lindisfarne.
In 2001 the Hodgman Medal was awarded for the Best & Fairest player and then in 2004 the SFL retrospectively awarded a William Leitch Medal to winners for 2001 – 2003
WINNER – SFL Premier League Best & Fairest – 2001 Hodgman Medal
2001 – Damien Dillon (Cygnet)
Awarded William Leitch Medal in 2004 Retrospectively
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At the end of the 2001 SFL Premier League season the league split into two leagues to make up the
SFL Premier League and the SFL Regional League
WINNER – SFL Premier League Best & Fairest – Horrie Gorringe Medal 2002 – 2003
2002 – Matthew Jones (New Norfolk)
Awarded William Leitch Medal in 2004 Retrospectively
2003 – Brendon Bolton (North Hobart)
Awarded William Leitch Medal in 2004 Retrospectively
2004 – 2008 SFL Premier League
2004 – Roger Belcher (New Norfolk)
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2005 – David Newett (Glenorchy)
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2006 – Jesse Crouch (Glenorchy)
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2007 – Brad Carver (New Norfolk)
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2008 – Shane Piuselli (Glenorchy)
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2009 – Roger Belcher (New Norfolk)
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2010 – James Lange (Huonville)
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2011 – Nathan Ross (New Norfolk)
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2012 – Michael Thompson (New Norfolk)
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2013 – Nathan Ross (New Norfolk)
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2014 – Caden Wilson (New Norfolk)
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2015 – Nathan Brown (Claremont)
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2016/17 – Troy Cunliffe (Lindisfarne)