Rostrevor Old Collegians’ Tim Baccanello wins 2019 Adelaide Footy League Keith Sims OAM Medal
Rostrevor Old Collegians midfielder Tim Baccanello says he was just “tagging along for a free feed” before he took out division one’s top individual award at the Adelaide Footy League’s medal night.
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Tim Baccanello’s links to Rostrevor Old Collegians Football Club and the Woodforde school it draws its existence from were already tight as anything.
But on Monday night Baccanello joined the ranks of ROC greats when he was named the 2019 Keith Sims OAM Medallist for the best and fairest player in the Adelaide Footy League’s division one.
The classy midfielder recorded 23 votes to win the award and cap a super consistent season in his side’s engine room.
Baccanello became the fourth ROC player to win an association medal in the amateur league’s top flight, joining current player/coach Will O’Malley (2017), Craig Holm (2016, 2017) and Ric Giles (2007).
Despite featuring in his club’s best players on nine occasions while also kicking 15 goals from midfield, the 26-year-old said the award caught him by surprise.
“Honestly, I was there just tagging along for a free feed last (Monday) night,” said Baccanello, who graduated from Rostrevor in 2010 and now works as a teacher and junior sports co-ordinator at the school.
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“I’m always talking to the boys at school about the importance of sportsmanship and things like that. Being kind to the umpires might be paying off.
“Someone said I might be in the team of the year and when I got named in that at the start of the night I thought that was the reason I got an invite.
“But I had no expectation of being in contention (for the medal).”
Baccanello’s 23 votes was more than enough to win the medal ahead of an three-way tie for second between Will Dalwood (Prince Alfred Old Collegians), Brett Ancell (Payneham Norwood Union) and Jacob Carger (Brighton Bombers), who all polled 15.
The former Sturt junior was also named on the wing in the division one team of the year alongside teammates Luke Manuel and Will Mead.
Baccanello was a member of the club’s first division one flag in 2013 and also featured in last year’s grand final loss to Tea Tree Gully.
ROC will take on PNU in a preliminary final this Saturday for the opportunity to face Prince Alfred OC in the decider.
“Last year certainly did sting and that was a motivator for us over the summer coming into this season,” Baccanello said.
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“We’ve had Will O’Malley come on as coach and have the great new facility, so it’s been a really fun year so far.
“We’re confident and feeling good going into this week’s prelim.
“But as we’ve seen across the year, any team is beatable in this division and there’s been plenty of upset games.”
patrick.keam@news.com.au