Honouring one of the greats at Cities banquet
Thomas Packer was awarded Cities' Player of the Year.
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Rugby League: Thomas Packer may only be one player, but to Cities rugby league club he is one of the greats.
Packer was awarded Player of the Year at the Cities banquet on Saturday night in recognition of his talent, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile for the club.
"It was a very special honour to win, as there are a lot of good players who would have been worthy of it,” he said.
"The award generally goes to someone who has contributed to a lot of teams throughout the year and is willing to help out when needed.''
Packer, who has been playing for Cities since he was 17, said playing with his mates is why he stays so invested in the club.
"A lot of us started playing in juniors together and have played all the way through,” he said.
"Some of the boys went away and then came back to Roma and started playing again so we are really a big family.”
The banquet at Arthur Beetson Oval celebrated the club's double premierships, and honoured its dedicated players, coaches and supporters.
"It was very rewarding for the club to have such a successful season, especially coming off last year where we underperformed,” Packer said.
"It was great to get the result we were after and then getting player of the year just topped off a really good year.”
Steven and Kate Duff were made life members and Packer said the dedication of those behind the scenes was a very valuable asset to the club.
"I think that we definitely have a lot of committee members that help to keep the club going,” he said.
"Originally I was a bit hesitant to go to the banquet because I wasn't sure what it would be like, but the marquee with all the lights done up, you could see how much work was put in.”
While Packer doesn't know what next year will bring, he is still flying high after his consistent, injury- free season in A-grade.
"Thank you to all my family and friends that supported me, I couldn't have done it without them,” he said.
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