Gold Coast Suns crown new club champion
Suns captain Jarrod Witts has won the Gold Coast’s club champion award by the biggest margin in the club’s history.
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SUNS captain Jarrod Witts has won the Gold Coast’s club champion award by the biggest margin in the club’s history.
Witts polled an unprecedented 553 votes, 136 ahead of runner-up and fellow co-captain and midfielder David Swallow (417) while Darcy MacPherson (368) finished in third.
It completed a career-best season for the 208cm ruckman who set a new record (1007) for most hit-outs in the home and away season while leading from the front for the struggling club.
Witts and Swallow were clear frontrunners going into Saturday’s event, held at Southport Sharks, given their consistent influence across the season.
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SUNS 2019 SEASON PLAYER RATINGS
Swallow, the 2014 club champion, trailed Witts throughout the count, with the pair dominating the votes from the outset.
MacPherson capped off his first year on the Suns primary list with his most consistent year to date, playing all 22 games and cementing his spot in coach Stuart Dew’s side to secure a top three finish.
Retiring inaugural midfielder Michael Rischitelli became the second player in the club’s history to be awarded life membership.
Charlie Ballard was named the emerging player of the year, with Jack Bowes receiving the most professional player award.
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Swallow and Touk Miller couldn’t be split as the players’ player.
Gold Coast’s five-man match committee award votes to an unlimited number of players per match. The voting process allows each player to receive a maximum of ten votes from each individual member of the match committee, meaning the maximum number of votes a player can receive for any match is 50.
Gold Coast Suns Club Champion Top 10:
1st — Jarrod Witts 553
2nd — David Swallow 417
3rd — Darcy MacPherson 368
4th — Jarrod Harbrow 367
5th — Brayden Fiorini 315
6th — Touk Miller 288
7th — Anthony Miles 257
8th — Pearce Hanley 251
9th — Charlie Ballard 214
10th — Jack Hombsch 212
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