Dalby Diehards star Christopher Woodbridge wins Toowoomba Rugby League Player of the Year award for second year running

Dalby Diehards have come away with a slew of accolades at last weekend’s TRL Awards, including A-grade Player of the Year.

Joey Sankey claimed the under-19 Top Point Scorer and Best and Fairest awards.

The Dalby Diehards have cleaned up at last Friday’s Toowoomba Rugby League awards, taking home a dozen awards including A-grade Player of the Year.

The club has celebrated another strong year with their A-grade side, which had lost many of its senior players the year prior, narrowly missing out on the grand final after a loss to the strong Warwick Cowboys while their under 19s side are through to Saturday’s grand final looking to continue their unbeaten streak.

At the awards night Blake Mara was awarded the Ross Burke Medal, Joey Sankey received the under-19 Best and Fairest while Christopher Woodbridge took home A-grade player of the year.

The top try scorers award for both the Reserves and A-grade were presented to Diehards players with Travis Babington taking it for the ressies and Christopher Woodbridge taking it for A-grade.

Christopher Woodbridge (right) won Toowoomba Rugby League’s Player of the Year award for second year running. Picture: Emily Devon

Joey Sankey for the under-19 also received the top point scorers accolade.

In the Hutchinson Builders Open Men’s Team of the Year Christopher Woodbridge claimed his third award of the night for best fullback, while Blake Mara received best lock

and Flynn Kaiser-Capewell received best reserve player.

President Dan Manley said it was one of the club’s most lucrative award nights.

“We had a very successful night, our star player Christopher Woodbridge won TRL Player of the Year for the second year in a row and that doubled into top try scorer, he is a freak and hopefully we have him for many years to come,” he said.

“The young fellas were also really leading for us with Joey Sankey being awarded under-19 Top Point Scorer and Best and Fairest.

“We also had the reserves Top Try Scorer.

“I think this is the best year in terms of the spread of awards for our club.”

Manley said the future of the Diehards was looking strong.

“We are in a good spot at the moment and hopefully that continues to build and that is the point of the Devils to Diehards program, we have a great spread of players across all three grades in the mens,” he said.

“All of them made the finals and that shows they are in a good space on and off the field, we also have a great supporter base both home and away.”

He said the under-19 were now gearing up for their finals match.

“They’re feeling great, their coaches have prepped them like an A-grade side and on top of the talent they possess it's all the little things that are being done,” he said.

“We took them away for the weekend to prepare before their last match so they didn't have to get up at a 6am and little things like that show the level of professionalism.

“Jim Sankey has coached these boys for a long time and turned them into good men as well as good footballers, they are learning about life and discipline and we are seeing the results of that.

“There's a few injuries that came late last game, but we are quietly confident we will get the win (Saturday).”