TSL’s best young player Jack Dolliver hoping to be apart of senior state academy next season
Fresh off being named the TSL’s best young player, a Clarence young gun is already eyeing off bigger things next season.
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While he’d much prefer to be playing off for a shot at a premiership medal this Saturday, Clarence forward Jack Dolliver is proud and honoured to win the final TSL Matthew Richardson Medal.
The 20 year-old was named the state league’s best young player on Tuesday, becoming the fourth Clarence player to win the award following Trent Standen (2010), James Holmes (2017) and Oliver Davis (2020).
Dolliver was a key driver behind the Roos’ run to a second-place finish and a home preliminary final this season in what was his first full season at state league level.
Decided upon by TSL management, players eligible for the award must have played no less than 20 senior games prior to the start of the season in which they win the award, be under 23 years of age and have no more than two years on a senior list.
Booting 23 goals from 20 games, the impactful tall led the competition in tackles inside 50 and was fourth for goal assists following a strong 2023 campaign with the Tasmania Devils in the Coates Talent League.
Booting one goal in this past Saturday’s preliminary final loss, Dolliver said the group had reflected on the one-point defeat but didn’t believe their previous preliminary final defeats played a role in giving up a 27-point halftime lead.
“It’s a huge honour. There’s plenty of talented names on the list and it’s just great to get some recognition and put my name up there too,” Dolliver said.
“It was very flattening (the preliminary final loss), we didn’t take our opportunities. But credit to Lauderdale for a hard-fought game. They just bought the heat in the last half and yeah, they did really well to score under pressure.
“Lauderdale just fought harder than us and (the game) got away from us.”
While describing his own season as a modest ‘alright’, Dolliver said playing in one system helped him develop his game this season and credited coach Peter Ryan as another factor behind his career-best year.
“It was great to play some consistent footy in one team,” he said.
“It’s good to learn different roles as well, which is a credit to my teammates obviously helping me learn them and to ‘Spear’ (Peter Ryan) for obviously putting that belief in me and trusting me to go out there and play with confidence every week.”
While undecided if he will remain at Bellerive Oval next season, Dolliver said he was keen to hopefully be a part of the senior talent academy in 2025 ahead of Tasmania’s entry into the VFL the following season.
Matthew Richardson Medal winners:
2024: Jack Dolliver (Clarence)
2023: Blake Waight (Glenorchy)
2022: Jordan Lane (Kingborough)
2021: Michael Stingel (North Launceston)
2020: Oliver Davis (Clarence)
2019: Will Poland (Kingborough)
2018: Sherrin Egger (North Launceston)
2017: James Holmes (Clarence)
2016: Toutai Havea (Lauderdale)
2015: Jordon Arnold (Glenorchy)
2014: Ben Halton (Lauderdale)
2013: Thane Bardenhagen (South Launceston)
2012: Aaron McNab (Devonport)
2011: Kaine Waller (Lauderdale)
2010: Trent Standen (Clarence)
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