The sporting gongs flowed thick and fast for Gunnedah’s Andrew George on the weekend after two days of stellar results.
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Not only did his beloved Aussie Rules side, the Gunnedah Bulldogs, knock off Tamworth Swans in just their second win this year, George scooped two big season awards at the competition-wide annual presentation and backed up to win the final of the men’s doubles at the Gunnedah Tennis Club Championships on Sunday.
“It’s been a pretty good weekend all-round for me,” an ever modest George said this week.
The Bulldogs helmsman clinched the Tamworth Australian Football League’s (TAFL) Sporting Pulse (Coaches Votes) Award with a whopping 59 votes.
Selected by team coaches after each game, George easily eclipsed the next best Weston Whitby from Armidale on 48 votes and Narrabri’s Mark Barrows on 41.
His honours didn’t stop there with George also winning the Tony Gillies Medal Count (Best and Fairest Votes).
Voted by umpires in a three, two, one fashion after each game, the Bulldog poled 29 votes with Armidale’s Dave Richards running second on 20 votes.
George, whose Bulldogs narrowly avoided the wooden spoon in their final match of the season last weekend, was a little taken aback by the accolades.
The 23-year-old had won the Sporting Pulse coaches award once before but had until now, only managed a runner-up in the best and fairest stakes.
So to win both in the same year was a big shock for the local carpenter.
“It was a little unexpected because of the year we’ve had,” he said.
The award recognition is made all the more remarkable considering he was awarded votes in almost a dozen losing matches as well as the three points in his side’s two winning games this season, both which were against the Swans.
“(Player) numbers have always been the biggest issue,” George said.
“Coops (coach) always managed to get a team together but usually it had to be a different team each week.”
Despite the club’s shortcomings this year, George was happy to just be out running with his mates.
“I just love playing the game,” he said.
“The blokes here are some of the best bunch of fellas you’re going to get at any club.”
If Saturday’s excitement wasn’t enough, the newly bestowed Aussie Rules title winner set his sights on claiming a club tennis championship.
George partnered men’s singles winner Craig Louis to win the doubles 6/4, 6/2 against a young team combination of Sam O’Gorman and Andrew Osmond.
George’s winning run looks set to continue at the Bulldogs season presentation where he is not surprisingly a high chance of taking out the club best and fairest, Frogmorepark Cup gong as well.
The presentation evening will be held at the Courthouse Hotel on Saturday, September 20 at 6.30pm .