Harper Sercombe
Parkside’s Shaun Campbell’s blistering season has been recognised with his third consecutive Alan Smith Medal for the Western Region Football League’s division 2 best and fairest.
This tops off a great season for the Magpies’ veteran skipper, to go alongside a premiership, best on ground in the grand final, and the team of the year centre half back.
“Being in a premiership year makes it all the better,” Campbell said.
“I’m really, really happy with it, but probably more happy with the premiership, to be honest.
“I don’t think [you could ask for a better football year], it’s never happened in my 18 years of playing and probably won’t happen again.”
The 34-year-old is one of the most dominant and versatile players within the competition, being named as a midfielder in the previous two season’s team of the year, all while being the division’s highest goal scorer in 2021.
“I think I’m just a bit of a footy nuff in general, I love playing, I love the challenge of playing and get up for it every week,” he said.
“I’ve obviously got some good players around me… and [coach] Chris [Muratore] lets me have a bit of a run around anywhere which is good fun, so that keeps me fresh.
“And also help the body out a bit as well.”
On grand final day in particular Campbell was massive, dominating wherever his coach Chris Muratore put him, from full back, into the middle and even kicking a long range goal during the second term.
However, Campbell’s grand final was best summed up by his last minute heroics, booting a torpedo punt from a full back kick in, leading to Jye Lambley’s goal putting the Magpies up with just seconds remaining.
“It was good to be able to show up on grand final day and get the reward,” Campbell said.
“I thought we were pretty much cooked.
“I started walking back towards the bench and I just sort of looked at Fluff (Muratore) and shrugged my shoulders.
“[Muratore] said ‘if he misses this which he’s every chance to just grab the ball and barrel it down the middle’.
“So, he missed and I went down there, grabbed the ball and just barrelled it down the middle.
“[Pupillo] received that and he turned around and kicked it to avantage and Jye [Lambley] jumped on it and I haven’t seen anything like the kick.
“It just kept rolling and rolling, went through and that was that, we won it, it was wild.”
Campbell was one of five Magpies in the division 2 team of the year, with Jonah Vraca, Lachlan Langwell, Jackson Barrett and John Atar joining him in the side.
In other awards, the Ron and Thelma Angwin Medal given to the division 3 best and fairest was given to Daniel Hovey of the Suns, for his incredible season kicking 113 goals in a premiership year.
Kobe Cikala from the Yarraville Seddon Eagles was the men’s rookie of the year.
