By Jonty Ralphsmith
Dandenong Stingrays captain Cooper Hynes has come second in the Morrish Medal, awarded to the best and fairest player in the Coates Talent League.
Hynes polled 19 votes at the count on Wednesday night, trailing only Gippsland midfielder Xavier Lindsay, who won the boys medal with 21 votes.
It caps off a terrific season for Hynes, where he averaged 24 disposals and three tackles across 15 games for the Stingrays as a midfielder.
He also kicked 23 goals across his 15 games, highlighting his ability to go forward and punish teams on the scoreboard using his power and marking.
A strong preseason laid the foundation for a breakout season for the 190cm midfielder who some view as a first round prospect.
The consistency of his season was arguably his most impressive feat, with Hynes using his footy smarts to find ways to hurt teams in different ways, accumulating at least 16 disposals in every game he played.
Hynes was also named in the Coates League team of the year alongside midfielder-forward counterpart Harvey Langford, who finished equal-10th in the Morrish Medal with 11 votes.
Hynes was named in attack while Langford was named in the midfield.
The pair were played in tandem at the Stingrays throughout the year, with one often playing forward while the other was an enforcer in the midfield.
Langford’s power and overhead marking were features of his season, averaging 26 disposals and kicking 20 goals in his 15 games.
The team of the year selection caps off a tremendous year for Langford, after being selected in the AFL Academy and named as the joint-Larke Medalist as the best player of the under-18s national championships – boys.
Meanwhile, Zoe Besanko’s promising season was capped off by a team of the year selection and fifth-placing in the girls Morrish Medal count.
The key-position player finished fifth on 17 votes – eight votes behind winner, Ash Centra from Gippsland Power.
Besanko was also named in the under-18s All Australian team, underlining her strong national carnival.
For the Stingrays, she averaged 12 disposals, four tackles and 14 hitouts and also kicked 10 goals across 15 games, highlighted by a 19 disposal game in round three where she had six shots on goal.
Clean midfielder/forward Jemma Reynolds was also named in the Coates League team of the year, and averaged a squad-high 23 disposals for the Rays.
Meanwhile, the Rays have also confirmed their under-15 V/Line Cup Squad, which will compete in a three-day carnival in Ballarat this week.
Players listed below.
Division 1 Boys: Cooper Bell (Narre North Foxes), Will Bellinger (Officer), Ryder Donald (Langwarrin), Cooper Tisdale (Seaford), Max Fawcett (Balnarring), Deagan Oakley (Tyabb), Zac Hamer (Mornington), Ethan Wood (Devon Meadows), Archer McCarthy (Edithvale-Aspendale), Hayden Lane (Mornington), Chester Harrison (Mt Eliza), Aidan Murphy (Narre North Foxes), James Goerlitz (Narre North Foxes), Jaie Bedson (Frankston Dolphins), Joel Taylor (Mount Eliza), Caiden Styles (Mornington), River Lonie (Frankston Dolphins), Tom DeMattia (Edithvale-Aspendale), Henry Squire (Sorrento), Jayden Gourley (Devon Meadows), Hamish Barren (Mornington), Gus Morey (Berwick), Harvey Egan (Berwick)
Division 2 boys: Patrick Hose (South Mornington), Brodie Oost (Berwick), Blake Russell (Berwick), Chase Parsons (Langwarrin), Sam Field (Crib Point), Billy Watson (South Mornington), Eric Michel (Carrum Patterson Lakes), Riley Johnston (Berwick), Alex Casson (Tyabb), George Hick (Balnarring), Ryan King (Narre North Foxes), Zye Bergles-Brown (Officer), Lewcas Gillett (Rosebud), Lenny Mepstead (Langwarrin), Alex Stevens (Mount Eliza), Brodie McMillan (Frankston Dolphins), James Cassar (Langwarrin), Evan Dennis (Mornington), Ben Vandermeer (Frankston Dolphins), Ryda Zerha-Doherty (Tyabb), Lachlan French (Mornington), Darcy Still (Mount Martha), Lachie Neeson (South Mornington)
Girls: Charlee Smith (Rye Sorrento), Ciena O’Flaherty (Narre North Foxes), Darcey Maas (Berwick Springs), Ella Pesic (Westernport), Harli Lennon (Carrum Patterson Lakes), Poppy Seers (Frankston Dolphins), Maya Gillespie (Narre North Foxes), Indiana Busuttil (Chelsea), Olivia Bloink (Frankston YCW), Grace Forster (Mount Martha), Amber Cilliers (Balnarring), Mikayla Jane-Peters (Karingal Bulls), Lilly Brittain (Narre North Foxes), Tilly Boadle (Mount Martha, Shelby McCutcheon (Berwick), Jemma Ingram (Balnarring), Paylen Cargill (Cranbourne), Lilini Wijeratne (Westernport), Charli Watson (Crib Point), Zali Thomas (Seaford), Ella Bologa (Narre North Foxes), Shiloh Little (Narre North Foxes), Marlee Read (Rye Sorrento)
