Sport

Benalla Saints crown their best from season 2025

By Contributed

Oct 21, 2025

Senior football award winners Will O’Donoghue, Nathan Wright, Ryley Ely, Chris Welsh, Nicholas Warnock and Mark Marriott.

Benalla Saints crowned their star performers from the 2025 Goulburn Valley League football and netball seasons recently at the club’s best and fairest awards evening.

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Ruckman Mark Marriott took out the John Martiniello Medal as the senior football best and fairest after a stunning season that also saw him place in the top five in the GVL’s Morrison Medal count, while Bridget Hill received the top gong in the A-grade netball, the Robyn Smith Medal, having been a shining light on the court throughout 2025.

In the reserves football, Jack Frampton was named best and fairest following a brilliant year that saw him named the GVL’s reserves MVP, as voted by opposition coaches, a feat matched by Xavier Wapling in the under-18 football, adding the Saints’ best and fairest to his trophy cabinet alongside the GVL MVP award.

Milly Evans, Olivia Dalton, Gemma Mathieson and Bridget Hill all took out awards in A-grade.

Claire Marriott won the B-grade netball best and fairest having enjoyed a stellar year on court, also named the ‘Player’s Player’ award winner, while Madelyn King took out the best and fairest for B-reserve.

In the junior netball, Georgia Levy reigned supreme in the under-17s, named best and fairest ahead of Heidi O’Halloran, while Darcey Carracher took out both the best and fairest and the ‘Player’s Player’ awards for the under-15s.

The brand new Benalla Saints life membership inductees.

Six club stalwarts were bestowed life membership, too, with Adam Levy, Adam Binion, James Dalton, Geoff Hill, Daniel Symes and Terry Blackburn all inducted into the life membership club.

Remi Holmes and Darcy Lindsay received the Alby Hales Junior Club Person Award, presented by Alby’s daughter, Mary-Ann Jolly.

Mick Stilo, the president of the Past Players Association, was named the 2025 Murray Smith Best Club Person, Tom O’Brien was presented with the Brett Cooper Memorial Award for Courage, while Remi Holmes and Darcy Lindsay each received the Alby Hales Junior Club Person Award.

Tom O’Brien was presented with the Brett Cooper Memorial Award for Courage by Brooke Robertson.

Liz Robertson, Gail Harper, Jenny Harris, Petra Poole, Vicky Martiniello, Kerry Brennan and Ruth Craig were all also recognised on the night for their tireless volunteer work in the canteen throughout the season.