Albion midfielder Caleb McPherson has won the Western Football Netball League's Barry Priest Medal, polling 25 votes to take out the TIV Division 1 Senior Men's Best and Fairest at the league's 2026 Senior Awards Night.
McPherson finished two votes clear of Caroline Springs' Cooper Pepi, who led for much of the season before McPherson closed the gap with a strong finish over the final two rounds, according to local reporting.
The awards were presented at the Encore Events Centre on Friday, October 2, with honours handed out across the league's football and netball competitions at both senior and junior level.
Parkside's Zach Morris had a big night of his own, winning the Andrew Gibson Medal as the league's leading goalkicker in Division 1 with 85 goals and also taking out the league MVP award.
In Division 2, North Footscray captain Adam Petridis won the Alan Smith Medal as the competition's best and fairest with 20 votes.
The Senior Women's Best and Fairest in the St Vincent's Private Hospital Werribee competition was shared by Parkside Spurs teammates Rita Ceravolo and Taquila Angel, who each finished on 24 votes.
Werribee Districts' Hayley Cran took out the Belgravia Apparel Division 1 Netball Best and Fairest with 16 votes, the second time she has won the award in four seasons.
Werribee Districts also featured in the reserves grade, where Shaun McGuinness and Tyson Diczku shared the TIV Division 1 Reserves Best and Fairest on 19 votes apiece.
Sunshine's Adrian Bacarella won the Division 1 Under 18s Best and Fairest with 27 votes, while Manor Lakes' Jean Bezzene took out the Thirds award with 19 votes.
Coaches and club awards
Albion's Blake Richards was named Senior Coach of the Year, and Suns coach Leanne Meyer took out the Female Coach of the Year award. Caroline Springs' Low Ben was named Netball Coach of the Year.
Newport's Harry Gardner-Solomon and West Footscray's Layla Dawkins were named the league's Rookies of the Year in the men's and women's competitions, while Point Cook Centrals' Paige Hunter was named Netball Rookie of the Year after also sharing the Division 2 Netball Best and Fairest with Sunshine's Loia Tuafafo on 12 votes each.
Altona's John Ryan received the Unsung Hero award, and Spotswood's Tony and Rowena Schibeci were jointly named Club Official of the Year, winning the Lindsay Patching Award. Point Cook Centrals' Kelly Van Blommestein was named Netball Coordinator of the Year.
Umpiring honours
Arron Knezevic was named Field Umpire of the Year, Jake Gorman took out Goal Umpire of the Year and Joseph White won the Boundary Umpire award. Amelie Prentice was named Netball Umpire of the Year, and Chelsea Lockwood received the Netball Rising Star Umpire award.
The WFNL is a semi-professional Australian rules football and netball competition based in Melbourne's western suburbs. It began in 1931 as the Footscray District Football League before adopting its current name in early 2024.