The Victorian Amateur Football Association has named University Blues midfielder Jack Hayter and Beaumaris player Bella Koster as its Rising Star award winners for the 2026 season, the VAFA said on its website on Wednesday.
Both players were central to premiership wins for their clubs this year. Hayter was part of Uni Blues' first William Buck Premier Men's flag since 2019, while Koster helped Beaumaris claim its first-ever Premier B Women's premiership.
Hayter played 18 of a possible 20 games for Uni Blues as a front-line midfielder. He averaged 22 disposals a game, including 11 contested, along with six tackles, five clearances and four inside 50s, according to the VAFA.
His best game came in Round 13 against Old Haileybury, where he collected 35 disposals. He was also among the best players when the Big V's Under 19 side beat the Goulburn Valley League during the season.
Hayter was named the VAFA Men's Rising Star for Round 12 earlier in the year, ahead of Wednesday's season-ending announcement.
He is the third Uni Blues player to win the award, following Dan Nicholson in 2010 and teammate Mitch Lloyd, who took out the honour in 2025.
Koster polled coaches votes in nine of her 16 matches for Beaumaris in 2026 and finished second in the club's best and fairest count, the VAFA said.
She topped the vote count in the Premier B Women's League best and fairest award, in what was her first season of senior football.
Koster was named the VAFA Women's Rising Star for Round 6 earlier in the season, before being confirmed as the league's overall winner on Wednesday.
Her award is the first Rising Star win for Beaumaris in either its women's or men's programs, according to the VAFA.
The two awards cap a season in which both clubs broke new ground. Uni Blues ended a seven-year wait for a Premier Men's flag, while Beaumaris claimed its maiden Premier B Women's title.