Tuncurry Forster Football Club held its 2016 senior presentation on Saturday night, with around 150 people in attendance at the Bellevue Hotel.
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The club was fortunate enough to have in attendance former Tiger, current Paralympic 800M athletics gold medallist and world record holder, James Turner.
James spoke of his time as a TFFC junior, his 25 caps for the Pararoos (Australia’s Paralympic football side), and his experiences at the recent Rio Paralympics.
His words were inspirational for all in attendance, especially as he spoke about the "need to focus on the process, not just the result”.
This season’s perpetual award winners were Paula Drew (club person of the year), Ricky Wilson (Terry “Pogo” Rose commitment to football), Aaron Cassar (John Dinkleman most improved senior player), Brent Gilmour (Max Fletcher sportsmanship), and Peter Goonan (Anna and Mauro Ragno most valuable team member).
In the under 18s the coaches award went to Drew Billinghurst (18 gold) and Jack McDonagh (18 black), most improved to Matt Moulder (18 gold ) and David Rowe (18 black), and players’ player to Jarrod Ragno (18s gold) and Hayden Amato (18s black).
Next up were the tigerettes, with Sami Dunk claiming the golden boot, Brooke Dormor the coach’s award and Megan Couper as players’ player.
The over 35s saw Roberto Rodriguez win the golden boot, Chris Ekins the players’ player and Dean Little was awarded the prestigious Old Fella Award.
The Tigers’ men’s southern league side saw Brad Borg bagged the golden boot, Steve Howard the coach’s award and Kurt Riddell learnt the accolades of his team-mates in winning players’ player.
TFFC’s premier league squad was up last, with Daniel Barry earning the reserve grade golden boot and players’ player, with Paul Elliott winning the coach’s award.
In first grade, Jack Yeates once again topped the scoring to win golden boot in a close tussle from Jake Camilleri, with Mitch Minors a deserving winner of the coach’s award, and Pete Goonan who had a stellar season winning the players’ player.
2016 has been a very successful season for the Tigers’ senior sides - the 18s black and the tigerettes were divisional premiers, both premier league squads finished second on the ladder (up from fourth in reserves and seventh in firsts in 2015), all were involved in finals football, with the premier league sides both making it to the grand final eliminator, 18s black and the tigerettes were grand finalists, with the tigerettes finishing as grand final champions for the women’s southern league.