Sale’s Ash Centra was last week a runaway winner of the AFL Talent League girls’ best-and-fairest award.
The Gippsland Power ball magnet polled 25 votes to finish five clear of Bendigo Pioneers midfielder Lucia Painter. Centra, who plays locally for Sale City, became the first Gippsland Power player to win the girls’ league best-and-fairest.
A two-time All Australian at under 18 level, Centra was Victoria Country’s most valuable player as a bottom-ager at the 2023 AFL National Championships and this year represented the Australia under 18 team as a member of the AFL National Academy Girls.
Centra began her 2024 campaign in red-hot form, collecting 47 disposals and kicking four goals in her first game of the season against the Murray Bushrangers and went on to have more than 30 disposals in six matches. Centra averaged 27.1 disposals, 4.3 marks, 4.2 clearances, 4.1 tackles and 1.5 goals per game during the 2024 Talent League season and featured in the umpires’ votes in 10 of her 12 matches.
Centra was also named on the forward line in the league team of the year.
Adding to the Power’s success, Leongatha’s Xavier Lindsay won the boys’ best-and-fairest award, the Morrish Medal, and was named in the team of the year alongside Power teammate Alixzander Tauru from Warragul.
