A young Frankston star will be hoping he can continue one of footy’s great streaks this off-season after claiming the award for the VFL’s best young player.

Dolphins midfielder Tom Blamires on Monday night was recognised for his outstanding first season with the club, winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most promising player in the VFL aged 24 or under.

In a remarkable streak, the past 18 consecutive Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winners have been drafted onto an AFL list. Some of those players include Michael Barlow, Michael Hibberd, Kane Lambert, Nic Newman, Luke Ryan, Bayley Fritsch and, most recently, Sam Davidson.

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And Blamires will be in the draft mix come November after a strong 2025 campaign, playing all 21 games for the Dolphins and averaging 24.5 disposals, 4.1 tackles and 2.5 clearances per match.

Blamires, who works in Collingwood’s commercial hospitality division, beat Fergus McFadyen (Brisbane Lions), Tobyn Murray (Geelong Cats), Massimo Raso (Richmond) and Harry Scott (Richmond) for the award. Small forward Raso, who was in the mid-season draft mix in May, is also considered a draft chance.

Tom Blamires of the Frankston Dolphins poses after winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Rising Star Medal. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Blamires was also named on the half-back flank in the VFL Team of the Year — a side captained by Southport star Jacob Dawson, who won the VFL Coaches’ MVP for the second time in four years then became the first Southport Shark to win the coveted JJ Liston Trophy.

Dawson, who played nine games in three seasons for Gold Coast, polled 28 votes — including eight three-vote performances — to pip fellow ex-AFL player Ryley Bonner (Casey Demons) by five votes.

Werribee’s Dom Brew — who trained with the Western Bulldogs last summer but was ultimately overlooked as an SSP pick — finished third, while Deven Robertson (Brisbane Lions) and Henry Hustwaite (Box Hill Hawks) rounded out the top five.

Dawson, 25, has averaged 34.5 disposals, 16.5 contested possessions, 9.3 clearances and 5.6 marks from his 19 matches so far. He’ll lead Southport in the VFL grand final against Footscray on Sunday — the club’s third decider in four seasons.

“I thought I was a chance,’’ Dawson told CODE Sports after the count.

“I’ve come to a few of these nights with people saying I was a chance and I haven’t gone all the way, so it’s nice. But the ultimate reward is this weekend.’’

Ange Gogos of the Darebin Falcons, winner of the 2025 Lambert-Pearce Medal for the VFLW Best and Fairest and Jacob Dawson of the Southport Sharks, winner of the 2025 JJ Liston Trophy for the VFL Best and Fairest. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Darebin Falcons star Ange Gogos — an AFLW premiership player with the Western Bulldogs in 2018 — took out the VFLW’s highest individual honour, claiming the Lambert-Pearce Medal as the competition’s best and fairest player. Like Dawson, Gogos claimed the competition’s Coaches MVP award for the second successive season, but this time she shared it with Williamstown’s Emily Eaves.

In the west, former Cats and Suns midfielder Charlie Constable won a thrilling Sandover Medal count to claim the WAFL’s top honour.

Constable, who averaged 31.7 disposals for Perth this season, polled 29 votes to finish two clear of ex-Saint and Tiger Matthew Parker.

East Fremantle’s Milan Murdock, who was in the AFL mid-season draft mix a few months back, ended the count in third position, with South Fremantle’s Tom Blenchynden and East Perth duo Hamish Brayshaw and Tom North rounding out the top five.

“It means a lot, I’m obviously pretty proud of the season I had,” Constable said.

“In the second half of the year, I definitely had a lot more attention and I had to find a way through but overall I’m proud of the season, both individually and as a club.”