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George Illawarra halfback Mathew Head has
won the prestigious 2004 Integral Energy Dragons
Medal at a formal presentation at the WIN
Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, tonight.
The
22-year-old Dapto junior, who transformed
himself from a Premier League player last
season to an NRL regular in 2004, won the
club’s NRL “player of the year”
award ahead of final nominees Ben Hornby (2003
winner), Matt Cooper and Reece Simmonds.
The
Medal – won previously by Hornby, Shaun
Timmins (2002), Jason Ryles (2001), Trent
Barrett (2000) and Jamie Ainscough (1999)
- is determined by a mixed criteria including
a voting system involving the first grade
players and coaching staff, and qualitative
factors taken into account by the club.
Head
was the club’s leading NRL point scorer
with 119 points, scoring five tries, 49 goals
and one field goal in his 23 of a possible
25 NRL matches.
Winger
and Dragons Medal finalist Reece Simmonds,
24, who had an outstanding season scoring
14 tries in 23 games, was awarded the 2004
Geoff Selby Memorial NRL Coaches Award, determined
by the first grade coaching staff. This award
was won last year by Cooper, also a 2004 Dragons
Medal finalist.
Cooper,
25, was again honoured, winning the 2004 Red
V Members Player of the Year, voted by the
Dragons supporters. The award capped an incredible
season for the Shellharbour junior who earned
Kangaroo and NSW Origin honours for the first
time, as well as being the club’s leading
try-scorer (17 tries in 23 games) and gaining
a club record for most tries in a match (four)
which he shares with Mark Gasnier. Luke Bailey
won this award in 2003.
Fullback
Clint Greenshields, 22, who made his NRL and
NSW Residents debuts this season, won the
2004 Mark Coyne Award for Premier League Player
of the Year. He played three NRL games and
22 Premier League matches and was second top
try-scorer (17) in Premier League.
NRL
rookie Justin Poore, predominantly a Jersey
Flegg player in 2003, won the Paul McGregor
Award for Most Outstanding Player Achievement.
The 19-year-old Helensburgh junior played
20 NRL games in his inaugural first grade
season. Dean Young was the 2003 winner.
2004
DRAGONS AWARD WINNERS:
Mathew
Head Integral Energy Dragons Medal (other
nominations were Ben Hornby, Matt Cooper and
Reece Simmonds)
Reece
Simmonds Geoff Selby Memorial NRL Coaches
Award
Matt
Cooper Red V Members Player of the Year
Clint
Greenshields Mark Coyne Award – Premier
League Player of the Year
Justin
Poore Paul McGregor Award – Most Outstanding
Player Achievement
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