Ah McRae, you’ve done it again! Ross wins Saigon’s Rick Trewavas Clubman of the Year Medal.

Nick Shiells delivers the Rick Trewavas Clubman of the Year Medal in Saigon.

Captain, Luke “Dukes” Creamer, who is based in Saigon, awarded the Captain’s Award and the Most Improved Player’s Award for Saigon.

Rick Trewavas Clubman of the Year Medal (Saigon), to Ross McRae. By Saigon President, Nick Shiells

Congratulations to Ross McRae for taking out the prestigious Rick Trewavas Medal (Saigon) at the Vietnam Swans 2012 Awards Ceremony last Sunday.

Previously this award was known as, simply, the Clubman of the Year award.  However in recognition to the significant contribution of Rick Trewavas to our special Club, the prestige of the award has been elevated by naming it after Rick. Ross is the inaugural winner of this award from the Saigon contingent.  Well done, mate.

Ross’s contributions on and off the field are immense.  On the field he is a solid defender, although it’s not always pretty, he gets the ball out of the backline when it matters.  Ross has also been a huge help to me personally, on the field, during the year with his efforts that allowed us to get some initial momentum behind the morning running squads (Monday Wednesday and Friday’s from 5:30am).

These morning training sessions began with Ross and me in the lead up to the ANZAC Friendship Match and the rest is Mega Bretta history.  And that is Mega Awesome.  Ross gets it: fitness wins Asian footy.

Most of the support for Ross to win the Rick Trewavas medal came from the obvious.  The tonnes and tonnes of never ending work he puts into the Swannies’ graphic design department is where he is so truly talented.  Ross makes us look good, and looking good when you’re a small Asian footy club trying to do big things is huge. He is also recognised as being a smart guy and helps out heaps during committee meetings with insight and ideas that help to shape our Club.

My own favourite initiative of Ross is his efforts with Supercoach.  Ross has managed to leverage Supercoach to connect Swannies who are in the trenches ‘on field’, with Swannies who are running companies and sit on the committee ‘off field’ and the Swannies that have moved on to greener pastures whether back in Australia or further abroad ‘past players’.

Ross, mate, you are a seriously awesome Swannie. Well done!

Mr Powell, livin’ the footy dream in Vietnam picks up the Captain’s Award for Saigon.

Ross McRae polled 32 per cent of the votes in Saigon and was followed by Kyle Hackenberg with 23 per cent and Dave O’Shae with 19 per cent.  Other deserving nominees were Captain Luke Creamer, Heath Ellis, Mark Stennett, and National Treasurer Rowan Luke, all of whom have made their mark on the best Club in the world.

Go You Swannies!

Captain’s Award: Mr Powell (Paul Koch). By Captain Luke “Dukes” Creamer

Mr Powell’s commitment to the Swannies is unquestioned. He attends almost every training session, regardless of having had large nights out at various esteemed venues around town that put us youngens to shame. He battles away week in week out for the Reds (in Saigon’s fortnightly competition between the Reds and the Whites) and plays his heart out at all times. He is the first one signed up to tour and epitomises all that a true Swannie represents.

Dirty Brian Farrell wins Saigon’s Most Improved Player.

Most Improved (Saigon): Brian “Dirty Brian” Farrell. By Captain Luke “Dukes” Creamer

Throughout this year, the Irishman has come along in leaps and bounds. He has proven to be a key member of the Reds (Saigon’s internal competition), Swannies and Saigon Gaels (Gaelic football) touring for both clubs on all tours. He has rarely missed a session and has a hunger for the contest. He loves the rough stuff and never gives up.

Throughout the year, he has also pushed to improve his understanding of both the game of AFL and his skill level. He has done so well at this that he has forced his way into the Reds (“A”) side at the Indochina Cup and was a key player at the Asian Champs in Thailand.

Brian you should be very proud of your achievements this year.