Gold Coast SUNS midfielder Michael Rischitelli has been crowned the 2015 Alto Cucina & Bar Fans Player of the Year winner following his ultra-consistent season at Metricon Stadium.
The experienced onballer produced his best season since crossing from local rivals, Brisbane, ahead of the SUNS inaugural year in 2011. Rischitelli polled 288 votes to beat home second-year defender Kade Kolodjashnij (231) and best and fairest winner Tom Lynch (199).
Rookie revelation, Adam Saad, burst onto the scene this year and immediately emerged as a favourite amongst the fans, with his exciting dashes out of defence and penetrating left foot captivating supporters around the country. The 21-year-old finished in fourth position on 192 votes, ahead of Charlie Dixon who rounded out the top five on 141 votes.
Rischitelli led from start to finish in the Fans Player of the Year prize, with Saad posing his biggest threat early in the season, before Kolodjashnij joined the hunt after the midway point of the year. A handful of dominant performances in the second half of the season saw Lynch storm home in the closing stages of the year to finish on the podium.
In a year where Gold Coast lost not only their best four midfielders, but also a wealth of leadership and experience in the form of Gary Ablett, David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara, Rischitelli filled the leadership void and performed the role admirably in adverse circumstances.
Along with his on-field guidance and presence for the young crop of players, Rischitelli averaged 22.4 possessions from 21 appearances, as well as six tackles and 5.4 clearances per outing. The former Brisbane best and fairest winner’s best performances for the year came against St Kilda (round two), Geelong (round three), Fremantle (round 11) and North Melbourne (round 14).
In only his second season at the highest level, Kolodjashnij proved to be one of the most consistent players for Rodney Eade in 2015. The Tasmanian also finished runner up in the SUNS Club Champion award, averaging 22.3 disposals at an efficiency rate of 75.1 per cent, to go with 5.6 marks and 4.5 rebound 50s.
Kolodjashnij’s consistency across the entire campaign saw him remain in contention for the Fans Player of the Year award all year, with the 20-year-old polling in 16 of 22 games in the best and fairest to emphasise his elite consistency.
After finishing runner up in the 2014 Club Champion, Lynch went one better earlier this month to cap off a stellar season by the spearhead. The Victorian booted 43.33 and averaged 6.7 marks and 14.7 possessions per outing in a dominant year that also saw him finish third in the Fans Player of the Year award.
GC SUNS Fans Player of the Year Top 10
Rischitelli claims Fans Player of the Year
Michael Rischitelli has been crowned the 2015 Alto Cucina & Bar Fans Player of the Year winner following his ultra-consistent season at Metricon Stadium.
