Harper Sercombe
Wyndhamvale’s Chloe Muus has taken out the women’s Western Region Football League division 2 best and fairest award.
Muus won with 22 votes, only one above West Footscray’s Roxana Sefton who came second. Spotswood’s Isabel Choate came third polling 16 votes.
This is Muus second league best and fairest after winning the award in 2021, in her first season on football at the Rovers. Muus had previously played football while completing Year 11 and 12 in Mildura.
Last season while living in Western Australia she continued playing the game she loves for Baldivis in the Perth Football League.
Upon her return to the WRFL and Wyndhamvale, Muus said she wasn’t expecting to have the impact that she did.
“I didn’t really think I was a sniff this year,” she said.
“Didn’t think I was going to win anything, so it was a good surprise.”
When Muus first won the award in 2021, the Rovers finished on the bottom of the ladder without winning a game. This season, they were runners up in division 2, coming just two points away from premiership glory.
“Obviously, everyone prefers a team win but sometimes individual awards are nice,” she said.
“It was nice this year to win it and for us to be successful, just not completely successful.
“[The improvement in the team has] been massive, when I came back this year and saw the development.
“There were a fair few new girls who have fit right in, but the growth of the girls who have been there since the start [has been massive].
“Some of those girls had never played before that first season [in 2021] and to see how far they’ve come now is awesome.
“Every year we’re getting more new girls coming down, some that have played before and some haven’t.
“So it’s good to see the talent growing so much.”
With another year under the teams’ belt, the next step is obvious for the Rovers, to win the premiership.
“That’s the goal next year,” Muus said.
“But every club is developing at the same time too, so although I think we’re definitely well placed for next year, we’ve got a good group and another 12 months of building, so does everyone else.
“So I definitely wouldn’t rule Laverton out, they’ve been really great, they’re like us, they’ve come a long way from where they started.
“So I don’t think it’s going to be a walk in the park next year.
“It’ll definitely be a hard fought year, but [a premiership] is definitely the goal for next year and we’ve definitely got the group that will be able to do it.”
In other results, the division 1 best and fairest was awarded to Spotswood’s Molly Althouse for her incredible season.
Althouse was a clear standout in the division polling 25 votes.
Parkside Spurs’ Rita Ceravolo and Werribee Centrals’ Jessica Spall tied for second place on 19 votes. While Caroline Springs’ Caitlin Pretty was fourth on 18 votes.
