Nik Rokahr and Callan England Jointly Awarded Sandover Medal in WAFL

In a historic event, the Sandover Medal has been co-awarded for the first time since 2005, with Nik Rokahr from Swan Districts and Callan England from Claremont both securing the prestigious honor in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL).

Both players achieved a total of 19 votes, marking the lowest winning tally since the introduction of the 3-2-1 voting system in 1984. Rokahr excelled by polling in eight matches, including securing the best-on-ground title in four instances, while England garnered votes in nine games, attaining maximum votes in three.

England, a midfielder for Claremont, garnered his first votes in Round 6 and clinched three votes during the final match of the home and away season against Subiaco. Notably, Rokahr did not receive any votes as Swan Districts triumphed over Perth in Round 21.

As the voting concluded for the Sandover Medal, only three votes distinguished the top eight players on the leaderboard. Mitch Crowden from East Perth came third with 18 votes, having achieved maximum votes in Rounds 18, 19, and 21.

Rokahr, now 29 years old, joined Swan Districts this season from Norwood, a club in South Australia where he was part of a premiership-winning team in 2022. Last year, he was also the runner-up for the Magarey Medal.

Callan England, 25, has surpassed 100 matches with Claremont after beginning his journey with the Colts in 2016-2017. Additionally, he was drafted by the West Coast Eagles in the 2017 Rookie Draft.

The evening was a festive occasion for WA Football, combining both the Sandover Medal vote count and the WA Football Hall of Fame inductions. Notable inductees include East Fremantle dual premiership player Tony Buhagiar, Claremont premiership player Dale Kickett, and four-time All-Australian and Fremantle star Aaron Sandilands.

The West Australian Football Commission honored 18 deceased players from pre-1945, an umpire, and a media representative, as part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the WA Football Hall of Fame. This initiative recognizes the substantial contributions of these individuals in shaping Western Australian football.

Trevor Nisbett, former CEO of the West Coast Eagles, was awarded the esteemed WAFC Life Membership, which is regarded as WA Football’s highest honor.

During the awards ceremony, several other outstanding achievements were recognized, including Tyler Keitel from West Perth, who received the Bernie Naylor Medal as the WAFL’s leading goal kicker for the second consecutive year. Claremont midfielder Menno Inverarity was awarded the Prendergast Medal for the WAFL Reserves Fairest and Best player.