George Stevens wins 2023 GWV Rebels' best and fairest

The AFL draft prospect won the Adam Goodes Medal on Thursday, September 28 from fellow Hampden league talent Luamon Lual and Horsham Saints' Joel Freijah who tied for second.

It capped off a stunning week for the teenager who won a senior premiership with home club South Warrnambool on Saturday.

Rebels coach David Loader said Stevens' consistency was a standout trait as the captain dominated in the midfield, averaging 28.8 disposals in the statewide Coates Talent League.

"Once he got into his groove after the first few rounds, he was just so good," he told The Standard.

"He just played well every week. At one stage, seven weeks in a row he polled votes.

"He's got an innate ability to find the ball and he never ever really plays badly whereas so many people are up and down.

"George is not like that. A good game for George can be 35 touches and a goal...a poorer game for George is probably 25 which is still a bloody good game."

Loader said Stevens worked hard to "change the way he played around stoppages" in his top-age season.

"George had always been a protector of a stoppage but he got a bit more aggressive with coming out the front of the stoppage and using the ball," he said.

"He got out the front to hit-up a leading forward which he was able to do."

Fellow draft prospect Lual, who played in South Warrnambool's under 18.5 grand final side, was another player who added to his repertoire and "became a weapon for our team".

"He was a little bit quieter at the end. He was really terrific early on and into his national carnivals," Loader said.

"Again, he just changed his game. Last year he was a great lock-down defender close to goal and was really, really good one-on-one and we spoke at the end of the season about opening his game up and becoming more aggressive off half-back and breaking the lines.

"We brought him up into the midfield too. He had a month playing in the midfield and he actually polled votes three out of his four games. It shows he has a bit more scope to play different roles."

Penshurst's Jessica Rentsch finished third in the girls' vote count from winner Molly Walton and runner-up Millie Lang.

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