We have come a long way with our league’s online coverage.
Three decades ago, our GDFNL president and vice presidents were considering allocating funds towards a league website.
In season 2027, we will continue to go above and beyond thanks to our digital partners Adcell/Red Onion and Premier Data.
Over the off-season, our priority is to update our archives!
Take a look at our ten oldest league best and fairest winners:
=10. Trevor Potter — Belmont (1980)
33 years
Trevor Potter claimed the league's leading individual honour in 1980 while representing Belmont, polling 26 votes at the age of 33.
Potter was considered one of local football’s greatest ruckmen, having previously played for Anglesea and St Mary’s since moving to Geelong from Camperdown.
His victory came during the second season following the formation of the separate Geelong Football League in 1979.
Like Daryl ‘Sid’ Jones and Andy Challis’ victories years’ later, Potter’s victory was a relief following numerous runner up placings in the 1970s.
Anakie legend Noel Hooper finished runner up with 21 votes while Bannockburn defender Craig Blackman finished third with 20.
=10. Joe Tucker — Geelong West C&FC (1946)
33 years
Representing Geelong West Cricket and Football Club, Tucker won the competition's leading individual honour at the age of 33.
The 1946 season marked the introduction of the Evelyn Hurst Cup, named in recognition of former league president Evelyn J. Hurst, who had died the previous year.
Tucker's success therefore came during the early years of the reorganised post-war competition.
Although his precise age and vote tally remain to be confirmed, Tucker is among the oldest recorded winners and represents an important chapter in Geelong West's football history.
Other Cheetahs to win league best and fairests include Geoff Harriott (1951) and teenager Barry Eddy (1971).
8. Dylan Witney — Bell Post Hill (2021)
33 years, 60 days
Dylan Witney added his name to the Neville Whitley Medal honour roll in 2021, sharing the award with Bannockburn's Jack Brauman.
Witney was 33 years and 60 days old when he received the honour, making him the eigth-oldest recorded winner.
Both Witney and Brauman finished with 12 votes in a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Witney's Bell Post Hill teammate Boe Collins polled 17 votes but was ineligible to receive the award.
Interestingly, he had two club best and fairests to his name at this point in his career. He has since added another two at Great Western (2024) and Bell Post Hill (2025) at age 35 and 36 respectively.
Witney's success continued Bell Post Hill's strong record in the medal, following earlier victories by Stuart Beynon, Shaun Lewis, Shane Tobin and Matthew James.
7. Gordon Hynes — North Shore (1978)
33 years 298 days
The GDFNL would like to send our best wishes to North Geelong and North Shore legend Gordon Hynes who recently turned 82!
While we all remember his 1963 VFL premiership with Geelong and his six premierships and seven club best and fairests at North Shore, he also won a league medal!
Hynes won the league's leading individual award in 1978 while representing North Shore, polling 23 votes.
Admittedly, he polled the same amount of votes as Grovedale ruckman Peter Mann.
And, strangely, neither of them were in attendance at the Aberdeen Chateau that night.
His achievement came during the final season before a major restructuring of senior football in the Geelong region.
6. Alan Woodman — Bannockburn (1989)
34 years
Alan Woodman's 1989 medal victory stands among the most significant achievements of the competition's divisional era.
Representing Bannockburn, Woodman won the Division Two medal at the age of 34.
This was the same night Geoff Ballars (Anakie) won the Division One medal.
Unfortunately, we are unable to find the date of the presentation.
Woodman's had already won a Division Two GDFL medal, during a previous stint with Bannockburn in 1974 as a teenager.
Despite playing for a number of clubs after his VFL career for Geelong, he is still considered to be one of Bannockburn's greatest players.
5. Haami Williams — Belmont Lions (2007)
34 years, 172 days
Haami Williams became one of the oldest Neville Whitley Medal winners when he claimed the award in 2007 while playing for Belmont Lions.
At 34 years and 172 days, Williams polled 20 votes to finish ahead of Bannockburn's Aaron Broom (19) and Inverleigh legend Clayton Trotter (18).
Ironically, he was never going to play that year!
Williams, already a premiership hero of Sunbury, Geelong Amateur and South Barwon, declined Belmont Lions' offer due to his work opportunity in Mildura.
When the GDFNL made a decision to shorten the season due to the 2006/07 drought, he was then able to serve the club.
Though he only polled 20 votes, he went on to become the only man this millennium to win a premiership and Whitley medal in the same season.
He remained involved in football in 2026, coaching Geelong Amateur to an AFL Barwon Women's Division 1 premiership title.
4. Lucas Murphy — East Geelong (2011)
34 years, 220 days
Lucas Murphy drove to his first East Geelong game worried he wouldn't be able to deliver for his new club due to ongoing hamstring problems.
He instead managed to kick eight goals against arch-rival Thomson and by season's end became the league's fourth oldest Whitley Medal winner.
Aged 34 years and 220 days, Murphy polled 24 votes to claim the honour.
His victory followed that of teammate Ryan Coy, who had won the medal in 2010 with an identical tally of 24 votes.
The consecutive victories gave East Geelong a notable place in the medal's modern history.
However Murphy's triumph was one of persistence after stints with Mitcham (1995-05), South Croydon (2006-07) and Barwon Heads (2008-10).
Need we mention his 106 goals that home and away season?
For the first time in 25 years, the Whitley medal was moved to the forward line.
3. Shane Tobin — Bell Post Hill (2013)
35 years, 171 days
Bell Post Hill's Shane Tobin entered the history books in 2013 when he won the Neville Whitley Medal at 35 years and 171 days.
Tobin polled 24 votes to claim the individual honour, becoming one of the oldest players to win the award.
As a teenager, he was considered to be one of Australia's top baseball prospects ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He admits almost two decades later that he wasn't expecting to win as the spotlight was on his teammate Dylan Witney and North Geelong captain Derek Fitzsimmons.
East Geelong ball winner Andrew Challis finished runner up with 21 votes.
2. Reece Holwell — Thomson (2019)
35 years, 211 days
Reece Holwell became one of the oldest Neville Whitley Medal winners when he claimed the award for Thomson in 2019.
Aged 35 years and 211 days, Holwell polled 25 votes to secure the league's highest individual honour.
He entered the season having finished runner up in the previous two vote counts to Inverleigh's Jak Kennedy-Hunt (2017) and Bell Post Hill's Matt James (2018).
Holwell continued to play until the age of 39, finishing his career with four senior premierships and club best and fairest wins as a player across four clubs.
1. Daryl 'Sid' Jones — North Geelong (1998)
36 years, 114 days
Daryl Jones heads the list as the oldest recorded winner of the competition's leading individual honour, having claimed the 1998 Neville Whitley Medal at 36 years and 114 days.
Representing North Geelong, Jones polled 24 votes to secure his second medal, four years after his first triumph in 1994.
His earlier success came at the age of 32 years and 116 days, when he polled 22 votes, after finishing runner up in both 1992 and 1993 as well as 5th in 1991.
The four-year gap between victories makes his achievement particularly noteworthy.
Jones finished his career with three senior premierships for North Geelong (1990, 1992-93) and five club best and fairests including two for Corio.
Ultimately, he has both the North Geelong senior best and fairest medal and the GDFNL Interleague medal named after him.
And he continues to play Masters Football regularly, even ahead of his 65th birthday next month.
Now I (Alex Tigani) need your help!
Let us know if you have the age, date of birth or can help us with information on any of our best and fairest winners from 1926-2026?
Click this link - Whitley Medal winners
