UNHEARLDED Moree hooker, Stan Swan, leads the WEG Group 4 Best and Fairest Award after five rounds of the 2021 first grade competition.
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The talented number nine has polled two major awards and continued his good form at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday afternoon where he garnered two points in the B&F despite playing in a beaten side.
Moree lost that clash with North Tamworth 34-16 but Swan was outstanding, a constant threat from dummy half.
"Yeah, he's been real good for us," Boars coach Ben Williams told Group 4 Media.
"Keeps putting in the big ones, probably the fittest I've seen him too.
"He gets out of dummy half well, has good speed and can defend. When he hits them they stay hit. He also goes the whole 80 minutes."
Swan is forming part of a 'dark horse' Boars outfit that has returned to the Group 4 competition for a number of years.
Largely unknown to the rest of the Group 4 comp they have been improving and combining well and sit fifth on the first grade ladder just two points out of the top four.
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Kootingal, North Tamworth and Narrabri are on top, equal on eight points, with Gunnedah, whom Moree play this Sunday, on six points, just a win ahead of Moree.
While Swan has been impressing so too is another new player to the competition, North Tamworth's Bailey Taylor.
The former Muswellbrook Ram has starred for the Bears and was rewarded with another good display with the three points in Saturday's win over the Boars.
He also kicked five goals in Saturday's success.
"It was a good, tough game," he said. "We made a lot of errors though."
He said his G4 career has "had a good start". "They are a good bunch of blokes, easy to play with."
While he was a fullback who had played a bit of halfback he is enjoying his "new" role at seven for the Bears especially with Scott Blanch at six beside him.
"He's great, takes control when he needs to and can step up," the 21-year-old plant mechanic with Hitachi said.
His three points elevated him to equal seventh on the B&F ladder with Bears teammate Daniel Kelly and Dungowan's Cody Byrne.
They have four points, four astern of Stan Swan.
Narrabri hooker Jacob Nichols also moved up the table with his fine display at Collins Park on Sunday. He scored a try and kicked two goals in the 30-24 win over Gunnedah.
Kootingal prop Chris Vidler polled his first points of the season with a dominant display in the middle for his Roosters in their 30-20 win over Dungowan at Dungowan and versatile Boggabri hooker/lock Matt Gillham picked up the three points in his side's 22-18 win over Werris Creek at Jubilee Oval, Boggabri on Saturday.
WEG Group 4 first grade best and fairest award after round five:
- 8: Stan Swan (Moree).
- 7: Dennis Gordon (Narrabri).
- 6: Ryley Mackay (Kootingal).
- 5: Cody Tickle (Werris Creek), Jacob Nichols (Narr), Aiden Davis (Gunnedah).
- 4: Cody Byrne (Dungowan), Daniel Kelly, Bailey Taylor (North Tamworth).
- 3: Sam Taylor, Chris Vidler (Kootingal), Isaiah Adams, Matt Gillham, Kaylan Murray (Boggabri), Daniel Jobson, Jake Rumsby (Narrabri), Brett Jarrett (Dungowan), Reece Jaeger, Zak Turnbull (Gunnedah), Livianai Tuicakau (North Tamworth), Marcus Doran (WC).
- 2: Zac Leonard, Harlee Millgate (Werris Creek), Nick White (Gunnedah), Brent McDonald, Hayden Wiblen, Ben Williams (Moree), Ryan Ingram, Mitch Sheridan (North Tamworth), Nick Millar (Bogg), Josh Kevill, Ben Williams (Koot), Nathan McGuire (Dun).
- 1: Kurt Hartmann (Koot), Ben Gardner, Dylan Lake (Gunn), Sam Sadler (Narr), Scott Blanch, James Cooper (NT), Eden Blewitt, Bailey Lennox (Bogg), Clay Frendin (Dun), Mick Watton (Moree), Bryce Daniels (WC).