Super Cronk
07-10-05, 11:16 AM
Brisbane prop Shane Webcke has joined champion halfback Allan Langer and current captain Darren Lockyer as only the third dual winner of the club's prestigious Player of the Year award.
Webcke, who stepped down from representative football this season to give the Broncos his best, also won the Paul Morgan medal in 2001.
Langer won it five times.
He was the inaugural winner in 1988 before owning the award between 1993-96.
Lockyer took the top individual prize in 2002 and 2003 before being moved from fullback to play five-eighth.
Despite another season battling knee and other injuries, Webcke polled 40 points to beat fellow front-rower and current Test prop Petero Civoniceva (30 points) with Lockyer third on 29 points.
Centre Justin Hodges, who returned to Brisbane from the Roosters this season, polled 25 points from the judges, which included players and a former international, and would have been higher except for a late season knee injury.
Webcke made another of his Lazarus-like injury comebacks from a strained medial ligament tear to play in the finals.
While the season ended in disappointment again after Brisbane was bundled out 34-6 by eventual premiers Wests Tigers, Webcke was one of the players who could hold his head high.
The big prop ground out more than 3,000 bruising metres in 25 games this year, taking his career tally for Brisbane to 227 games.
Civoniceva's runner-up placing confirmed Brisbane's problems were not so much up front as in the backline and in other key areas.
Civoniceva, who became a father again during the NRL finals, picked up a satisfying award at the club's 18th annual ball which was attended by the club's No.1 ticket holder, Lachlan Murdoch.
The Fijian-born forward claimed "Hit of the Year" for his crunching tackle on Newcastle's Origin forward Steve Simpson at Energy Australia Stadium.
Forward David Stagg's tackle to deny the Sharks' Kiwi international Nigel Vagana a try at Shark Park was declared the club's "Play of the Year".
Veteran utility Darren Smith and forward Corey Parker were both presented with 100-game awards while special presentations were made to Stu Kelly (retiring), Darren Mapp (Sharks-bound) and Neale Wyatt who is heading to France next year.
NRL.com
Webcke, who stepped down from representative football this season to give the Broncos his best, also won the Paul Morgan medal in 2001.
Langer won it five times.
He was the inaugural winner in 1988 before owning the award between 1993-96.
Lockyer took the top individual prize in 2002 and 2003 before being moved from fullback to play five-eighth.
Despite another season battling knee and other injuries, Webcke polled 40 points to beat fellow front-rower and current Test prop Petero Civoniceva (30 points) with Lockyer third on 29 points.
Centre Justin Hodges, who returned to Brisbane from the Roosters this season, polled 25 points from the judges, which included players and a former international, and would have been higher except for a late season knee injury.
Webcke made another of his Lazarus-like injury comebacks from a strained medial ligament tear to play in the finals.
While the season ended in disappointment again after Brisbane was bundled out 34-6 by eventual premiers Wests Tigers, Webcke was one of the players who could hold his head high.
The big prop ground out more than 3,000 bruising metres in 25 games this year, taking his career tally for Brisbane to 227 games.
Civoniceva's runner-up placing confirmed Brisbane's problems were not so much up front as in the backline and in other key areas.
Civoniceva, who became a father again during the NRL finals, picked up a satisfying award at the club's 18th annual ball which was attended by the club's No.1 ticket holder, Lachlan Murdoch.
The Fijian-born forward claimed "Hit of the Year" for his crunching tackle on Newcastle's Origin forward Steve Simpson at Energy Australia Stadium.
Forward David Stagg's tackle to deny the Sharks' Kiwi international Nigel Vagana a try at Shark Park was declared the club's "Play of the Year".
Veteran utility Darren Smith and forward Corey Parker were both presented with 100-game awards while special presentations were made to Stu Kelly (retiring), Darren Mapp (Sharks-bound) and Neale Wyatt who is heading to France next year.
NRL.com