Port Douglas star secures second Crathern Medal after stellar farewell season

Port Douglas veteran, Liam Brandt, has taken home the AFL Cairns Crathern Medal in a landslide after an outstanding year on the footy field. 

The 30-year-old midfielder polled 33 votes in league’s Best and Fairest award, 16 votes more than the runner-up, South Cairns’ Liam McCarthy, who amassed just 17. It’s the second time Brandt has earned the top acknowledgement making him just the 7th player in AFL Cairns history to win the award twice.

Fellow Crocs mid-fielder Brett McKeown also polled well, finishing on 14 votes. Brandt’s win makes it the second year in a row a Port Douglas player has won the prestigious award after Jack Shanahan won last year's award with 18 votes. 

With 2024 being his final year due to work and family commitments, Brandt said it was a nice way to wrap up his career.

“It feels like a pretty special way to leave the game and I’m glad I could make my wife and family proud,” he said.

Making his Croc’s debut in 2021, Brandt has been a key player for the side and will leave a noticeable gap in the lineup. Despite taking home the premiership last year, the Crocs failed to make it past the first round of finals with Brandt putting it all down to injuries.

“We lost a lot of key players to injury this year and it made a real impact,” he explained.

“It felt like we were dropping like flies and nothing was clicking for us like we needed it to and we just couldn’t compete against the full strength sides.

“It’s the biggest injury list we’ve had in the four years that I’ve been there so there’s no doubt that played a role in our result.''

The Crocs lost the likes of gun backman Dylan Winton and ex-AFL star Jared Petrenko to season ending injuries along with numerous other niggles throughout the season.