GIANTS midfielder Rebecca Beeson has capped off her brilliant debut season as skipper by taking out her second Gabrielle Trainor Medal in a thrilling count at Crown Sydney on Thursday night.
Battling it out with last year’s club champion and 2023 AFLW Rising Star winner Zarlie Goldsworthy for the entire count, Beeson held a slight lead going into the final game of the season where her best-on-ground performance against the Power was enough to crown her the 2024 Gabrielle Trainor Medallist.
Having won the award back in 2019, Beeson becomes just the second GIANT to win multiple Gabrielle Trainor Medals alongside Alyce Parker who has won the award four times.
Beeson also won the player-voted Jacinda Barclay Fearless Award, an award that is voted upon after each game to recognise a teammate that lives the team’s values and plays in a selfless and fearless fashion.
The star midfielder won Thursday’s club champion award with 41 votes, polling top votes in four of the GIANTS’ 11 games following an extremely consistent season from the new skipper.
Runner-up Goldsworthy – who now has back-to-back top-two finishes at just 19 years of age – finished on 35 votes in a season where she also won the Leading Goal Kicker Award for a second straight year.
Katherine Smith’s superb debut season as vice-captain saw the tough defender finish third in Thursday’s count, while four-time winner Parker tied for fourth place with star Irish newcomer Eilish O’Dowd following her eye-catching debut season.
Beeson’s victory caps off a remarkable tale of perseverance, with the 27-year-old’s career in limbo just 24 months ago after battling concussion issues which forced her to sit out the entirety of season seven.
Having overcome her battles to return to the field in 2023, Beeson was then voted captain ahead of the 2024 season which only elevated her on-field performance as she put forward a career-best season to win her second club champion award.
GIANTS Head Coach Cam Bernasconi congratulated his victorious skipper.
“This is such a well-deserved honour for Bec after an incredible first season as captain,” Bernasconi said.
“To be voted in as captain shows the respect and love that her teammates have for her, and for her to come out and lead and play the way she did this season is a testament to the person and footballer she is.
“Her issues with concussion a couple of years ago are well-known and for her to not only bounce back from that last year but to come into this year and have a career-best season is a remarkable achievement.
"It's just great to see her back playing football and enjoying doing what she loves. I could't be happier for her to be crowned this year’s club champion.
“I also want to congratulate Zarlie for finishing runner-up following another fantastic season. What she is doing as a 19-year-old is incredible and I can't wait to watch her growth as a GIANT.
“Congratulations also to Katherine Smith, Alyce Parker and Eilish O’Dowd who rounded out the top five after really strong individual seasons.”
The 2024 Gabrielle Trainor Medal was held at Crown Sydney on Thursday evening, where a host of other special achievements were also recognised throughout the night.
Young gun Kaitlyn Srhoj was rewarded for her brilliant debut season, not only taking home the Rising Star Award but also the fan-voted Members Choice Award for her impressive maiden campaign.
Meanwhile exciting young forward Georgia Garnett took home the Coaches Award.
The Mark of the Year went to Izzy Huntington for her courageous mark against Melbourne in round six, while the Goal of the Year went to Irish star Eilish O’Dowd for kicking the fastest-ever opening goal in AFLW history with her very first kick in her AFLW debut in round one against the Western Bulldogs.
GIANTS Academy young gun Amelie Prosser-Shaw won the club’s Academy Player of the Year, while the GIANTS Community Award went to Cambridge McCormick and Tarni Evans for their work with the GIANTS Foundation on the Three-GIANT Peaks Walk.
The Gabrielle Trainor Medallist is voted on by Head Coach Cam Bernasconi who, with input from his assistant coaches, awards votes to as many players as he sees fit on a scale of 1-6 after each game, with a maximum of six votes available per player per round.
The votes from across the season are then tallied up, with the player with the most votes crowned the Gabrielle Trainor Medallist.
2024 Gabrielle Trainor Medal Top 10:
1. Rebecca Besson (41votes)
2. Zarlie Goldsworthy (35)
3. Katherine Smith (31)
=4. Alyce Parker (30)
=4. Eilish O’Dowd (30)
6. Madison Brazendale (26)
7. Tarni Evans (25)
8. Pepa Randall (24)
9. Georgia Garnett (23)
10. Alicia Eva (21)
Rising Star Award, presented by TAL
Kaitlyn Srhoj
Jacinda Barclay Fearless Award
Rebecca Beeson
Members Choice Award, presented by Harvey Norman
Kaitlyn Srhoj
Mark of the Year, presented by Harvey Norman
Isabel Huntington – Round 6 v Melbourne
Goal of the Year, presented by Harvey Norman
Eilish O’Dowd – Round 1 v Gold Coast
Leading Goal Kicker, presented by Western Sydney University
Zarlie Goldsworthy – 13 goals
Coaches Award, presented by Western Sydney University
Georgia Garnett
GIANTS Community Award, presented by the GIANTS Foundation
Cambridge McCormick and Tarni Evans
Academy Player of the Year, presented by Joss
Amelie Prosser-Shaw
To keep up to date with all the action from the 2024 Gabrielle Trainor Medal on Thursday night, follow @GWSGIANTSAFLW on Instagram.
