Beau’s the top boy. Tooradin’s Beau Miller and his Norm Walker medal for best and fairest player in the Casey Cardinia Football League. 70490 Picture: Scott Memery
By Mark Gullick
TOORADIN-Dalmore playing coach Beau Miller won his second Norm Walker medal at the MPNFL vote count on Monday night.
The Seagulls midfielder raced to an early lead and was never headed.
He won by four votes from Beaconsfield midfielder Daniel Mislicki, who was three votes ahead of Cranbourne star Justin Berry.
“It’s definitely a shock; I just came along to enjoy the night with the guys,” Miller said. “I was actually expecting (teammate) Ryan White to poll pretty well, but I’m very fortunate.”
Miller replaced ex-Collingwood forward Chad Liddell as senior coach at the end of last year.
“My objective was to coach the team to the best ability that I could and to play well at the same time was a bonus,” he said.
Miller won the medal in 2007 and rated that season higher than his 2011 campaign.
In 2006, Miller underwent treatment for eye cancer and was lucky to be able to return to the field.
“In ’07 I had a bit to prove,” he said.
“I came back from an injury I had and it meant a fair bit to me to be able to play footy again.”
Throughout his illustrious career, he’s worked through serious injuries, such as a ruptured spleen, torn knee ligaments and a broken wrist.
“I still want to play at Tooradin. I love it down there,” he said.
“My family’s involved with the club. It’s a real family environment down there. My girlfriend watches every game with my son – it’s fantastic.”
>>> For more medal stories, see Footy 4.
