The Mail-Times worked with the region's coaches and football experts to come up with a Horsham District league team of the year.
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Where else to start but with the men holding the whiteboards. We've elected to select a playing-coach and a bench coach.
Nick Pekin, Harrow-Balmoral: Pekin has a perfect record as Harrow-Balmoral's senior coach, claiming two flags in two seasons. 2019 was his best season at the helm, leading his side to an undefeated season and a 91-point grand final win.
Gareth Hose, Noradjuha-Quantong: While grand final day didn't go according to plan for Noradjuha-Quantong, Hose coached a young Bombers side widely tipped to miss the finals all the way through to a grand final.
Backs
Brett Ervin, Laharum: In his 10th season in Laharum's senior side, the key-defender was as reliable as ever. Ervin was named in Laharum's best on 13 occasions.
Matthew Butler, Edenhope-Apsley: Butler was an anchor for the Saints as they made another preliminary final in 2019. Butler also provided versatility, occasionally venturing forward to boot bags of goals.
Daniel Baker, Pimpino: A Pimpino premiership veteran, Baker has continued to be one of the Tigers' best in 2019. Baker is heart-and-soul at the Tigers, and was named in the club's best 10 times this season.
Half-backs
Jason Kerr, Noradjuha-Quantong: Kerr is a valuable mixture of class and rugged determination on a half-back flank. The 200-game veteran cracks in hard at the contest, but also kick-starts a lot of attacks with his precise foot-skills.
CAPTAIN | Michael Phelan, Harrow-Balmoral: The team's captain, Phelan was a dominant presence across half-back for the undefeated Southern Roos. Phelan helped the side set up tremendously behind the ball.
Tom Crawford, Laharum: Admittedly Crawford played most of his football at centre-half forward this season for Laharum, but the versatile athlete could slot in anywhere on the ground, and certainly deserves a place in the team of the year.
Midfielders
Eric Guthrie, Harrow-Balmoral: Guthrie was simply dominant in his return to the league. The pacey left-footer claimed best on ground honours in the grand final and in the interleague match, to sit nicely alongside his premiership medallion.
Elliot Kelly, Rupanyup: Kelly capped off another stellar season with a runners-up finish in the Dellar medal. Kelly was also a co-winner of the best opposition player award and won Rupanyup's best and fairest for a second consecutive season.
Scott Carey, Swifts: Carey provides hard-running and class and had another impressive season. Carey was leading the Dellar Medal count before injury struck him down in round 14.
Followers
Ruck, Jak Ryan, Edenhope-Apsley: Ryan claims the number one ruck spot, after he put together a career-best season and was one of three winners of the 2019 Dellar medal. Ryan's size and athleticism was hard to handle for opposition teams.
Rover, Lachie Middleton, Edenhope-Apsley: Middleton had a breakthrough year in 2019. After adding size during the off-season, Middleton became an industrious contested ball winner and was rewarded with the Dellar Medal.
Ruck rover, Sam Anson, Natimuk United: The Rams coach overcame a pectoral injury early in the year to put together one of his best seasons yet, guiding his side to their first finals victory in many years. Anson won the best opposition player award alongside Elliot Kelly.
Half-Forwards
Cody Deutscher, Harrow-Balmoral: Deutscher burst on to the scene and put together a remarkable season for Harrow-Balmoral in 2019, beating out the likes of Nick Pekin and Simon Close to finish runner-up in the club's best and fairest.
Simon Close, Harrow-Balmoral: Despite a brief stint away for his honeymoon in the middle of the season, Close finished the year with 67 goals in another impressive year.
Ryan Folkes, Swifts: Swifts' 2019 best and fairest is one of the classiest customers in the league, and would walk into any side's starting lineup.
Forwards
Nick Pekin, Harrow-Balmoral: The premiership coach and two-time Dellar Medallist is a definite pick - the only question is where he plays. Pekin plays mostly through the midfield, but is perhaps at his most damaging in a forward pocket. Pekin can easily play as a crumbing forward, but also possesses an incredible vertical leap, allowing him to play more like a key position player. Undoubtedly one of the league's best again in 2019.
Jaydon Stiles, Natimuk United: Stiles had a career-best season in 2019, winning the league's leading goal kicker award. Stiles booted three or more goals 15 times, as he finished the year with 75 to his name.
Peter Weir, Jeparit-Rainbow: Weir was the focal point for the Storm, booting 67 goals for the season. His strong hands and accurate finishing are highlights of his game.
Interchange
Daniel Batson, Jeparit Rainbow: The Storms' coach offers versatility off the bench, as he can go through the ruck, hold-down centre-half forward or even play behind the football as a marking defender.
Dustin Cross, Noradjuha-Quantong: The Bombers captain leads from the front, winning plenty of contested football in the trenches. Cross also showed his ability to be a target up forward this season.
Jack Vague, Noradjuha-Quantong: The tireless ruckman deserves his spot after winning his club's best and fairest for a second consecutive season.
Simon Hobbs, Kalkee: The classy Hobbs had another great season in 2019. The goal-kicking midfielder booted 20 goals and was named in Kalkee's best 15 times, missing just once.
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