In April this year SMURugby once again hosted their Annual General Meeting to usher in the new Exco as well as to recognize the contributions of their players throughout the season. In the absence of the regular Emo-Speech IC, Amos Siow, Senior Player Alex Chew and out-going Vice-President Mouff led the Awards Ceremony to commemorate the greatest distinctions and disgraces of the 08/09 campaign.
Most Consistent/All-rounded Player Award
Wang En Jian
The award for the most consistent and all-rounded player went to SMU’s fullback for the Tri-Uni’s 09 Season for his conscientious and consistently safe stewardship of the SMU half of the pitch.
Most Dedicated Player Award
Benjamin Wai
Ben Wai’s continuous undying dedication to the team at every training and his impeccable attendance record were matched only by the winner of the next award.
Most Hardworking Player Award
Gerald Fok
Gerald’s solid work ethic in trainings was firmly proven when the SMU forward went on to match some of the fittest in the team at a blip test session, cementing his place as our most hardworking counterpart.
Most Improved Player Award
Tafadzwa Marasha
Tafa, the famous brudder of the Tri-Uni’s squad has come a long way this season, a personal highlight of which will no doubt be his match-turning try scored from a penalty kick gone wrong against NUS in what could be said to be this season’s point of peripetia.
Most Promising Player Award
Nicolas Hwang
The man informally known as The Panzer has shown repeated flashes of brilliance on the field in this year’s season, making his mark as the player to watch in SMU’s already star-studded backline.
Best Newcomer Award
Melvin Teo
In the short time that we have known him, Melvin a.k.a. Cheeky has truly proven his worth to the team often exceeding expectations and astounding his peers with his on-field performance. For that he was crowned the award reserved for the most valuable addition to the SMU lineup.
Best Forward of the Tri-Uni’s 09
Vickneswaran Sellathurai
Vick stepped up to the mark this season, captaining a memorable match where he rallied his forwards against an unexpected and brutal NTU forward onslaught that saw our City Boys bunkered a mere couple of desperate inches from their own try line. His contributions to the team as a forward have been invaluable and as we bid farewell to SMU’s longtime forward bastion of strength Daniel Marc Chow, perhaps this is the player all spectators ought to set their sights on in the seasons to come.
Best Back of the Tri-Uni’s 09
Justin Lum
Yes, it may come as a shock to many, but Justin Lum is in fact a player in SMU. Though public appearances by this long missed Rugby celeb are now rare since his knee injury where in his words “my knee shattered into a million pieces”, Justin Lum showed up when his team needed his services most, and did he show up in style. Single-handedly destroying opposition scrum-halves to earn back good SMU ball possession and then putting the nail in the coffin to secure spectacular and critical game-winning tries, Justin Lum despite his dismal attendance record has earned this award with his unarguably critical on-field performance for his team.
Top Try Scorer of the Tri-Uni’s 09
Bryan Ng
Despite the many controversies surrounding him, the number of times Bryan has crossed the line this season is rivaled only by the number of abs Bryan has under his easily removed shirt. Nuff said.
Best Back of the 08/09 Season
Alexander Chew
Alex came into this season as a man with a mission, proving his worth to the team time and time again with his strong, surging counter-attacking runs that gained the City Boys valuable time and territory both in defence as well as attack. Desmond Wee has cited Alex as one the top wingers in Singapore, and who are we to disagree with Desmond.
Best Forward of the 08/09 Season
Daniel Marc Chow
DMC needs no introduction. Once again the man has dug deep to contribute the “hard yards” both on and off the field for his teammates. Returning from an appendicitis operation to immediately hit the field to defend the championship side by side with his fellow forwards, Daniel Marc Chow showed no slack to the opposition to put on a solid showing as the most dependable and valuable forward the team has to offer.
Best Player of the 08/09 Season
Derek Chan
This coveted highest accolade is awarded only to players who bring the team to new heights not only in terms of individual contributions but also as a playmaker who sets the team on the road to victory. The decision for this season was unanimous. Derek has truly proven to the SMU club management that his multi-million dollar signing was worth every cent in the check. His contribution to the team in offence when running the ball and in defence when making the tackles count has earned him this award as the most valuable asset to the SMU team.
Stay tuned to SMU Rugby News as we usher in the new exco and look to begin an exciting new wave of transfer signings and million dollar deal player contracts in preparation for the fresh 09/10 season. More news soon to come.
