Ben Khalfallah wins Victory Medal in debut season

Fahid Ben Khalfallah has capped off a remarkable debut season in the Hyundai A-League by winning Melbourne Victory’s highest individual award, the Victory Medal. In front of 1,000 guests at Palladium at Crown tonight, Ben Khalfallah polled 43 votes to win the award by five votes from Matthieu Delpierre, with Besart Berisha in third place, one vote further back. Ben Khalfallah, who signed a two-year contract extension with Melbourne Victory on the eve of the 2015 Finals Series, polled in 11 of the 27 games he played where he scored five goals and provided nine assists. The dynamic forward had to withstand a barnstorming finish from central defender Delpierre, who missed 13 consecutive games from Round 4 due to injury, but polled in eight of the final 12 games, including both finals series appearances. Star striker Berisha, who scored 15 goals this season, finished in third place on 37 votes after polling in 13 games, including the Grand Final. Victory Medal votes were independently cast on a 3-2-1 basis by head coach Kevin Muscat and assistant coach Jean-Paul de Marigny after every game. Carl Valeri, who returned to Australia this year after a decade playing in Italy, capped off a successful season by winning the Players’ Player Award. Valeri won the award with 24 votes from Kosta Barbarouses on 18 with Khalfallah third on 17 votes. Besart Berisha won the TAC Golden Boot Award after scoring 15 goals, while Valeri secured his second award of the night by winning Goal of the Year, as voted by Melbourne Victory members and fans. Rising star Thomas Deng won the Foxtel National Youth League Player of the Year award while George Howard, with nine goals for the season, won the club’s Youth League Golden Boot. In the Westfield W- League awards, Amy Jackson was crowned Player of the Year, with Beatrice Goad named the Young Player of the Year. Melbourne Victory W-League captain Stephanie Catley was voted by her teammates as the Players’ Player of the Year.   2014/15 Honour Roll Victory Medal – Top 5 Fahid Ben Khalfallah 43 Matthieu Delpierre 38 Besart Berisha 37 Carl Valeri 33 Kosta Barbarouses 29 Other Hyundai A-League Awards Players' Player of the Year - Carl Valeri Goal of the Year - Carl Valeri (Round 14, vs Western Sydney Wanderers) TAC Golden Boot Award - Besart  Berisha (15 goals) Foxtel National Youth League Awards Player of the Year - Thomas Deng Golden Boot Award- George Howard (9 goals) Westfield W-League Awards Player of the Year – Amy Jackson Young Player of the Year – Beatrice Goad Players’ Player of the Year - Stephanie Catley

6:45 AM