Chrissy Panagaris and Hamish Gow claimed South Australian football’s two most prestigious individual honours at Football SA’s annual Celebration of Football on Saturday night.
Panagaris won the Shirley Brown Medal as the APEX Steel WNPL’s best player, while Gow secured the Sergio Melta Medal as the RAA NPL’s best player for the second consecutive year. Both counts went right down to the wire, with just two votes separating the top three in each competition.
Panagaris claims Shirley Brown Medal
Adelaide Comets’ Chrissy Panagaris capped an outstanding season by winning the Shirley Brown Medal with 24 votes.
Panagaris finished two votes ahead of runner-up Niina Yamada on 22, with Madeleine Wright a further vote behind on 21. Chinatsu Kaio and Maria Jose Rojas Pino shared fourth place with 20 votes, highlighting the closely contested field.
With only four votes separating the top five players, the count delivered a tense finish before Panagaris secured the honour.
Scoring 19 goals across the APEX Steel WNPL season, Panagaris was a key attacking contributor for Adelaide Comets. The medal caps a standout campaign and recognises her influence throughout the year.
Gow goes back-to-back
MetroStars captain Hamish Gow claimed back-to-back Sergio Melta Medals, adding the 2026 honour to his 2025 win.
Gow finished with 24 votes, edging Lorenzo Boselli by just one vote. George Blackwood rounded out the top three with 22 votes, while Yuki Kitano finished fourth on 20.
Just two votes separated Gow, Boselli and Blackwood in a thrilling finish, underlining how little divided the competition’s leading players.
Leading MetroStars as captain this season, Gow continued to make his mark on the RAA NPL. Winning the medal in consecutive years recognises his sustained influence and consistency, with the added responsibility of captaincy making this year’s achievement particularly special.
Congratulations to Chrissy and Hamish on their outstanding seasons and these incredible achievements.