Top points-scorer Palmer men’s club player of the year

Southern outside back Mackenzie Palmer scooped a couple of the major prizes at the Dunedin community rugby awards at the Harbour Rugby Football Club last night.

Palmer collected the men’s player of the year title and also received the award for the top points-scorer.

The veteran fullback registered 153 points for the Magpies this season.

Palmer, who changed his surname from Haugh to Palmer this year, has been one of the best players in the premier grade for three or four seasons and he was rewarded with a spot in the Otago team that played Southland in a warm-up game in Gore last week.

Palmer scored two tries in the fixture.

He nabbed an intercept and also got a nice offload from Jona Nareki.

He has been named in the Otago side which will play Canterbury in Rolleston tomorrow afternoon.

His Southern team-mate, Konrad Toleafoa, was also among the winners. The rugged loose forward barged his way over the chalk more than anyone else, netting 12 tries.

There was reward for hard-working Green Island openside flanker Amos Roddick. He was influential in the Grizzlies’ 21-15 win over Dunedin in the final.

He got through an enormous workload to help his club snap a 46-year-old drought with an historic win. And for his troubles, he collected the Ben Smith Medal presented to the emerging player of the year.

Potent Dunedin outside back Hannah Norris was named breakthrough player of the year, while team-mate Greer Muir was named women’s player of the year.

The veteran helped set up Dunedin’s 15-14 win over Alhambra-Union in the premier final at Tahuna Park in late June.

Long-serving Taieri Rugby Football Club medic Shelley Renalson was named club champion. She was made a life member of Taieri earlier this year for 20-plus years of service across all the grades.

Fraser Hannon and Erin Doherty were joint winners of the referee of the year title, while the Ainge Shield for the best club will be named following the premier and championship colts finals this weekend.