Best and Fairest Medal named in honour of Cambridge

AN important player in the early history of the AFL North Coast’s Women’s competition is being recognised with a tremendous honour.

The player judged each year as the AFL North Coast’s Women’s Best & Fairest will now be awarded the Cambridge McCormick Medal.

Cambridge was a tremendous player for Port Macquarie during the first two seasons of the Women’s competition.

She not only won the first two AFL North Coast Women’s Best & Fairest awards in both 2018 and 2019 but in those same two years Cambridge was named as the best player on the ground in the two Women’s grand finals that Port Macquarie played in. The second best on ground medal was as part of Magpies’ 2019 premiership.

Since playing in the AFL North Coast Cambridge has gone on to bigger and better things playing the past three seasons in the AFLW for the GWS Giants.

Now 26 years of age, Cambridge has played a total of 23 AFLW matches for the Giants and is preparing to build on that tally when the 2025 season starts in August.

“It is a massive honour to have the AFL North Coast Women’s Best and Fairest medal in my name,” McCormick said.

“There was a large group of women that have paved the way for footy on the mid-North Coast for women and I am honoured to be considered one of them.

“When I moved to Port Macquarie, I trained with the men’s team, played in women’s exhibition matches for the Port Macquarie Magpies and worked with AFLNC to contribute to the creation of the Women’s competition on the Mid-North Coast.

“The start of the Women’s league in 2018 is a highlight of my footy career, alongside winning the premiership with the Magpies in 2019, and the support I received from Matt Crawley, Paul Taylor and the wider AFLNC and Port Macquarie Magpies community is a testament to the dedication of the game and the Magpies to create a pathway for women and girls to make it to the elite level.”

Community Football and Competition Manager, Brad Greenshields, said with the Women’s competition about to enter its eighth season, it’s important to recognise its history and those who laid the foundation for female participation in the region to grow.

“The growth the AFL North Coast has enjoyed in female playing numbers since the first Youth Girls competition was played in 2017 and Women’s competition was played in 2018 has been incredible,” Greenshields said.

“To have the opportunity to honour one of the region’s pioneers of female footy who helped to make that incredible growth possible as well as achieve individual success and show young girls in the region that it’s possible to fulfil your football dreams was one the League was only too happy to take.”

McCormick’s fondest memory of her time playing in the AFL North Coast is the friends she made and still sees.

“I am lucky to have my Magpies teammates come and support the GIANTS, bringing their daughters and donning the charcoal and orange to cheer me and my teammates on. I have lifelong friends from the Port Magpies and I learnt so much about being a leader, footballer and role model for young girls when I played for the Magpies,” she said.

“I am very proud of the success of the local competition and the growth that continues on the North Coast for girls and women in footy, and I can’t wait to come up against some more players from the North Coast in the AFLW soon.”

McCormick becomes the second former female player to be recognised with having an AFL North Coast Best and Fairest Medal named after her.

The Best & Fairest award for the Youth Girls 17s age group is named the Nikki Wallace Medal in recognition of Nikki being the first player from the region to play AFLW.

Nikki was first introduced to AFL at the Sawtell/Toormina Juniors under coach Tony Linnett. She played for the Brisbane Lions in the first AFLW grand final played in March 2017.