Goff's Annual Awards

I thought Goff’s Annual Awards was a pretty cool idea, so I thought I would let those of you who don’t have a subscription see who won. Of course to read the whole article you will have to log in, but the list is interesting enough! Congrats to all the winners.

ERugbyNews Youth Player of the Year 2007
Candace Barley, plays rugby for club Maryville in Tennessee. She is also a member of U19 squad where she plays #8 and recently played in the U19 UK tour for the US.

ERugbynews Breakout Player of the Year 2007
Blair Groefsema plays for Berkeley the current National Club D1 Champions. She is also a member of the Women’s National Team and plays #8. She had just returned from the UK Tour for the Women’s National Team.

PLayer of the Year 2007
Player of the Year: Kristin Zdanczewicz. Despite a cruel knee injury in England and her club not going as far as you would have expected, Zdanczewicz is, in the words of Flores, “the gold standard of open side flankers.” We agree. This is the player to lead the Eagles back to glory.

Forward of the Year 2007
Jamie Burke. And the women to take on that other leadership role must be Burke, a fearsome front rower with huge talent.

Back of the Year 2007
Vanesha McGee. Very young, but also very explosive, she helped jump-start Philadelphia into a top-flight club, and remains one of America’s most electric attackers.

College Player of the Year 2007
Emily Bydwell, Brown. Just an enormous influence on what has become a really strong side.

Young Player of the Year 2007
Laura Parker, Kansas City. Parker is a brilliant leader and, says USA U20 coach Bryn Chivers, she is hugely unselfish. She is an excellent leader on the field and almost an extra coach in the way she can see how the team is going and consult with the coaches. She plays in a way that makes everyone else better.