28 October 2026
Four AFL players connected to HAD Football were recognised at their clubs' 2026 awards nights: HAD coaches Zach Merrett and Jack Silvagni, and former HAD clients Shaun Mannagh and Hugo Garcia.
Zach Merrett: Crichton Medal, Essendon HAD Football Shareholder and Craft Coach Zach Merrett won his seventh Crichton Medal as Essendon's best and fairest, polling 117 votes. It was his fourth win in a row, and it puts him level with club legends Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutchison for the most Crichton Medals in Essendon's history.
Jack Silvagni wins Team Trademark Award and runner-up Trevor Barker Award, St Kilda
In his first season at St Kilda, HAD Football defensive line coach Jack Silvagni won the Team Trademark Award and finished second in the Trevor Barker Award with 250 votes, just five behind co-captain Callum Wilkie.
Shaun Mannagh places third in the Carji Greeves Medal, Geelong
Former HAD Football Athlete Shaun Mannagh finished third in Geelong's Carji Greeves Medal with 131 votes, in his best AFL season yet: 38 goals, including a career-high five against Brisbane. Off the field, he won the 2026 Tom Hafey Heart of Football Award for his work with young people and the community.
Shaun's path is a reminder that there's more than one way onto an AFL list: he was drafted at 26 as a mature-age recruit after years in the Ovens and Murray league and the VFL with Werribee.
“Shaun worked with HAD Football during his time with Werribee, it was obvious that Shaun was very driven and was looking outside the square to develop. He'd made the move from Richmond to Werribee and had a proven track record at VFL level. It was all about demonstrating his x-factor consistently. He's such a dynamic and dangerous player.” - Brad Jenkinson, Director, HAD Football
Hugo Garcia awarded John Beveridge Best Emerging Player, St Kilda
Former HAD Athlete Hugo Garcia won St Kilda's John Beveridge Best Emerging Player award and finished fifth in the Trevor Barker Award with 185 votes. A Calder Cannons product and Pick 50 in the 2023 AFL Draft, Hugo has quickly become one of St Kilda's most important young midfielders.
“An early sign of a fanatical trainer was evident with Hugo. Hugo divulged early on that his talent league club were concerned in regards to the amount of work Hugo was doing outside of their program. It may have shocked Hugo when I told him that I agreed with them, and therefore was not going to add anything physical to what he's already doing. I wanted to give him more of an insight into what things he needed to demonstrate consistently to give himself the best opportunity to get drafted. He listened and engaged strongly. Now look at him.” - Brad Jenkinson
Congratulations to all four. Whether they're coaching our athletes or once trained as HAD Athletes themselves, they show what consistent work, on and off the field, can lead to.
See every HAD client on an AFL, AFLW, VFL or VFLW list on our Drafted page, or meet our coaches on our Our Team page.