The Hunter Coast Premier League best and fairest accolades capped off what has been a hectic, but memorable hockey season for Sam Liles, with the Tamworth product being a central figure in not one but two drought-breaking triumphs.
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Most recently he helped Norths claim their first Newcastle premiership since 2016. In what was an epic grand final encounter, the Blue Baggers fought back from 3-1 down to beat long-time rivals Gosford 4-3 in an extra-time thriller, Ryan Woolnough slotting the match-winner with just under two minutes remaining.
They had earlier scored off a corner with around a minute on the clock to send the game into extra-time.
Gosford had a chance to send it into a shootout with a penalty corner after the siren but were pinged for using the back of the stick.
It was for Liles, and fellow Tamworthian Tom Budden, a bit of dejavu to another magical moment a few months earlier. Then wearing the Tamworth green they had been in a not too dissimilar situation with Illawarra awarded a corner in the dying seconds of the State Championships final that if they had of converted would have sent the game into into extra-time.
History will show that they didn't, and the Frogs claimed their maiden title.
Part of the side since he was a teenager, Liles said it was "pretty special" to finally win it.
"I know Buddo (Budden) and I kind of reminisce a little bit at training every now and then, and rub it into a few of the guys in Newcastle that we won," he said.
"And I think that will be more special as the years go on and probably next year when it comes around to state champs again and you appreciate how hard it was to actually win one."
His second season playing in Newcastle, Liles said winning the Kennedy Trophy for the best and fairest was a "nice little bonus".
"I was pretty happy with how I performed throughout the season, I was reasonably consistent, which I suppose you need to be to win something like that," he said.
"But there were certainly a few other players that it could have gone to."
Based in Sydney pretty much since he finished school, the 27-year-old moved up to Newcastle last year.
"I moved to Sydney to try and pursue my hockey a bit further and I sort of realised a lot of those opportunities were starting to wind up," he said.
"I've always loved Newcastle as a happy medium between Tamworth and Sydney."
Older brother Matt also lives there.
Playing with him again was one of the drawcards to Norths. Another was coach David Willott. He had played in a few junior rep sides under him.
Also still playing in Sydney, the weekend before the Newcastle decider, Liles played with Ryde Hunters Hill in the grand final down there. In a game that "was probably ours for the taking" they were beaten by Frogs' captain James Riddell's UNSW side.
Doubling up meant for "pretty busy" weekends, and he admits by the end of the season he "was getting pretty sick of the driving".
It was one of the reasons he decided not to pursue opportunities with the NSW Pride, having been named in the extended squad following the state champs.
"I spoke a little bit to the coach for the NSW stuff around the fact that I was pretty worn out and wasn't feeling the same level of commitment that I usually would to some of that rep stuff," he said.
He is now looking forward to "a nice break" and quiet summer with plenty of beach time.
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