Soccer: Mitch Harding wins Moore Creek's Best and Fairest award for 2023 season

The Moore Creek Mountain Goats captain "didn't have much choice" when it came to taking up soccer at age three in a football-mad household.

But, then again, he wouldn't have wanted a choice. He adores the sport, and amid a packed-to-the-brim work schedule, his family - including his partner, Clarissa, and two sons, Jacobi and Samuel - keep him dedicated to his team.

"[My family] is the main reason why I keep doing it," Harding said.

"Family's a big thing for me, with the two young ones I've got and my partner who make the commitment and effort to get over there every weekend."

That commitment was rewarded on Saturday, when Harding was named the Mountain Goats' Best and Fairest first grade player for 2023.

The 27-year-old was blindsided by the award. He had played well throughout the year, but in his opinion only "did my job".

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"I was surprised that I got voted MVP, didn't think I did anything standout through the year," Harding said.

"It was a pleasant surprise, but it was something that I definitely wasn't expecting."

The Gunnedah resident is employed at the mines at Maules Creek. He works five days a week, 12 hours a day, and said "I haven't trained once" due to his relentless schedule.

But part of what brought Harding to Moore Creek at the start of the 2022 season, aside from its family-first attitude, was the fact that coach Dean Hoy understood that work was his priority throughout the week.

"It has been difficult trying to juggle work and football," Harding said.

"I'm lucky I'm part of a club that understands that work comes first. Having family at the game every weekend also helps, because my 13-year-old is also at Moore Creek as well."

And despite claiming the club's most prestigious award at their end-of-year festivities on the weekend, this season left a slight sour taste in Harding's mouth.

Having been felled by North Companions in the 2022 preliminary finals, Harding believed they had the talent and the experience among the leadership group to make the grand final and potentially even win a premiership in 2023.

So after losing in the preliminary final to OVA, there was "a bit of disappointment".

"The standard was wanting to take out the competition and win it," he said.

"But as a whole, there's areas there that we did improve and hope to improve on more in the next few seasons, especially with these young fellas coming through."

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