Olympic and Paralympic Gold medallists, an AFL footballer, NBA basketballer and a Women’s orienteering team were amongst the CBR Sport Awards 2021 finalists announced yesterday.

Representing a broad cross-section of Canberra’s elite athletes, the annual awards celebrate and honour our local sporting talent.

‘Really strong’ AFL pedigree in Canberra

Raised in Canberra, Giants midfielder Tom Green told Canberra Daily he felt “very privileged” to be acknowledged by his home town with a nomination for the CBR Sport Awards 2021 Rising Star award.

“it’s nice to be acknowledged by your hometown in this way,” he said, “I’m fortunate and very grateful to receive this nomination.

Green has been nominated in his category alongside cyclist Cameron Rogers, rower Madeline Vagg, and basketballer Jade Melbourne.

Honing his craft as a teenager in the Giants Academy, Green said the program has helped support the substantial growth of Australian Rules Football in the capital.

“The Giants Academy was fantastic for me and I think the Giants Academy is fantastic for football in Canberra as well because they’ve really helped to grow the game,” he said.

“Even from my time as a junior here to now I think the game has grown a lot in Canberra and there’s some really strong football pedigree here.

“It’s only going to grow as the game continues to get bigger, we get more kids into the sport, male and female.”

After being drafted at pick 10 by the Giants in 2019 Green made his AFL debut in round one, 2020 and played six games in his debut season.

He built well on his first year, playing 18 games including his first final, and was acknowledged by his team with the 2021 Kevin Sheedy Medal, the Giants’ rising star award.

“I had a good pre-season leaning into it and was able to string together a few more games a bit more consistently,” he said.

“There’s still certainly some things I’d like to improve on and learn on, but overall, I was pretty happy with my second year.

“You’d like to think that after only two years you’ve still got stuff to work on.

Looking ahead to season 2022, Green is confident he’ll be ready for round one, healing well after fracturing his left arm in his last game of the season, the elimination final win over Sydney.

“Even though I ended up breaking my arm it was good to play in my first final and get the win as well, which is why we play sport

“From a personal standpoint I’d love to continue to play a bit more midfield time and hopefully continue to expand my role within the team,” he said. ““I can hopefully contribute to winning football, taking us further into the finals and I’d love to win a flag next year.

Paralympic Gold Medalist ‘honoured’ by nomination

Paralympic Gold Medalist Vanessa Low said it was a “privilege” to receive a nomination for CBR Sport Awards 20201 Para Sport Athlete of the Year, especially in an Olympic/Paralympic year.

She was nominated for the award alongside rower Nikki Ayers and track athlete James Turner.

Having taken home the Gold Medal for Long Jump – T63, Low said Canberra’s eased restrictions in the lead up to the Games made her preparation much easier than it would have been elsewhere.

“We didn’t go through lockdowns much or had many restrictions to our training, so we were really lucky,” she said.

“We were definitely still in a bit of a bubble here and got spared.”

While the experience on the ground in Tokyo was a bit isolating, Low said it was a “great privilege” to have her husband, fellow Australian Paralympic athlete Scott Reardon, by her side at Tokyo.

“Not many people had that, but at the same time all of us were just happy to have the Games to be honest” she said.

Being her third Games, Low felt prepared knowing conditions are never perfect on the big stage.

“I already understood it was never going to be perfect, it’s never going to be the most perfect conditions; there’s always going to be something,” she said.

The 2021 CBR Sport Awards ceremony will once again be a virtual event, to be held on Thursday 2 December 5.30pm

Register online here if you’d like to attend the virtual event.

Here is the full list of finalists:

Athlete of the Year – Para Sport

• Nikki Ayers – Rowing
• Vanessa Low – Athletics
• James Turner – Athletics

Athlete of the Year – Women’s Sport

• Rebecca McConnell – Cycling, Mountain Bike
• Kelsey-Lee Barber – Athletics
• Laura Peel – Snowsports

Athlete of the Year – Men’s Sport

• James Turner (also a para sport finalist) – Athletics
• Andrew Charter – Hockey
• Patty Mills – Basketball

Team of the Year

• Cockatoos Senior Women – Orienteering
• Brumbies – Rugby Union
• Olympic Rowing Men’s Quadruple Scull – Rowing

Rising Star

• Tom Green – AFL
• Cameron Rogers – Cycling, Road
• Madeline Vagg – Rowing
• Jade Melbourne – Basketball

Minister for Sport and Recreation Award for Inclusion

• Capital Football – Canberra United Wheelchair Football
• Rowing ACT – Indoor Rowing Program at Alexander Maconochie Centre
• Canberra Region Rugby League – Canberra Region Wheelchair Rugby League

Minister for Sport and Recreation Award for Innovation

• Squash ACT – Online booking system at Woden Squash Centre
• Vikings Cycling Club – Women’s novice track cycling program
• Little Athletics ACT – Online participation program

Minister for Sport and Recreation Award for Event Excellence

• Stromlo Running Festival – 2020 event
• Table Tennis ACT – 2020 ACT Open
• Little Athletics ACT/Athletics ACT – 2021 Festival of Athletics

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