Winners were announced this week in the Australian Football Media Association Awards at Marvel Stadium.
Kane Cornes, who joins Seven in 2025 was awarded three accolades: Alf Brown Award for best overall media performer for his work with The Age, Nine, SEN and AFL Media; the Lou Richards Medal for former or current league footballer working in the media; and Best opinion / analysis in radio, TV or digital.
AFL 360 took out another Best TV Program award.
FOX Footy play-by-play commentator Anthony Hudson was again named Best TV Match Caller.
FOX Footy host Sarah Jones became an AFMA Life Member for her 20-plus years of work covering the AFL for the channel was one of the highlights of Tuesday night’s event
The late Sam Landsberger was commended for his news and features on FOX Footy and the Herald Sun.
Nine’s Tom Morris won awards Best News or Feature Reporting (TV/Radio/Digital) and Best Online News or Feature Reporting.
Morris said: “These awards are a testament to the incredible team I work with every day. The trust and freedom I’ve been given to pursue stories that matter are why I’m able to dig deep into the AFL world. A huge thank you to Hugh Nailon, Tony Jones and everyone at 9News for their unwavering support. The stories behind these awards were truly collaborative efforts, and I’m extraordinarily proud of the work we’ve done together. It’s a privilege to work in footy and at Channel 9. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Nine’s Xander McGuire also took home the Clinton Grybas Award for Best Emerging Talent.
“It’s a huge honour to be given the Clinton Grybas Award,” he said. “I was only five years old when Clinton passed, but his legacy as a fantastic media performer and, as is mentioned in my family, a great Collingwood man, makes this all the more special. A huge thank you to the Director of News at Nine, Hugh Nailon, Tony Jones, and Clint Stanaway for all the opportunities they’ve afforded me. Also, a big thanks to the rest of the team —Nat Yoannidis, Trent Kniese, Nathan Currie, and of course, Tom Morris, whose guidance in news-breaking over the last 12 months has been fantastic. And last, but certainly not least, to my parents, who have been my biggest supporters, fostering a love of footy and journalism all my life.”
Hugh Nailon, Director of 9News Melbourne, also shared his thoughts on the team’s success:
“It’s fantastic to see Xander and Tom recognised for their outstanding contributions to AFL journalism. Xander’s remarkable rise is the result of his hard work, and willingness to learn and develop his craft, while Tom continues to set the benchmark for news breaking and in-depth reporting. These awards highlight the strength of our newsroom and the quality of our team’s work. Congratulations to both, and to everyone at 9News who helps make this possible.”
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