SUANFC is glad to announce the resigning of Lewis Stevenson and Mike Manteit ahead of the 2017 season.
A co-captain in 2016, Stevenson agreed to terms after enjoying his first two seasons with the Club after leaving Port Adelaide, where he spent 2 years.
In his debut season with the Students, Stevenson was named as a member of the NEAFL Team of the Year on the back of many outstanding performances, which also saw him place third in the 2015 Driscoll Medal
This year, Stevenson was elevated to the co-captaincy alongside Tom Young and Austin Lucy. Despite missing a chunk of the season due to travel, Stevenson finished seventh in the Driscoll Medal, accumulating votes in eight of his twelve games. He was also awarded the Carter-Ramus Best Finals Player for his efforts in the Students 2016 finals series.
Manteit joined the Students at the beginning of this year, after spending a season on Collingwood’s rookie list (drafted out of Sandringham Dragons with pick #8 in the 2014 AFL Rookie Draft).
Feeling at home right from his first kick, Manteit started this year on fire, kicking nine goals in his first three games for the Students, earning the Round 2 NEAFL Rising Star Nomination.
Finishing with twenty games for the season, along with thirty goals, the Melbourne native finished sixth in the Driscoll Medal and will be one to watch again in 2017.
SUANFC NEAFL Coach Tom Morrison highlighted the importance of resigning characters like Lewis and Mike ahead of his first season as senior coach.
“We are really excited by the signings of both Lewis and Mike. They both had strong seasons in 2016 and we are confident that they will play a pivotal role for us in 2017” said Morrison.
“Lewis and Mike are both quality young men and hard workers on the training track, so I am excited to see how that will translate into the upcoming season”.
“Like all of the athletes on our list, they have been challenged to continue their development and impart their knowledge on others around them. I have high hopes on the performance of both men and by observing their application in pre-season thus far it is clear that they are motivated to have their best seasons yet”.