Albury’s Chris Hyde has lost the tag as one of the league’s finest not to win the Morris Medal after edging out three of the league’s gun recruits.
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Hyde polled 18 votes, toppling fellow midfielders Brodie Filo (Wodonga Raiders), Jarrod Hodgkin (Wodonga) and Mark Whiley (Yarrawonga) by two.
It follows his runner-up finishes to Michael Stevens (2009) and Tigers’ co-coach Shaun Daly (2011).
Interestingly, Hyde is now the third member of the ‘Big Four’ the Tigers recruited in late 2008, which catapulted the club to powerhouse status, to have won the league’s top honour.
Hyde joins Daly and Joel Mackie (2012, 2015), while the other member, multiple premiership player Andy Carey, is now on the Tigers’ selection committee.
And, quite remarkably, Hyde was set to retire at the end of last year.
“Probably ‘Spargs’ (Paul Spargo) is the guy, he hasn’t let me retire for six years now,” he said.
“I went to him seriously in 2012 and said, ‘I think time’s up’ and he just dismissed me like he does every year.”
The wingman polled in eight matches, with four best on grounds.
Hyde missed the round 11 game against Corowa-Rutherglen with a previous commitment and then suffered a corked thigh in the opening minutes against Yarrawonga in round 15, also missing the next game.
Whiley also polled in eight games, but claimed only two best on grounds, in successive weeks against Wodonga Raiders and Wangaratta in April.
Filo and Hodgkin snared votes in only six games, with both snaring five best on grounds.
Hyde is now in his 20th season of top-level football.
He spent three years with the Murray Bushrangers and then eight at Richmond, racking up 93 games.
Hyde’s now in his ninth season with Albury, where he’s won two best and fairests (2010, 2013).
He also elected to play representative football this year for the first time in his Tigers’ stint.
“Probably this year, the sun comes up tomorrow win, lose or draw, I don’t really think too much about it,” he said.
“I just go and play and if I play well, good, and if I don’t, I’ve still got my three daughters to go home to and my wife.
“As you get a bit older, you’ve probably got a bit more perspective.”
Hyde turned 35 last month and is the oldest player to win the Morris Medal since Wangaratta Rovers’ superstar Rob Walker in 2003.
He will now look to claim a league record-equalling seventh flag against Wangaratta on Saturday.