Jack Elliott capped a successful season with Collingwood with the award.
Shepparton export Jack Elliott brought home the Leading Goal Scorer Award after another successful campaign in Collingwood colours, while finishing runner-up in the best-and-fairest stakes.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The Magpies forward led his community side to the Victorian Wheelchair Football League finals in his role as captain, as they bowed out following an agonising defeat against Richmond in the preliminary final.
Losing by three points in that battle, Elliott contributed a trio of majors in a valiant showing at Melbourne’s La Trobe University.
Defences struggled to contain him during 2026 and he trailed only Richmond’s Bryant Parsons in the overall VWFL goal-scoring charts across the campaign, tallying up an impressive 39 strikes in 10 games.
During a memorable season, the community team skipper also had the thrill of playing in front of a home crowd in Shepparton during the regional round, as family, friends and supporters came out to support him in the clash against St Kilda.
In what proved to be a season for the ages, Elliott grabbed 11 goals against Hawthorn, while also notching six in his homecoming game to reinforce his burgeoning status as a true local hero in Shepparton.
Tim O’Connor was presented with the best-and-fairest prize at Collingwood’s 2026 VWFL Awards during a garland occasion, as Elliott also received the Leading Goal Scorer trophy.
Jack Elliott has been a key performer for Collingwood this season.
Photo by
Bransen Gibson
On a landmark night, Magpies AFL senior stars Oscar Steene and Joel Cochrane were on hand to bestow the honours.
Reflecting on the spectacle Elliott’s mum, Melissa, spoke with pride as her son’s efforts as Collingwood skipper were marked by the club he has loved since he was a boy.
“It was a really great experience to head down to the club and have the presentation,” she said.
“We had both the president and the CEO in attendance and they put on a beautiful presentation and meal for us and Jack’s goal-scoring capacity was recognised which was incredible.
“It’s the first time that he’s stepped into that space and won those awards, coming runner-up in the best-and-fairest too – which is indicative of his development over the past three or four seasons.”
Giving an overview of the previous season Melissa was delighted with the Magpies’ development, highlighting the team spirit exemplified by a gutsy performance in the preliminary final against Richmond.
“They take those losses hard, but the depth of the players they had on the day just didn’t match the Richmond team – but they’ve showed massive improvement and they were all exhausted at the end of the game,” she said.
“When we look back on the season and some of the struggles they’ve come through, I think it’s a really positive thing to look back on.
“For Jack as captain, leading his team through that and doing what was best for the team, is something I think he does really well.
“He is a great leader and always willing to take on feedback from coaches, while also being their hype guy.”
The awards night was a particularly memorable evening for the Elliott family, with Jack’s parents, along with his grandparents – making the trip from Yarrawonga – all present for the festivities.
For Melissa, seeing her son honoured in this way was a fitting reward for the sacrifice and commitment made by the family as a whole.
“Especially living in a regional area, the travel involves going down to Melbourne three times a week to train, which is a significant commitment, but he wouldn’t give that up for the world,” Melissa said.
“His grandparents have been a big part of his journey, supporting us since the very first day Jack was born and they love coming down and seeing him achieve his goals.
“It gives me a big sense of pride that our family is willing to step in and support and, as we saw in the regional round, the supporters who came down show how much they care about Jack and his career.
“For Jack to be able to pull on the Collingwood jumper is obviously a dream come true and we’ll never give that up – we’ll keep that going as long as we can.”
