Check out who is up for the Elite Male Athlete of the Year Award at the Illawarra Sports Awards on November 10.
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Meet the finalists below...
Ali Day (surf lifesaving)
Day's original surfing club is Warilla-Barrick Point SLFC. He is a two-time series champion and six-time Coolangatta Gold champion.
He won the three major titles this year, the Coolangatta Gold, Ironman Series and national championship.
Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie (hockey)
Blake Govers has been a crucial part of Kookaburras success in the past few years.
Flynn Ogilvie has been eager to return to the NSW Pride following the Hockey One season coming back in 2022.
Similar to Apps and Davis earlier, these two cannot be split for their achievements in recent times.
Govers won gold with the Hockeyroos in the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham this year and at 26 is still at the top of his game.
The NSW Pride player in Hockey One also won silver with the men's field hockey side at Tokyo 2020 last year.
Back again for the NSW Pride for 2022, Ogilvie will be looking to pick up where he left off from the last Hockey One season, where he was awarded player of the final when the Pride beat Brisbane.
It's been a busy year for Ogilvie, also part of the gold medal winning side in Birmingham with Govers and also a silver medallist in Toyko.
Luke Pople (wheelchair basketball)
Luke Pople has been a massive part of the Roller Hawks' success.
Roller Hawks legend Luke Pople continues to inspire the next generation of athletes in the region.
The wheelchair basketballer has had a sensational 2022, headlined by his involvement in Australia's 3x3 gold medal win at the Games in Birmingham earlier this year.
A mainstay with the Roller Hawks, which saw the side win the last four national championships, Pople continues to do extremely well in promoting the sport in the Illawarra and across Australia.
Alex Volkanovski (mixed martial arts)
Alex Volkanovski has become a global sensation in the UFC.
'Volk' as he is known is a world-renown name not just in mixed martial arts but it global sport.
The Windang local enjoyed a sensational 2022, beating rival Max Holloway in July.
'The Great' is now the back up fighter up a division at UFC 280 in a lightweight fight in Abu Dhabi after suffering a broken hand in the fight against Holloway.
He has recorded 25 wins in his professional career.
Adam Zampa (cricket)
An extremely talented leg-spinner, Zampa celebrated his 100th ODI wicket against Pakistan earlier this year.
Just last month he took his first five wicket haul in ODI against New Zealand.
He is currently competing in the T20 World Cup in Australia with the side looking to go back-to-back.
ILLAWARRA SPORTS AWARDS
Thursday, November 10
Fraternity Club
For tickets and to check out the awards categories, head to https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-sports-awards
Illawarra Sports Awards
The Mercury, in partnership with the Illawarra Academy Of Sport and presenting sponsor Illawarra Credit Union, is hosting the Illawarra Sports Awards, to be held on Thursday, November 10 at the Fraternity Club.
TICKETS: Purchase individual tickets or tables at https://events.humanitix.com/illawarra-sports-awards
NOMINATE: Get your nominations in for the Team Of The Year, Coach Of The Year and Local Hero Volunteer Of The Year
VOTE: Who will win the Mercury People's Choice Award? Read about their achievements HERE and vote.
Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
