Stewart wins prestigious award at CRL presentation night

The former Tiger, who spent 2018 playing in Queanbeyan, won the Tom Nelson Medal at the Country Rugby League awards night on Friday, September 28. The Tom Nelson Medal is awarded to the best under 18s player in Country Rugby League.

The award was recognition for Stewart’s fantastic Laurie Daley Cup campaign with the Monaro Colts, as the team finished second in their division before being knocked out the finals by the Newcastle Knights development squad.

Stewart said his family knew about his award before he did.

“They told my mum and the rest of my family beforehand, but I only found out (about the award) on the night when they said my name,” he said. “I was a bit nervous walking up there, but that turned into excitement pretty quickly.

“I was pretty surprised to get the award, I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

Stewart said his time with the Colts was extremely rewarding.

“The Colts really helped me develop my game,” he said. “I formed a very strong bond with all the boys, made some really good friends, and had a lot of fun.”

Stewart is now in camp with the NSW Country under 18s side that was selected after the completion of the Laurie Daley Cup.

Stewart was named on the wing for the team, and will play Papua New Guinea in Lismore before playing the Gold Coast Titans in Tweed Heads.

“It’s a really good bunch of players picked, and we’ve formed a pretty good bond already over the past couple of days,” Stewart said. “We’ve got a really good coach as well, he’s extremely helpful.”

Stewart will concentrate on the representative squad for now, but will start thanking about 2019 in the near future.

“I’m not sure where I’ll be yet, but I’ll just go with the flow, and hopefully something comes along,” he said. “I’d love to get back down to the South Coast eventually, but who knows?”

Stewart said none of his achievements would be possible without the support of his family.

“I want to say thanks to my mum for always taking me to training and games, and helping me along the way,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”