TWO South Coast NRL stars are both being recognised for their strong ties to their home community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Both Melbourne Storm lock Dale Finucane and Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs lock Adam Elliott have been nominated for the Ken Stephen Medal for their off-field efforts.
Finucane headlined a February visit to the Far South Coast by Melbourne Storm players, where he said it was an honour to help rebuilding fences and share some time with junior players at a special skills clinic.
"It is a great honour and it wasn't really expected to be honest. We've got a lot of guys within our team that do a lot of great things off the field and in the community," Finucane told Storm media.
"But I'm very proud of being nominated for the award, particularly for something that's close to my heart in what occurred over the summer back home."
Finucane had been home for Christmas. "it was nothing like I had ever seen before when the sky turned red, I was quite worried," he said.
The forward and his young family had got back to Melbourne before the blazes hit, but he watched closely on the news and from friends and family.
"I was scared for how everyone was faring ... but it was really good to come back," he said during the February visit.
"It was very much a learning curve for me, going and seeing all the destruction that had occurred.
"I would rather go back under different circumstances and on a more positive note, but in saying that I was really happy to come and help in a very small way."
He is also recognised for his work with the Road to Regions tour as well as volunteer efforts for the Salvation Army.
Meanwhile, Elliott is also in the running for the Ken Stephen Medal and has for the second year-running been named the Bulldogs' Peter Warren Medal recipient for Community Service.
A spokesman for the Bulldogs said it was great to see Elliott recognised for his "impactful community work, particularly around Autism issues".
In August, the Bulldogs star died his hair blue and raised more than $10,000 for the Autism Community Network, for whom he is an ambassador.
"I put it to my brother James who has autism himself, he said 'yeah i'll go with ya bro' ... and my dad said he'd jump on board as well," Elliott said in August.
While he was restricted from travelling, the Tathra Sea Eagles also held a special blue hair round and got the family involved.
"It's been a really hard year, I love getting out and doing my charity work," Elliott told the Bulldogs at the time. "[but] with the bubble I haven't been able to get out and do as much as I would like."
But he said he had been "blown away by the generosity and support" of people getting behind his efforts.
The Ken Stephen Medal winner will be announced on NRL grand final day.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
