A GOLFER and young women's rugby league player have taken home the top honours at this year's Leeton Sportsperson of the Year awards.
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Rod Emerson was named the shire's senior sportsperson of the year on Australia Day, while Tess Staines took out the junior title.
Emerson was unable to attend the official ceremony on Australia Day. but was later presented with his medal and trophy by Leeton Sportsperson of the Year Awards committee chairman Tony Reneker.
The win capped off a big year on the course for Emerson after competing at the 2019 Handiskins National Championships.
The competition was held on the Gold Coast in May and Emerson was in top form, finishing runner-up, earning himself the title of the second-best amateur golf player in the country.
The competition is known as being the closest event to a professional golf tournament that an amateur golfer will ever play.
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To qualify, participating clubs throughout the country hold five rounds of the competition at a local level over five weeks.
The top four finishers have the option to then continue on to the national event.
Meanwhile, for Staines this wasn't the first time she has won the junior title, but it will be the last time she qualifies for the award, having now turned 18 and finished her schooling.
Staines was recognised for her long list of achievements in the past 12 months, which has catapulted her onto the women's rugby league scene.
This has included represented Riverina and winning the first women's Country Rugby League championship with her side.
Staines was then selected in the open NSW women's rugby league team, which finished second at the national championships on the Gold Coast.
She was also selected in the NSW women's under 18s team to play Queensland.
Staines was best on ground in Yanco-Wamoon's Group 20 league tag premiership, capping all of this off with a selected in the PM's XIII which played in Fiji.
Staines said the sportsperson award was an honour.
"You don't do any of it for the awards, but just because you love what you do," she said.
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