Edinburgh Rugby lock Grant Gilchrist scooped this season’s coach-nominated Player of the Season award at the club’s 2013 / 2014 awards dinner. Roddy Grant, Dougie Fife, Cornell du Preez and Alasdair Dickinson were the other players who were honoured for their contributions this year to Edinburgh Rugby.
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Player of the Season: Grant Gilchrist
The 6ft 7in, 18-stone second-row has started all of his 23 appearances for the club this season, playing the full 80 minutes on all but one occasion.
In fact, such is his long-standing influence on the squad, that the lock has started all but four of his 67 Edinburgh Rugby outings.
This has been a landmark year for the former elite development player who, alongside blossoming internationalists Matt Scott and David Denton, played an increasing influential role for the club, on and off the field.
His consistency of performance and commitment to the club has been exemplary and so justified selection in the eyes of coaches Alan Solomons, Stevie Scott and Omar Mouneimne.
Players’ Players of the Season: Roddy Grant
Back-row Roddy Grant added a second award in as many weeks, with the coveted, peer-nominated, Player’s Player of the Season award to add to his supporter-nominated ‘Caullie Lug’.
Grant has featured in 22 games from a possible 27 so far this season, with an ankle injury sustained against Zebre rulling him out of the last three matches of the season.
In total, that has seen the 27 year-old rack up an impressive 109 outings for the club (starting 89) since his debut in the 2008 / 2009 season.
Young Player of the Season: Dougie Fife
Dougie Fife was one of the stand out developments of the 2012/13 season as he worked his way into contention in one of the most competitive areas of the squad.
This season he has since built upon his growing reputation, became a first team regular for the club under Solomons, and enjoyed his most prolific spell in the black and red – scoring five times in seven matches.
Fife’s impressive season for Edinburgh was then recognised with his first Scotland cap against Wales in the 2014 RBS 6 Nations.
Newcomer of the Season: Cornell du Preez
The is little to say about 23 year-old back-row forward, Cornell du Preez, that hasn’t been said already since he arrived at Edinburgh Rugby in the autumn.
The former Springbok Academy player has starred across all back-row positions for the club this season, and has shown impressive resilience for his formative years, to endure unbroken, back-to-back southern and northern hemisphere seasons.
Since his debut in October, he has started 21 of his 23 apperances, scoring seven tries in the process, thanks to an unrelenting aggression, wrapped up in what is arguably the clubs most powerful player, pound for pound.
Edinburgh Rugby Iron Man: Alisdair Dickson
Last, but by no means least, is the Edinburgh Rugby Iron Man award, nominated by the club’s strength and conditioning department for commitment to the jersey at game time and in relentless preparation.
Alasdair Dickinson was this year’s winner for displaying a season-long commitment to preparing to play, on the training field and in the gym, and also in game time.
The club’s fastest and fittest prop, and strongest player overall, is a ruthless trainer and commits every once of his effort to wringing each inch out of improvement from every session.
Combine that with 20 appearances for the club, on top of international commitments and the ongoing management of a calf strain, and it is clear why Dickinson was a shoe-in for this season’s Iron Man.