Bridgetown youngster Darcy Craven receives WAFL award from Fremantle Docker Connor Blakely

An up-and-coming Bridgetown footballer was named one of the best performers in a State competition designed to find the next West Australian Football League stars. Darcy Craven, 16, was a joint winner of the 2021 Connor Blakely Award for Excellence after playing in the WAFL Simply Energy Futures competition earlier this year. Craven was presented the award by Blakely, who made his way to the AFL via the South West in Bunbury, on Sunday. Craven said he was simply shocked to find out he had won the award. “I was a bit surprised, didn’t think I was going to win it, it was pretty good,” Craven said. Craven is in his first season of colts football with the Bridgetown Bulldogs, where he has played since juniors. But he has been called up to play a handful of games in the club’s league side which has been dominating in the Lower South West Football League. Craven predominantly plays as a midfielder, utilising his skills of running and kicking and modelling his game on West Coast Eagle Andrew Gaff. The youngster’s father Jarran Craven said he was proud of his son and would love to see him push himself as far as he can in the sport. “That’s all he wants to do at the moment,” he said. “I’ve just told him to see how high he can go.” Craven said he wants to keep competing in Bridgetown’s league side over the next few years and aims to one day make it to the AFL.