An End To All Things
There was no silverware this time around, but the season-ending gala dinner could have had few more alluring hooks, than
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim's confirmation of his decision to retire. The occasion would be, quite deservedly, all about the veteran striker, who will depart with a host of individual records, including the most prominent goalscoring ones.
The ceremony began proper after the glitzy five-minute introduction video to Mohd Safri's many feats, and it about went according to form, with
Gennady Dvorak encountering little real competition in becoming Grilled Birds' Player of the Season. His accomplishment of eighteen goals in twenty-one appearances was not remotely approached by anybody else in the squad, and resembled the output of main scorers in previous title-winning squads.
19 year-old
Moey Xin Seng finally picked up the Young Player of the Season award, after having come close the last couple of times. According to head coach
Djan Bacelar, his added maturity tipped the scales in his favour this time. "Moey had always been outstanding, but we have only really just begun to see his leadership potential come through."
Another much-watched rising star got the nod for the Farmer Bunnies' main individual recognition, with
Tham Leng Teck following up on his previous Young Player honour, with the senior version, at just 22 years of age. Not only had he been the Buns' most-played outfielder, the defender even became their second-best goalscorer, with a very respectable haul of eight goals, mostly headed.
Sikong Darong feted Tham's multi-faceted contribution to the team. "It has been a very challenging season for all of us, but especially for a select few, who have been tasked with tackling our new total-fullback system. Tham in particular has excelled in this very demanding position, and shown us that it can be effective at a high level."
As for the Buns' Young Player of the Season, the title went to tenacious academy defender Chia Kuan Chao, who was not present due to having just left for Hampshire club AFC Unorthodox. Rancher Rabbits scout Tong Han Kong, who had introduced him to the youth setup, accepted the award on his behalf.
This was of course all just a prelude to
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim's parting speech, which was brief and powerful - much like his attacking style. It ended on a high note, with an exhortation for the club not to rest on its laurels.
"And I won't say any more." he concluded, to the standing ovation throughout. "That's it. Goodbye!"
There was a curveball thrown at the last, though, as
Zhao Jing Wei - who had previously been reported to be retiring together with Mohd Safri - revealing that he had signed a season-long extension. This bit of news brought some actual cheer back to the event, just as it closed.
