COUPLE GOALS: Partners Darren Parkes and Beck Gallimore claimed the LGSHA A-grade best and fairest awards

Albany’s hockey power couple Darren Parkes and Beck Gallimore are having a good run. The couple of six years have a wedding date set, they will both play in their respective Lower Great Southern Hockey Association grand finals on Saturday, and last week they were crowned the A-grade competitions fairest and best players of 2020. Parkes and Gallimore play hockey for different clubs, but at Saturday’s annual awards presentation, they celebrated together as winners of the two major A-grade gongs. Runner-up in the women’s A-grade award on multiple occasions, North Albany midfielder Gallimore finally cracked it this year as the winner. She capped a stellar regular season by claiming the top award on 14 votes, edging out joint runners-up Alice Lydiate and Emma Pyle (10), both from Manypeaks. Moving down to play in Albany this season, Parkes was a level above in the men’s A-grade competition for Spencer Park and polled 19 votes to finish well clear of North Albany’s Leander McQuade (13 votes). Speaking after their awards double, Gallimore said it was nice to break through and win the association’s top individual honour. “It is nice to do it together but more so for him to win it in his first year,” she said. “Darren gives Spencer so much structure, and his coaching for the younger guys is invaluable. “I’ve always been runner-up. “I think I’ve been runner-up four or five times, and the shortened season probably helped me. I didn’t miss any games this year.” Gallimore will be a key part of Redbacks’ bid to win the women’s A-grade title on Saturday, while Parkes takes on coaching responsibilities and will line up at centre half for his side in their grand final showdown with Redbacks. “We would both trade these in for a premiership medal this weekend,” Gallimore said. “For us it is more about the team accolades rather than individual. “Darren is definitely the better player of the two of us. “His trophies take up way more room in the house, but hopefully we can add a couple more to that on Saturday.” In the women’s B-grade fairest and best Spencer Park 1 player Jemma Foy and Mt Barker Red’s Clare King were joint winners on 12 votes. Vikings’ Kaysha Gardner and Mt Barker Red’s Amy Sandilands were runners-up on 10. The winner of the men’s B-grade award is yet to be announced.