Eastwell polled well through the early rounds of the season and clinched the honour of the Central Highlands Football League's best-and-fairest with one vote in the Cats' final match against Hepburn.

He finished a narrow victor over Burras spearhead Lee Cox and Springbank onballer James Millikan, who tied for second.

The 30-year-old assistant coach said season 2010 had been all about hard work.

"I put a lot of effort in at the start of the year and really committed to being a role model for the younger kids around the club," Eastwell, in his fifth season with the Cats, said.

"With Shaun Smith (coach) working in Melbourne, he couldn't get to training all the time so I took on the role as coach during the week sometimes and it probably made me a heaps better player. Personally, it brought me out of my shell a bit."

Eastwell said he knew he had a good season but did not think Newlyn won enough matches to figure highly in the voting.

The onballer's season was full of highlights.

First, Eastwell was made captain and assistant coach of a club he loves and then had his form rewarded with a call-up to train with the VCFL district state team.

Last night's medal was the icing on the cake.

"To win this is just amazing - I can't believe it," he said.

Cox won the senior leading goalkicker of the year with 118 goals, while Hepburn's Janee Brown won the B grade netball best and fairest.

The club championship award is still in dispute. It was initially awarded to Springbank but Hepburn has challenged the result, believing it should have won the Merv and Mary Howard Champion Club award.