SUFC players fared well at the recent NSW Waratahs awards night, with flanker Dave Dennis finishing third in the polling for the Matthew Burke Cup for the Waratahs Players’ Player of the 2011 Super Rugby season.
The award was won by fullback Kurtley Beale, who finished the season on 247 votes to win from 2010 champion Tatafu Polota-Nau (194), who collected the award for Best Forward.
Dennis, a Wallaby squad member, finished third overall, just five points behind Polota-Nau. He was the only player to top the polling in three matches this season.
SUFC halfback Luke Burgess, who led the polling for much of the season, picked up the Best Back award after finishing on 182 points.
Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh, centre Tom Carter and five-eighth Daniel Halangahu were among players to top the polling in a match during the season. Each player in the 22-man match day Waratahs squad submitted votes on a 3-2-1 basis after every round to determine the overall result.
SUFC rookie Tom Kingston received the Chris Whitaker Aspiring Waratah Award for HSBC Junior Waratah of the Year and was one of 12 players to be presented with their debut jerseys.
And Tom Carter was awarded the Waratah Medal for on and off-field excellence. He and Luke Burgess were also presented with their 50th state caps.
