Edinburgh could be among the honours even before the new season formally kicks off, with Tim Visser and Roddy Grant listed in the nominees who will gather for the inaugural Magners League Awards ceremony at the Millennium Stadium on Monday night.
Visser, who enjoyed a storming debut season in the black and red, appears on two shortlists, for the Players’ Player award and Young Player of the Season. The Dutchman, also named in the Magners League Dream Team on the back of being the competition’s leading try scorer last term, has strong competition for the first award, with Ospreys’ Tommy Bowe, Aled Brew of the Dragons, and Cardiff Blues duo Xavier Rush and Ceri Sweeney all in the running.
New Edinburgh captain Roddy Grant will, meanwhile, vie with Visser for the Young Player award, open to those who were under 23 and uncapped at the start of last season. The other candidates for the gong are Glasgow Warriors prop Jon Welsh, Cian Healy of Leinster, and Scarlets hooker Ken Owens.
The ceremony, which precedes the official launch of the new Magners League season in Cardiff on Tuesday, will also see the Gilbert Golden Boot awarded to last season’s most efficient marksman from the kicking tee. The event will be broadcast ‘as live’ on Welsh channel S4C at 9.30pm on Monday night.
Expressing delight at his double nomination, Visser said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have made it onto both shortlists. In terms of the Players’ Player nomination, it’s a real honour to have won the recognition of my fellow professionals. It will be strange to be going up against Roddy for the Young Player award, but it’s a great thing for the club to have two guys in the running.”
Grant, who in tandem with head coach Rob Mofffat will represent Edinburgh at the launch, said: “It’s very exciting to be in with a chance. The fact that both myself and Tim have been shortlisted is a reflection of the level of opportunity young players get at Edinburgh. The pair of us are extremely grateful to Rob and the rest of the coaching staff for the faith they’ve shown in us, and we’re looking forward to continuing to repay it in the coming season.”
Grant’s consistency last term saw him named Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s own awards.
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