Gabelich was honoured for his piece on Tom Liberatore and his ‘homework club’, where the Western Bulldogs veteran volunteers to work with school students in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Awarded annually since 1999 by the AFL Players’ Association, the Grant Hattam Award for Outstanding Journalism from the Players’ Perspective honours a journalist who provides a unique insight into the lives of footballers.
It is named after Grant Hattam, a leading sports and media lawyer who died in 1998.
Tom Liberatore and a classroom session with a difference
Gabelich spent an afternoon with Liberatore and 25 students at a school in Braybrook, where the Bulldogs midfielder opened up about his community efforts with the students as well as his previous work with inmates at Port Phillip Prison.
As a panellist on AFL.com.au‘s weekly preview show The Round Ahead, Gabelich also spoke about Liberatore in his Player Portrait series.
Since joining AFL.com.au in 2022, Gabelich has established a name for himself for his in-depth profiles of some of the game’s biggest names. Telling the stories behind the story, he also wrote standout pieces this year on Callan Ward, Sam Davidson and Saad El-Hawli, among others.
A gifted storyteller across AFL.com.au’s text, audio and video platforms, Gabelich is also a strong newsbreaker and is active in the trade and draft space each year.
“Josh is a highly talented journalist in our team and this award is great recognition of his outstanding storytelling that goes beyond what happens on the field,” said Ed Bowman, the AFL’s Head of Content.
“Josh’s relationships and curiosity for players’ hobbies and interests away from football has led to some fantastic features this year, with the Tom Liberatore piece a particular highlight.”
