Albany Sportsperson of the Year: Pararoos star Connor Bunce takes out senior award after stellar 2023 year

Pararoos midfielder Connor Bunce hopes his J&S Castlehow Electrical Services Senior Albany Sportsperson of the Year award inspires youngsters with disabilities to pursue their sporting dreams. Bunce, 20, is kicking goals on and off the field after a remarkable 2023 with the national team and WA in which he was named as a finalist in the rejuvenated awards. He put in a superb performance for WA at the National Para Football Championships in Perth in October and was named player of the tournament after helping guide WA to a runner-up finish. His phenomenal year was capped off with four appearances and four goals for the Pararoos in 2023. The rising star now has 17 caps for his country and scored 11 goals. His proud father Justin Mosley celebrated his son’s triumph by accepting the award on his behalf on February 15. The soccer star held off the likes of Country Cricket Championship All-Australian Nathan Crudeli, Great Southern Jockeys’ premiership winner Natasha Faithfull, WA’s Country Hockey Championship-winning captain Darren Parkes and outstanding triathlete Damien McAleese to claim top honours. The Pararoo, who has cerebral palsy, said he hoped his success stood as a beacon of inspiration for the growth of disabilities in sports. “For sure (it’s a good advertisement for disabilities in sports), especially kids in Albany who have abilities who think they have boundaries and barriers,” he said. “If I could tell them anything I would say anything’s possible, especially winning awards, give them a little bit of encouragement to push them forward.” He was extremely appreciative of winning the award ahead of a high-calibre list of local athletes. “It’s a big step in my life at the moment, taking that award, especially knowing how much I’ve progressed over the years and being able to win the award is one of my best achievements,” Bunce said. “I have to say I’m pretty surprised I won it, especially with Albany and the talent there at the moment. “I’m pretty stoked that I was able to win it ahead of some high-class and amazing athletes and they definitely made their name as well for their hard work and dedication to their sport.” Reflecting on his dominant tournament that led to his nomination for the gong, Bunce said it was being able to lead the younger players that gave him the most satisfaction. “Finishing runner-up was probably the worst part of it, but the rest of the tournament was absolutely outstanding,” he said. “Seeing some of the young talent come through and getting the spotlight on themselves was great. “In terms of my performance overall I was happy to be able to coach some of the younger players and show them what disabilities without barriers can do.” Now living in Perth to pursue his goals of representing the Pararoos again, Bunce’s commitment to the cause knows no bounds. “I’ve moved to Perth because I want to promote myself to a team in the NPL competition and reach newer heights,” he said. “I run roughly 12km to and from work every day (to try and get myself fit for the Pararoos). “Training begins for WA next week for the national championships in July and this year the next competition for the national side is in November in Spain. “So I will be putting in a lot of training and a lot of hard work for that.”