THERE were probably a few sore heads down Edmonton way on Saturday morning after Storm five-eighth Brian Murgha was named the Cairns District Rugby League Gold Medal winner for 2012 on Friday night.

Murgha pipped two-time champion Steve Singleton of Yarrabah by a point to win with 18 votes, while Ivanhoes forward Tom Lynch finished third after polling 16.

Shocked to be crowned this year's best and fairest, Murgha did not think he was a hope of taking home the league's most prestigious individual honour before the count started.

"I missed a few games through the season and didn't think I'd be in the running," Murgha said.

"It's a big surprise. I was surprised I was even in contention after 18 games.

"With the coaching staff at Edmonton, we had a pretty close group and they gave me an opportunity to captain the side.

"All the players sort of looked up to me, so I was happy to be able to do something."

Murgha's Gold Medal win would have helped ease the Storm's pain after their elimination from the title race at the hands of Innisfail the previous Sunday.

While he would have loved to have been playing in yesterday's grand final, Murgha believes good times are ahead for his club.

"If we can keep the same group of players together then I think we'll definitely be a chance of winning it next year," Murgha said.

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