MELBOURNE ruckman MAX Gawn has won the 2018 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award.
The ruckman won the award with 97 votes, six ahead of Carlton young-gun Patrick Cripps (91).
Hawthorn ball magnet Tom Mitchell (88 votes) and Magpie ruckman Brodie Grundy (82) finished third and fourth respectively.
Melbourne star midfielder Clayton Oliver came equal fifth with Dayne Beams (Brisbane Lions) and Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs). The trio claimed 72 votes each.
Reigning Brownlow Medal winner Dustin Martin and Giant Lachie Whitfield claimed 70 votes each.
Rounding out the top 10 was Bomber Dyson Heppell, with 68 votes.
Gawn, who was All-Australian in 2016, was pivotal in Melbourne making the finals for the first time since 2006.
The 26-year-old received seven votes in Melbourne’s 45-point win over GWS Giants at the MCG on Sunday to claim the award.
This came after scoring a perfect 10 votes against West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium in round 22.
Originally drafted from Ormond/Sandringham Dragons at No.34 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft, Gawn has played 96 AFL games since making his debut in round 11, 2011 against Essendon at the MCG.
Although he has battled several injuries during his career, particularly knee problems, ever since the second half of the 2015 season, he has been a mainstay of the Melbourne side.
He has since developed into one of the best rucks of the modern era.
This year, Gawn notched up 1000 hit outs – the
Only North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein (1058) has won more in a year, but his count included finals.
Gawn could surpass that number, depending on the rest of Melbourne’s 2018 campaign.
Oliver, who won Melbourne’s best and fairest award in 2017, had another brilliant home and away season, collecting 655 disposals – four fewer than last year.
The 21-year-old has played 57 games after he was drafted at No.4 in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
He made his AFL debut in round one, 2016 against GWS Giants at the MCG.
Oliver was drafted from Mooroopna/Bendigo Pioneers/Murray Bushrangers.
Gawn and Oliver were also named in the All-Australian squad on Monday.
2018 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award
97 – Max Gawn (Melbourne)
91 – Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
88 – Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
82 – Brodie Grundy (Collingwood)
72 – Dayne Beams (Brisbane Lions)
72 – Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)
72 – Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
70 – Dustin Martin (Richmond)
70 – Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants)
68 – Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
Max Gawn votes: round-by-round
Round 1: Melbourne v Geelong Cats
AFLCA votes: 9
Hit-outs: 47
Round 2: Brisbane Lions v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 48
Round 3: Melbourne v North Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 10
Hit-outs: 50
Round 4: Hawthorn v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 66
Round 5: Melbourne v Richmond
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 56
Round 6: Essendon v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 10
Hit-outs: 42
Round 7: St Kilda v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 6
Hit-outs: 34
Round 8: Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 6
Hit-outs: 41
Round 9: Carlton v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 2
Hit-outs: 44
Round 10: Melbourne v Adelaide Crows
AFLCA votes: 3
Hit-outs: 49
Round 11: Western Bulldogs v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 57
Round 12: Melbourne v Collingwood
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 33
Round 14: Port Adelaide v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 53
Round 15: Melbourne v St Kilda
AFLCA votes: 10
Hit-outs: 39
Round 16: Melbourne v Fremantle
AFLCA votes: 6
Hit-outs: 42
Round 17: Melbourne v Western Bulldogs
AFLCA votes: 10
Hit-outs: 41
Round 18: Geelong Cats v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 38
Round 19: Adelaide Crows v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 9
Hit-outs: 66
Round 20: Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 30
Round 21: Melbourne v Sydney Swans
AFLCA votes: 0
Hit-outs: 46
Round 22: West Coast v Melbourne
AFLCA votes: 10
Hit-outs: 41
Round 23: Melbourne v GWS Giants
AFLCA votes: 7
Hit-outs: 37
