MELBOURNE stalwart Arthur Wilkinson has been awarded the Monjon Australia Support Staff Leadership Award.

Wilkinson was presented the award by new general manager of club development Chris Connolly at the AFL Coaches Association awards at Crown on Tuesday night.

A legendary figure at the club, Wilkinson has served Melbourne for more than 40 years.

He is one of Melbourne’s doormen, along with another club stalwart Barry King and now Wilkinson’s son Mark.

President Don McLardy said at last Friday night’s Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy dinner that Wilkinson had told him that new senior coach Mark Neeld was the correct choice.

“’I’ve got some good news for you Mark, because our doorman Arthur, who started here in 1960 under legendary coach Norm Smith, spoke to me before and said: ‘you (Neeld) are the right man’,” he said.

“So that’s a very good commendation.”

Neeld later replied: “Arthur, my girls love you already, thank you very much. [It’s] a good prediction.”