BRETT Deledio has won Richmond’s best and fairest award, the 2008 Jack Dyer Medal, in an exciting count at Crown's Palladium Ballroom on Wednesday night.

Deledio, 21, polled 250 votes to become the youngest winner since a 20-year-old Matthew Knights triumphed in 1990.

He held off midfielder Shane Tuck (223), with last year's victor Matthew Richardson in third place on 203 votes.

Richardson, 33, had an impressive campaign mostly from a wing, led the club's goalkicking with 48, collected 29 possessions and 21 marks in an upset of Hawthorn in round 20 and earned All-Australian honours for the first time since 1999.

He narrowly led the count from Deledio at the halfway mark, with Tuck a distant 15th at that stage.

Vice-captain Chris Newman finished fourth on 196 votes, while Kelvin Moore (186) highlighted his continued development as a key defender.

The No. 1 selection in the 2004 National AFL Draft, Deledio played all 22 home and away games in 2008 and had 25 disposals or more on 10 occasions – with a season-high of 32 against the Sydney Swans at the SCG in round 10.

He averaged better than 24 disposals and seven marks per game and led the Tigers for inside 50s (91) and goal assists (19). He also kicked 28 goals – fourth overall for the season.

For Tuck, it was his third top-three finish in four full seasons at Richmond after third place in 2005 and again last year.

The 26-year-old led the disposal count with 547, an average of almost 25, and also had a club-high 84 tackles.

Tuck hasn’t missed a game since Terry Wallace took over as coach.

Richmond's system for awarding the Jack Dyer Medal has five members of the club's match committee cast votes for every round's 22 players.

Each player receives zero to five votes from each coach, so the most an individual player can receive in any round is 25 votes.

Five votes are awarded for an outstanding performance, four for an excellent game, down to zero if the player is beaten on the day.

In other awards, Trent Cotchin was named the best first year player, Matt White the most improved player and Newman received the Francis Bourke Award as best clubman.

Richmond finished ninth after the 22 home and away rounds with 11 wins, 10 losses and a draw – two premiership points and percentage shy of eighth-placed Collingwood.