Deledio, 21, took the Tigers award ahead of Shane Tuck and last year's winner Matthew Richardson to join club legends such as Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart and Kevin Sheedy as a best and fairest winner.
"To win the award is a huge honour, especially when you consider the list of people that have won it in the past," Deledio said from the club's headquarters at Punt Road on Thursday.
"It's nice to be recognised by the people who give you jobs week in, week out.
"It's something you only dream about when you're younger. I guess it was a breakout year for me. I needed to get a lot fitter and push into the midfield and I'm still learning how to do that properly. I can always get fitter, kick more goals and lay more tackles.
"I guess the next thing for us is to have some finals success, which would be nice."
Deledio credits the most influential figure in his life, his father, for helping him get back on track after a disappointing start to the season against Carlton in round one.
"We sat down and had a bit of a chat about a few different things that he thought I could to do better out there to make my game a lot better, and also probably getting a hair cut was along those lines as well," he said.
"I think I put down my good form to getting a hair cut and listening to what he told me.
"He's been [influential] since the word go – ever since I played my first game. Stuff like drawing lines on the footy field to show me where I should be running, that sort of thing; I can't thank him enough for what he's done for me."
Deledio feels the elusive finals success that he and his teammates crave isn't far away, with the experience gained by some of the club's youngsters in 2008 a key.
"If we get some more experience into those guys – they can all definitely play football – who knows what the future can hold?" he said, adding he found it difficult to watch the September action from the sidelines.
"It's just disappointing when the weather's so good and you're not out there playing. It would just be nice to have a little taste. We get to play in front of big crowds every now and then, but it's not finals football and that's something to look forward to."
To view Brett Deledio's media conference, click here
