Pavlich took out his fourth consecutive Doig Medal in front of over 1000 guests at the Burswood Grand Ballroom, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat since the AFL formed.
Pavlich, who won All-Australian selection for the sixth time this year, received 30 votes despite missing three games late in the season, finishing three ahead of All-Australian ruckman Aaron Sandilands.
Versatile star Luke McPharlin was third in the count, followed by NAB AFL Rising Star winner Rhys Palmer.
At just 26, Pavlich now has a claim to being Fremantle’s greatest ever player.
Only Peter Bell, who won three best and fairests at Fremantle and skippered the club from 2002-06, could rival the 194-game veteran as the club's greatest player.
Votes were awarded to every player by the match committee following the game and on a 4-3-2-1 system of rating their performance. A player received four for an outstanding game, three for excellent, two for very good and one for good.
In a turbulent year for Fremantle which saw the retirements of Shaun McManus, Peter Bell, Matthew Carr, Jeff Farmer, Heath Black, Luke Webster and Mark Johnson, Pavlich led the club as captain and in a host of stats.
Playing as a key forward and on the ball, he was Freo’s season leader in goals (67), marks inside 50 (55), entries inside 50 (101) and contested marks (40). He was second in kicks (263) and marks (138), and third in contested possessions (141).
"All those guys that are retiring have been an outstanding support for me and are true friends," Pavlich said. “I thank them for their support.
"To the players that are to be here next year, let's reflect on this year and realise that it wasn’t good enough, but let's move forward and make sure everything is ticked off between now and when we start training.
"I want to make sure that the guys between 19 and 25 really reflect on their year to ensure they reach their potential, because I'm extremely confident that if they work hard enough and their attitude is right they will get to the goals they are aiming for, and we will get to where we want to as a club.
2008 Doig Medal Top 10
Matthew Pavlich - 30 votes
Aaron Sandilands - 27
Luke McPharlin - 26
Rhys Palmer - 23
Michael Johnson - 21
Ryan Crowley - 21
David Mundy - 16
Byron Schammer - 14
Roger Hayden - 12
Garrick Ibbotson - 11
OTHER AWARD WINNERS
Beacon Award: Rhys Palmer
Best Clubman Award: Luke Webster
Harbour Masters Award: Luke McPharlin
Past Players and Officials Award: Andrew Browne
WAFL Recognition Award: Brock O’Brien
Leading Goal Kicker Award: Matthew Pavlich
