CARLTON star Patrick Cripps has capped a career-best season with his second John Nicholls Medal, dominating the club's best and fairest count at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday night.
On an evening when it was announced he would take the reins as the club's co-captain alongside Sam Docherty next season, Cripps polled 166 votes to finish well clear of the chasing pack.
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Veteran defender Kade Simpson polled 108 votes in second, while the Curnow brothers – Ed and Charlie – tied for third spot with 98 votes. Dale Thomas celebrated arguably his best season at the club to round out the top five with 71 votes.
Cripps' herculean performances throughout the season consistently provided Carlton fans with a rare bright spot amid a disappointing campaign that yielded just two wins.
The supremely talented 23-year-old averaged 29.6 disposals per game, while breaking the AFL's all-time contested possessions record in a single season. He also finished second in the League for clearances, while he led Carlton for disposals, tackles and inside 50s.
His year had already been rewarded with his first inclusion in the Virgin Australia AFL All Australian team, as well as a fourth-place finish in the Brownlow Medal and second-place finishes in both the AFL Players' Association MVP award and the AFL Coaches' Association Player of the Year.
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His second John Nicholls Medal adds to the maiden club best and fairest award that he claimed in 2015, when he was crowned the second-youngest winner in Carlton's history at just 20 years of age.
Cripps' year was also highlighted by a two-year contract extension signed in July that will keep him at Ikon Park until at least 2021.
In other awards handed out across the night, former Port Adelaide ruckman Matthew Lobbe took home both the Best Clubman award and the Spirit of Carlton award after his first season with the Blues, while young midfielder Paddy Dow won the Best First-Year Player.
Carlton's best and fairest is voted on by four coaches (senior coach Brendon Bolton and three assistants), who can award votes to as many players as they choose on a 4-3-2-1 basis. Therefore, the most votes one player can poll in a single game is 16.
John Nicholls Medal top 10
1. Patrick Cripps (166)
2. Kade Simpson (108)
=3. Ed Curnow (98)
=3. Charlie Curnow (98)
5. Dale Thomas (71)
6. Liam Jones (48)
7. Zac Fisher (47)
8. Sam Rowe (43)
=9. Matthew Wright (39)
=9. Marc Murphy (39)
