GEELONG premiership captain Cameron Ling has been honoured two months after his retirement with the AFL Players' Association's Madden Medal.
Ling, 30, was voted ahead of other recently retired nominees Craig Bolton, Tadhg Kennelly, Barry Hall, Cameron Mooney and Brady Rawlings and presented with the award in front of 300 guests at a function at Crown Casino on Thursday night.
He accepted the medal from brothers Simon and Justin Madden, after being voted as the worthy recipient by the board of the AFLPA.
The Madden Medal is awarded to the retiring player who throughout his career has "demonstrated on-field excellence, personal development and growth, as well as community spirit".
"I am really, really rapt with this award," Ling said.
"I was just happy to be nominated with such a good group of people and I'm really proud. It's fantastic.
"I'm almost speechless. There are blokes I rate highly as footballers and as people who have won it before and that means a lot to me."
While Ling's on-field accolades, including three premierships and 246 games speak for themselves, he has been as equally prolific away from football.
He has a certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training, and started studying for a Bachelor of Teaching - Primary/Bachelor of Arts and a certificate III in building.
He has held community roles, working as an ambassador with the Sea Shepherd, which works to halt ocean whaling - a cause close to his heart given his love of surfing - and has given support to Anam Cara House, who provide care for people affected by a life-limiting illness.
Ling also volunteers at Big Brothers Big Sisters, supporting young people through adult mentors, and supports Bravehearts, an organisation that fights against child sexual assault.
He is also a part-owner in six bars, cafes and restaurants in his hometown of Geelong, where he had a weekly radio slot on local station K-Rock.
Ling said former Geelong coach Mark Thompson first fuelled his desire to ensure he had a life away from the game.
"'Bomber' was really big on us having something outside of footy, whatever it may be, whatever the interest was of the individual," he said.
"That was great and I made sure I got involved in something outside of the game.
"The whole Geelong footy club, even now is still very strong on blokes having a really balanced lifestyle.
"Footy doesn't last forever unfortunately, as much as we'd all like it to, and you need to have something outside there and it's great the guys who have retired this year have been able to go on and do other things.
"'Dasher [Darren Milburn] has gone onto coaching, 'Otto' [Brad Ottens] will do a bit of coaching, and 'Moons' [Cameron Mooney] is going to do a bit in the media and also a bit of community work.
"I've been lucky enough to be able to go into the media [with Channel 7] as well so it's great."
Ling said he wasn't sure if coaching was for him but didn't rule it out down the track.
He also admitted he was leaning towards retirement as the Cats planned their September assault.
"I think if I was being honest, I sort of knew leading into the finals but I basically just forced myself not to think about it because I was that focused on what we were trying to do," he said.
"It was Sunday, the next day when I was having a quiet beer with [coach] Chris Scott and we were just talking a whole heap of rubbish as you do, and it just came to me.
"I said I was absolutely happy with everything I'd done, I was quite content and I said 'Mate, I'm done'.
"Enough was enough."
AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis said Ling was "humble, hard-working and very successful", which was indicative of the way he played the game.
"He retires as a triple-premiership player with 246 games at the elite level and has become one of the most popular figures in the game, not only among Geelong supporters but throughout the entire AFL industry," Finnis said.
"His achievements across all three categories of the Madden Medal have been exceptional.
"Whether the focus on his extensive community work, his dedication to personal and professional development or his ability to set himself up as a business man, Ling is an example of a player who has made the most of his AFL career."
Ling joins Brett Kirk (2010), Michael O'Loughlin (2009), Robert Harvey (2008) and Glenn Archer (2007) as winners of the medal.
