MAX Gawn has won his first Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy in a comprehensive victory at Crown Palladium on Monday night.

Gawn polled 657 votes, 62 ahead last year’s winner Clayton Oliver, who came runner-up to claim the Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy.

Midfielder James Harmes finished third with 468 votes to receive the Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy.

Co-captain Nathan Jones (449 votes) secured fourth place with the Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy.

And key forward Tom McDonald (433) rounded out the top five with the Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy.

Angus Brayshaw, who finished third in the Brownlow Medal, behind winner, Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell, and runner-up, Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom, came sixth on 429 votes.

From seven to 10 were forward Jake Melksham (428 votes), the classy Christian Salem (403), much-loved Demon Neville Jetta (383) and the experienced Jordan Lewis (366).

Gawn had an outstanding season, winning the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award and being named All-Australian.



Gawn celebrates a goal in the semi-final against the Hawks (Photo: Adam Trafford)

He also finished equal fourth in the Brownlow Medal and had 1119 hit outs for the year – a VFL/AFL record.

After coming third in Melbourne’s best and fairest in 2016, Gawn has now become the first red and blue ruckman since Jeff White to win the Truscott Memorial Trophy.

It’s an outstanding achievement, considering he has overcome several knee injuries early in his career.

Remarkably, Oliver has finished in the top two of Melbourne’s best and fairest twice – in just three AFL seasons.

Given Oliver was drafted at No.4 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, it’s a stunning effort.

He also polled 13 votes in this year’s Brownlow Medal, giving him 28 from three matches.

Harmes took his game to another level in 2018, especially from round 18, where he produced some brilliant form for the rest of the year.

He played on some of the competition’s best midfielders and not only quelled them, but won plenty of the ball himself.

For Jones, it was remarkably his 10th top five finish. Only three seasons (2006, 2008 and 2010) has he not claimed a top 10 finish. But every other season (2007. 2009 and 2011-18), Jones has claimed a top five placing.

He has now won it three times (2012-14), finished second twice (2007 and 2016), come equal third once (2017), fourth (2011 and 2018) and fifth (2009 and 2015).

And after missing the first five matches of the season with a foot injury, Tom McDonald returned to produce a super season, booting a career-best 53 goals.

He is now one of the best key forwards in the game, after spending much of his career as a backman.

McDonald also finished top three in 2012 and 2015.

From 11 to 20, the order was Jesse Hogan (365), Oscar McDonald (346), Alex Neal-Bullen (322), Michael Hibberd (317), Christian Petracca (268), Bayley Fritsch (261), Jack Viney (244), Charlie Spargo (209), Mitch Hannan (182) and Sam Frost (174).

From there it was Bernie Vince (171), Jake Lever (149), Dom Tyson (125), Aaron vandenBerg (125), Jeff Garlett (105), Sam Weideman (100), Joel Smith (71), Josh Wagner (63), Jay Kennedy Harris (61), Dean Kent (55), Tim Smith (40), Tom Bugg (39), Billy Stretch (21), Jayden Hunt (16), Cam Pedersen (10) and Corey Maynard (seven).

Harley Balic, Oskar Baker, Mitch King, Harry Petty, Dion Johnstone, Pat McKenna, Declan Keilty and Lochie Filipovic did not play an AFL match this year.

Melbourne’s best and fairest votes were cast by four members of the club’s match committee. They gave players a score from zero to 10 for each game.

2018 Melbourne best and fairest votes