Jordan McLean’s first season in North Queensland was ruined by a foot injury, his second ended with an award voted on by his peers.

McLean was tonight named 2019 Players’ Player at the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys Annual Presentation Night at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2019 season which saw him play 22 of a possible 24 games after being limited to 10 in his maiden season at the Cowboys.

With superstar forwards Jason Taumalolo, Matt Scott and Josh McGuire battling injuries at different points of the season, McLean was a constant force in the middle of the field for Paul Green.

He averaged an impressive 131 running metres and 28 tackles a game for the season, but it was on the defensive side of the ball McLean made the biggest impression.

He finished the season with an effective tackle percentage of 95%, which ranked fourth in the NRL for players who appeared in at least 20 games.

McLean also thrived in a leadership role after being named vice-captain by Green in the pre-season and was called upon to skipper the side on four occasions throughout the season.