IN THE TIGHTEST of counts, Daisy Pearce has taken home Melbourne’s 2022 AFLW Best and Fairest award.

The Demons’ skipper, who now has three trophies to her name in the club’s six-year history, polled 50 votes from the 12-game season, finishing one-vote clear of ruck Lauren Pearce.

But that’s not where the intriguing count ended.

Tyla Hanks and Tayla Harris received 48 votes apiece to tie for third place, while Libby Birch, Lily Mithen and Karen Paxman all ended up with 47 votes, finishing equal fifth.

For Pearce, who was also named the league’s best captain last week, this achievement caps off another outstanding individual season, finding her best form since 2017 and 2018: the years she previously won this award.

The club’s skipper dominated as a midfielder when the competition was first created, but she settled up forward in 2022, while also chopping out in defence when her team needed her most.

Round 9 marked Pearce’s best game of the season, polling the perfect seven votes for a five-goal haul against the Dockers.

The 33-year-old played every game for the Demons, kicking 13 majors, averaging 11 disposals and leading the way both on and off the field.

While the Monday night event concluded with a toast to Pearce, it also celebrated the Dees’ best campaign to date which saw them fall one step short of the ultimate glory in Saturday’s Grand Final loss to Adelaide.

Defender Shelley Heath was among the players recognised in the ceremony held at the MCG, named the club’s Trademark Player of the year.

Take a look at the final leaderboard for the vote count below:

Each player receives a vote from 0-7 after each game, decided by the coaching staff as a collective