Star midfielder Clayton Oliver has claimed his fourth Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy, taking home the individual honour at Melbourne’s Best and Fairest on Friday night.
The 25-year-old was rewarded for another outstanding season in the red and blue, topping the count with 608 votes.
Fellow midfielder Christian Petracca (553 votes) was runner-up, receiving the Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy, while key defender Steven May (473 votes) was presented with the Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy for a third-place finish.
Oliver is now in the illustrious company of past Melbourne greats Allan La Fontaine and Jim Stynes, who also won ‘Bluey’ on four occasions.
The recognition follows an extremely consistent year, where the former No.4 draft pick averaged 33 disposals across 23 matches – he missed just one game due to injury.
Oliver’s midfield dominance was once again on show, with his ability to win the contested ball a standout. He led the league in not only contested possessions (409), but also clearances (199) and total disposals (753).
It caps off a remarkable 2022 campaign, where he was recognised as the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year for a consecutive year, earned his third All-Australian blazer and finished equal-fourth in the Brownlow Medal count (26 votes).
Senior coach Simon Goodwin said the result was great reward for effort after another consistent season.
“For Clayton to be awarded his fourth club Best and Fairest at such a young age is an incredible effort and something he should be really proud of,” Goodwin told Melbourne Media.
“Clayton has had another consistent season, where he has been able to perform his role to an exceptional level, while winning his own footy and driving his teammates to new levels.
“He works incredibly hard on improving his game every week and there is no coincidence that the work he does has reflected Clayton’s outstanding season.”
Petracca, a Best and Fairest winner in 2020, was a worthy runner-up, having ranked first for inside 50s and fifth for contested possessions across the competition in 2022.
Alongside the Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy, this season saw the explosive midfielder also earn a third All-Australian selection and sixth-place finish in the Brownlow Medal count (25 votes).
May was just as important for the Demons this campaign, averaging 19 disposals at an efficiency of 85 percent.
The 30-year-old, who was also selected in the All-Australian side, tallied 164 intercept possessions across 22 games and proved a key cog to Melbourne’s defence.
Vice-captain Jack Viney (471 votes) finished in fourth place off the back of another hard-fought year, taking home the Ivor Warne Smith Memorial Trophy, with fellow midfielder Angus Brayshaw (446 votes) receiving the Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy to round out the top five.
The pair were further recognised on the night, with Viney the recipient of the TRUE Player Award, most representative of the club’s values, and Brayshaw collecting the Leadership Award.
Jake Bowey was deemed the Best Young Player of 2022, with Luke Dunstan and Tom Sparrow presented the Best VFL Player and Coaches Award respectively.
Ben Brown claimed the Club Ambassador Award for his work at community level.
2022 Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy – Top 10
Clayton Oliver – 608 votes
Christian Petracca – 553 votes
Steven May – 473 votes
Jack Viney – 471 votes
Angus Brayshaw – 446 votes
Max Gawn – 430 votes
Bayley Fritsch – 395 votes
Kysaiah Pickett – 391 votes
Alex Neal-Bullen – 384 votes
Ed Langdon – 367 votes
Troy Broadbridge Memorial Trophy – Best VFL Player
Luke Dunstan
James McDonald Trophy – TRUE player
Jack Viney
Ian Ridley Memorial Trophy – Club Ambassador Award
Ben Brown
Harold Ball Memorial Trophy – Best Young Player
Jake Bowey
Ron Barassi Jnr Trophy – Leadership Award
Angus Brayshaw
Norm Smith Memorial Trophy – Coaches Award
Tom Sparrow
