RICHMOND captain Trent Cotchin has become the youngest player in Tiger history to win three club champion awards after winning the 2014 Jack Dyer Medal on Tuesday night.
Cotchin, 24, polled 292 votes to edge out midfielder Brandon Ellis (283 votes) and young star Dustin Martin (266 votes) in an exciting count at Crown Palladium, adding to his 2011 and 2012 best and fairest awards.
The skipper trailed Martin at the halfway point of the season but took the lead after his brilliant 37-possession game against the Brisbane Lions in round 17 and wasn't overtaken from there.
He became the ninth Tiger to win three club champion awards, joining Jack Dyer (six), Kevin Bartlett (five), Roy Wright (four), Wayne Campbell (four), Bill Morris (three), Ron Branton (three), Neville Crowe (three) and Geoff Raines (three).
Rounding out the top five on Tuesday night were half-forward Shane Edwards (258 votes) and star forward Jack Riewoldt (253 votes), with All Australian Alex Rance finishing down the order due to five games missed early with a foot injury.
The key defender charged home in the second half of the season, however, polling 159 votes in his last 11 games to finish equal seventh on 230 votes with Brett Deledio, who missed four games.
Cotchin played all 23 games in 2014 and averaged 26 disposals, ranking No.1 at the club and No.4 in the competition for contested possessions (421 overall), No.1 for rebound 50s (94) and No.2 for marks (126).
He was well assisted in the midfield by rookie revelation Anthony Miles, who was delisted by Greater Western Sydney but resurrected his career at Punt Road and won the best first-year player award.
After every game the five members of Richmond's match committee cast votes for the 22 selected players, awarding each player zero to five votes.
The highest tally a player can poll in one match is 25 votes, with Riewoldt (11 goals in round 10) and Rance (against the Sydney Swans in round 23) each receiving a season-high 23 votes in games.
2014 Jack Dyer Medal top 10
1st. Trent Cotchin 292 votes
2nd. Brandon Ellis 283
3rd. Dustin Martin 266
4th. Shane Edwards 258
5th. Jack Riewoldt 253
6th. Troy Chaplin 238
Eq 7th. Brett Deledio 230
Eq 7th. Alex Rance 230
9th. Bachar Houli 228
10th. Steven Morris 197
