ADELAIDE star Rory Laird has joined an exclusive club of Crows greats after winning back-to-back Malcolm Blight Medals on Thursday night.
Laird became just the fourth player in club history to win consecutive club champion awards, polling 118 votes to hold off gun recruit Jordan Dawson (114) in a thrilling count.
The 28-year-old, who was named in the 2022 Therabody AFL All-Australian squad, joins Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and Scott Thompson as a back-to-back winner.
He now sits alongside premiership players Ricciuto, Goodwin and Andrew McLeod as a three-time club champion, having also collected a gold jacket when playing as a defender in 2018.
Last year's runner-up, Ben Keays, placed third on Thursday night with 88 votes, with former captain Taylor Walker (82) and defender Brodie Smith (72) rounding out the top five.
Laird's win was secured despite missing the first two games of the season with a broken hand. He went on to play every game for the rest of the year, averaging a career best 33.0 disposals and 8.1 tackles.
He made his move in the middle of the season with excellent performances against West Coast, North Melbourne, Collingwood and Sydney before taking a three-vote lead into the final game and holding on.
One of the Crows' recruiting success stories after joining the club with pick No.5 in the 2011 NAB AFL Rookie Draft, Laird celebrated his 200th game in round 21 with a win over West Coast.
He has seamlessly turned himself into a star onballer in the past three seasons, becoming a clearance specialist and one of the competition's best two-way midfielders.
The emergence of protege Sam Berry this year has been in part due to Laird's influence, with Berry polling 64 votes on Thursday night to finish ninth in a top 10 that included fellow youngster Jake Soligo (61).
Laird also won the Players' Trademark award, while Dawson won the Members' MVP Award. Berry was recognised with the Mark Bickley Emerging Talent Award, with ruckman Reilly O'Brien named the Phil Walsh Best Team Man.
Ruckman Kieran Strachan won Adelaide's SANFL best and fairest for the second straight season.
2022 Malcolm Blight Medal
1. Rory Laird - 118
2. Jordan Dawson - 114
3. Ben Keays - 88
4. Taylor Walker - 82
5. Brodie Smith - 72
6. Darcy Fogarty - 71
7. Shane McAdam - 66
8. Tom Doedee - 66
9. Sam Berry - 64
10. Jake Soligo - 61
