GARY Ablett has kept his perfect record intact, being named as the Gold Coast Suns' club champion for the third straight year.
The star midfielder polled 260 votes to win from Dion Prestia (213) and Jaeger O’Meara (204) in front of a sold-out crowd at the Sharks Event Centre on the Gold Coast.
Queenslanders Rory Thompson (162) and Jarrod Harbrow (149) rounded out the top five.
Votes cast by senior coach Guy McKenna and off-siders Mark Riley, Matthew Primus, Dean Solomon and Andy Lovell were counted as the club celebrated a season in which it jumped from three wins in 2011 and 2012 to eight this season to finish 14th.
Ablett went into the night an unbackable favourite, and despite Charlie Dixon leading after three rounds, was never troubled.
The 2009 Brownlow medalist, who is the favourite to win again this year, was judged the Suns' best player eight times, and ranked in the top three in 13 of the 21 matches he played.
He posted two ‘perfect' games, when all five voting members each scored him a five on the 0-5 system.
Ablett’s 25-vote games came against St Kilda at Metricon Stadium in round one, when he had 34 disposals and kicked four goals, and against Collingwood at Metricon in round 17, when he had 49 disposals, 10 clearances and two goals.
Runner-up Prestia emerged as a future star with a season where he averaged 25 disposals per contest, while newly-crowned NAB AFL Rising Star O'Meara was close behind in third.
Danny Stanley was named the inaugural Players’ Player, Thompson the Most Professional and Most Improved and Jack Martin the NEAFL Player of the Year.
2013 Gold Coast Suns Club Champion top 10
1st – Gary Ablett 260 votes
2nd – Dion Prestia 213
3rd – Jaeger O’Meara 204
4th – Rory Thompson 162
5th – Jarrod Harbrow 149
6th – Danny Stanley 142
7th – David Swallow 135
8th – Aaron Hall 130
9th – Trent McKenzie 120
10th – Harley Bennell 103
