DOM SHEED was rewarded for his excellent NAB AFL Under-18 Championships by winning the Larke Medal for the best player in division one.
Sheed, Western Australia's captain, had a consistent four games and dominated his side's midfield, averaging 28 disposals.
His standout performance came against Vic Country in round four, when he gathered 29 disposals and kicked four goals in a match-winning display.
That was all before he was crunched in a heavy bump late in the contest, which resulted in a broken collarbone and forced him to miss WA's final game, against South Australia on Wednesday.
"It's a massive honour," Sheed told AFL.com.au.
"I wasn't expecting to be named the Larke medallist, and I definitely won't take it for granted. I wouldn't have got it without my teammates so a special thanks to those guys."
He said the injury was an unfortunate way to end the carnival but he felt he went out on a high note.
"It was a disappointing way to finish, especially with only a couple of minutes to go. But I was very happy for us to win after the siren," he said.
"It's only a collarbone, so obviously an ACL or something like that would have been a lot worse. After surgery you can get back in four weeks."
Sheed will have scans and see a surgeon when he returns to Perth on Thursday.
He follows Lachie Whitfield, last year's No.1 draft pick, in winning the prestigious award.
Meanwhile, Matthew Scharenberg and Luke Dunstan (South Australia), Mitch Honeychurch (Vic Metro), Zak Jones (Vic Country) and Clem Smith (Western Australia) were judged the most valuable player of their sides for the competition.
Follow AFL website reporter Callum Twomey on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
