Sean Darcy has been crowned the winner of the 2021 Doig Medal after a close count at Saturday’s Doig Medal Presentation Dinner at Crown Perth.
The ruckman polled 222 votes, 15 votes ahead of runner-up David Mundy, who finished the count on 207 votes.
Young gun mids Andrew Brayshaw (186), Caleb Serong (155) and Adam Cerra (147) rounded out the top five with 2020 winner Luke Ryan in sixth on 140 votes.
Following each game, Justin Longmuir and four coaches – Josh Carr, Matthew Boyd, David Hale and Joel Corey – allocated up to five votes to each player based on how they performed their role, meaning a player can receive up to 25 votes in a game for an outstanding or elite performance.
Darcy’s first Doig Medal triumph is also his first top-10 finish in the count in his five seasons. At the half-way point of the season, Darcy sat in third in the standings, 22 votes behind David Mundy and nine behind Nat Fyfe.
The 23-year-old then made his move, polling in the top three for every game between rounds 12 and 15 and the most votes in every game between rounds 16 and 18.
His season was highlighted by 20 votes against Hawthorn in round 17, where he had a career high 16 contested possessions, 25 disposals and 13 hit outs to advantage from his 26 hit outs. From his nine marks, seven were intercepts and six were contested – one off a Fremantle record.
Emerging defender Hayden Young won the Beacon Award as the best young player, polling the most votes out of eligible players, which includes all first-year players and second-year players who had 10 or less games experience to start the season.
Lachie Schultz was announced as the winner of the Players’ Trademark Award, with the tenacious forward receiving the accolade at a players’ function ahead of the Doig Medal ceremony.
For the first time, there was a tie in the voting for the Best Clubman, with Mundy and Serong taking out the award.
The playing career and administrative contributions of Stephen O’Reilly were also celebrated on the night, with the inaugural Freo Docker inducted as a Life Member.
A Doig Medallist in 1996, O’Reilly played 98 games for the Club between 1995 and 1998 starring as a key defender and served as a director on the Fremantle Board for 10 years between 2009 and 2019.
Former board member Grant Donaldson received the Con Regan Medal, which recognises outstanding service and dedication to the Fremantle Football Club.
Haylie and Phil Dowson were honoured with Outstanding Service Awards, recognising their dedication in raising money for the Club’s Starlight Purple Haze Game with a record $147,500 raised in 2021 at the annual Starlight fundraising event in Kalgoorlie.
DOIG MEDAL TOP 10
Sean Darcy – 222
David Mundy - 207
Andrew Brayshaw – 186
Caleb Serong – 155
Adam Cerra – 147
Luke Ryan – 140
Nat Fyfe – 130
Lachie Schultz – 118
Travis Colyer – 115
Sam Switkowski - 105
