Patrick Dangerfield wins Geelong best-and-fairest to cap perfect first season at Cats

SUPERSTAR Patrick Dangerfield put the finishing touch on a perfect first season at Geelong by winning the Carji Greeves Medal.

SUPERSTAR Patrick Dangerfield put the finishing touch on a perfect first season at Geelong by winning the Carji Greeves Medal.

The freshly-crowned Brownlow medallist outlasted captain Joel Selwood in a fitting one-two finish after the pair shouldered a heavy midfield load during Geelong’s season of vast improvement.

Dangerfield’s win was the fifth time a Geelong player completed the Brownlow-Carji double in the same season.

The wrecking ball midfielder was judged Geelong’s best player in eight games.

It was Selwood’s sixth top-three finish in the past seven seasons, having won the Cats’ top award in 2010, 2013 and 2014, placing second in 2012 and third last year.

Retiring defender Corey Enright, 35, joined the pair on the podium in third position after a vintage season in which he claimed his sixth All-Australian selection and broke the club’s highest games record.

Cameron Guthrie was the man to catch early and led the count at the halfway mark, before being reeled in by Dangerfield, Selwood and Enright to finish fourth — his best result in six seasons at the club.

Dangerfield took the lead in Round 13 and was not headed thereafter, adding the Carji to his Brownlow, AFLPA MVP and AFLCA awards.

Harry Taylor earned the Tom Harley Award for best clubman, Jake Kolodjashnij was recognised as the club’s best young player and Daniel Menzel was named the community champion for his role as an ambassador for the Barwon Health Foundation, as well as his various local footy coaching roles.

Originally published as Patrick Dangerfield wins Geelong best-and-fairest to cap perfect first season at Cats