MARK Blicavs added another chapter to his amazing football story after claiming his first Carji Greeves Medal at Crown’s Palladium last night.
Blicavs polled 177 votes to win, with Steven Motlop second on 167 and captain Joel Selwood third on 165.
A former steeplechaser, Blicavs has made an impressive rise up the ranks, playing 66 games since his debut in round 1, 2013.
The athletic tall had not played football since the under-13s before returning to the field with the Cats’ VFL side in 2012. He returned to football after failing to win a place in the Australian team for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Blicavs enjoyed the best season of his three-year career in 2015, playing all 21 games for 382 disposals, 343 hit outs and 126 tackles. The 24-year-old recorded his most consistent season, averaging 18 disposals per game.
Blicavs was named best player by his coaches on one occasion, in the Cats’ round 22 loss to Collingwood, but was the most consistent performer overall, named in the top five players on 11 occasions over the season.
“Mark demonstrated his ability to play well in a variety of roles for us,” Cats’ coach Chris Scott said.
“We used him as a key defender, a midfielder and as a ruckman and he was consistently good in every job we gave him. Mark continues to develop his game and we feel he still has more upside in his development.
“To have earned this award in just his third year of football is a tribute to his work ethic and dedication, and to those that have worked closely with him over the past three years. His willingness to learn and his application to be the best he can be as a professional footballer is second to none.”
Motlop achieved his best finish in the Carji count, with 441 disposals, 26 goals, 15 goal assists and 81 inside 50s over 20 games.
Motlop enjoyed an excellent second-half of the season and was named best player on two occasions, in the Cats loss to Melbourne in round 12 and win over GWS in round 17.
Selwood, a three-time Carji medallist, was the Cats’ leading disposals getter of the season with 491. Over 20 games Selwood laid 124 tackles, had 139 clearances and kicked 14 goals.
Named best player in the Cats’ round 3 win over Gold Coast and their round 19 win over the Sydney Swans, Selwood came in third place on 165 votes, ahead of fourth placed Corey Enright on 157.
2015 ‘Carji’ Greeves Medal Top 10:
1st Mark Blicavs 177
2nd Steven Motlop 167
3rd Joel Selwood 165
4th Corey Enright 157
5th Cameron Guthrie 150
6th Tom Lonergan 133
7th Josh Caddy 122
8th Harry Taylor 121
9th Tom Hawkins 112
10th Steve Johnson 94
