Tom Atkins has capped off his breakout season by claiming the 2016 Geelong VFL Best & Fairest Award.
 
The 21-year-old tallied 389 votes to edge out teammate Tom Stewart (385) in a thrilling vote count on Friday night.
 
The count looked destined to come down to the wire all night but two best on ground performances in the final two home and away matches saw Atkins take home the trophy.
 
Atkins joins past winners Tom Ruggles (2015), Mark Corrigan (2013), James Podsiadly (2009) and James Byrne (2004, 2006) as previous non-AFL listed players to take out the award.
 
The St. Joseph’s product was a revelation for the Bankers this year, playing 18 games in his third season at VFL level.
 
After totalling six games for the in 2015, Atkins worked hard to improve his game this season and ultimately established himself as one of the top midfielders at VFL level.
 
A relentless tackling machine who thrived on winning the contested ball, Atkins was a finalist in the Fothergill-Round Medal for best young player in 2016.
 
Atkins also kicked 14 goals in 2016 and along with runner-up Stewart, featured in the VFL’s Team of the Year.
 
Stewart was a key member of the Bankers’ backline in 2016 and the South Barwon product was one of the Cats’ most consistent performers throughout the campaign.
 
It was a remarkable debut season at VFL level for the 23-year-old who also managed six goals despite often playing on the last line of defence.
 
Rounding out the top three was James Tsitas (351 votes), a consistent ball magnet who thrived in his first season at the Cats after crossing from North Ballarat at the end of 2015.
 
AFL listed Cat Michael Luxford finished fourth (333) with Will Sexton (314), Sam McLachlan (312) and Alex Hickey (311) not far behind.
 
Perennial VFL star George Horlin-Smith (283) also found himself in the top ten despite only playing 12 matches.
 
Horlin-Smith was a dominant force when he was available, evident through his runner-up finish in the 2016 JJ Liston Trophy.
 
AFL rookie listed players Padraig Lucey (294) and James Parsons (270) also joined Horlin-Smith in the top ten after strong individual seasons.
 
The final leaderboard saw six VFL listed Cats finish in the top seven, an outstanding result that highlights the strength of the local talent in Geelong.
 
2016 VFL Best & Fairest Top 10
 
·      Tom Atkins (389 votes)
·      Tom Stewart (385)
·      James Tsitas (351)
·      Michael Luxford (333)
·      Will Sexton (314)
·      Sam McLachlan (312)
·      Alex Hickey (311)
·      Padraig Lucey (294)
·      George Horlin-Smith (283)
·      James Parsons (270)