Geelong midfielder Cameron Guthrie has capped off a brilliant season by claiming his first ‘Carji’ Greeves medal. Guthrie claimed the medal in a close vote, edging out previous winners Tom Hawkins and Mark Blicavs.
Guthrie averaged 21 disposals over 21 games and earned his first All Australian selection as he helped the Cats reach the Grand Final for the first time since 2011.
Guthrie polled 228 votes to narrowly deny Hawkins (224) a second best & fairest win. Blicavs came in third with 221 votes, while Patrick Dangerfield 214.5 and Mitch Duncan 213.5 competed the top five.
“It’s a big honour. Looking at the honour boards every day and seeing the names up there, I feel privileged and proud to be involved in the club and to be recognised like this,” Guthrie said.
“I would like to congratulate Tom and Mark on outstanding seasons and a lot of our other teammates are in the same boat. I don’t think there was one standout player for the year. This award could have gone to many others.
“I’d like to thank my teammates for their support. It really was a season where we had to rely on each other. We were away for a long time together and I think everyone really enjoyed each other and we stayed a united team.
“I thank all of the coaches for putting the plan together for our team to thrive on the park. You put in a lot of hours and all the boys really appreciate it. In particular I’d like to give a big thank you to Scotty for being a great coach and a great person around the club for the last 10 years. I couldn’t imagine playing under another coach. I really enjoy our relationship. I’d also like to thank two of the assistant coaches I work really closely with in Matthew Knights and Nigel Lappin for all the feedback and guidance they have given me.
“Thanks to all the staff that came away in the hub and those that remained at home. They put their lives on hold to ultimately get us into the position we got into on Saturday night. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go all the way, but I can’t give enough thanks for what they did.
“A big thank you to my partner Lauren (and her daughter) Carmen for coming along to the hub and supporting me, and the rest of my family and friends for being involved in my football journey.
“To the supporters at home that have been there all year. We can’t thank you enough and what you have done this year has been absolutely outstanding.”
Hawkins claimed his first Coleman medal and earned his third All Australian selection. Blicavs, a two-time winner of the ‘Carji’, was named in the 40 player All Australian squad for the third time. Dangerfield was named in his eight All Australian team and was also named captain for the first time, and Duncan finished second in the Gary Ayres medal for best finals player.
The Tom Harley award for best clubman was shared by Blicavs and veteran defender Harry Taylor. The Tom Harley Best Clubman award is presented to the player who demonstrated outstanding care for his teammates, invests time and interest in all levels of the playing group and who champions the club and team values whilst working towards the greater good of the Geelong Football Club. Taylor previously won the award in 2016, while it is Blicavs first Tom Harley award.
Brad Close was named as Best Young Player. Close played eight games in his first season after being selected in the rookie draft from Glenelg.
You won’t hear him until he gets too Close! What a great first year from Brad and looking forward to many more to come.#Carji #GeelongStrong pic.twitter.com/QFrc3011q0
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) October 29, 2020
Skipper Joel Selwood was named as the club’s Community Champion for his work throughout the year. Selwood was also honoured with this award in 2011. Selwood played a huge role in a number of the club’s community programs in 2020 such as Footy Cats at the annual Community Camp and promoting Auskick through his role as NAB Auskick Ambassador, Cats Care where he has assisted with multiple wishes and Healthy Heroes.
The captain of our side and the captain of our community.
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) October 29, 2020
READ - https://t.co/mszsYWhUJI#GeelongStrong #Carji pic.twitter.com/1U20FwRX4I
‘Carji’ Greeves Medal Top 10
- Cameron Guthrie - 228
- Tom Hawkins - 224
- Mark Blicavs - 221
- Patrick Dangerfield - 214.5
- Mitch Duncan - 213.5
- Sam Menegola - 210
- Jed Bews - 208.5
- Jack Henry - 205
- Mark O’Connor - 202
- Gryan Miers - 194.5
Votes taken into account for players best 20 games of the season.
