Midfielder Ryan Griffen won a second Charles Sutton Medal as the Western Bulldogs best and fairest player on Wednesday night, as coach Brendan McCartney acknowledged his team’s progess but stressed they still have 14 clubs in front of them and 14 hurdles to climb.
Griffen polled 273 votes to win by 31 from Tom Liberatore, whose progress in his third season was marked by the 21-year-old winning the club award bearing the name of his Brownlow Medallist father Tony for the Dogs’ most improved player of 2013.
Will Minson was third in the best and fairest and Bob Murphy fourth.
McCartney told a crowd in excess of 800 that he told the players after last Sunday’s defeat of Melbourne – the Bulldogs’ eighth win of the season – that they had won seven and lost seven since losing to Gold Coast in round eight, but still finished 15th. He said the Bulldogs were in a “cluster” of improving teams that included North Melbourne, Essendon, Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, West Coast and Gold Coast.
“We’re going to get there, and we’re not going to stop until we do,” McCartney said.
“We’ve come a long way this year, and of that we’re very proud. (But) it’s hard to get in – 15 into eight doesn’t go.”
McCartney revealed that four goals had been established in the 2012 review – running games and the season out; becoming stronger and more powerful; improving the fundamentals – especially kicking; and the playing group forging a bond that would breed success.
He recorded a “tick” on the first two, half a tick on the third, and a “massive tick” on the latter.
“When we hit rock bottom in the middle of the year, it became apparent that we had a group of players who wanted to get better, were impatient to get better, and were cottoning on to the idea that the only way they were going to do it is if they did it together,” McCartney said.
“That’s a massive tick, and will take us places for a long period of time.”
WESTERN BULLDOGS AWARDS:
Charles Sutton Medal top 10
1. Ryan Griffen 273
2. Tom Liberatore 242
3. Will Minson 184
4. Bob Murphy 176
5. Dale Morris 166
6. Luke Dahlhaus 151
7. Adam Cooney 144
8. Daniel Giansiracusa 134
9. Jordan Roughead 88
10. Mitch Wallis 82
Charles Sutton Medallist: Ryan Griffen.
Doug Hawkins Medallist (2nd place): Tom Liberatore.
Gary Dempsey Medallist (3rd place): Will Minson.
Scott West Most Courageous Award: Dale Morris.
Brad Johnson Best Team Player Award: Daniel Giansiracusa.
Tony Liberatore Most Improved Award: Tom Liberatore.
Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award: Jack Macrae.
John Shultz Community Award: Jason Tutt.
John Van Groningen Team First Award: Ryan Griffen.
