Adelaide rookie Patrick Wilson has taken out the 2018 State League Club Champion Award following a consistent season for the SANFL Crows.
Wilson finished on 105 votes, ahead of strong-marking forward Elliott Himmelberg (80) and smooth-moving midfielder Matthew Signorello (69).
Forwards Ben Davis (65) and Ben Jarman (64) rounded out the top five.
After being selected with Pick No. 17 in the 2017 AFL Rookie Draft, the Sturt premiership player registered 17 games for the SANFL Crows in 2018 and polled votes in every game.
He was rewarded for his 2018 performances with an AFL debut in Round 13 against Hawthorn.
The 23-year-old led the SANFL Crows in a number of key indicators, including disposals (474 – seventh in the SANFL), kicks (338), clearances (111), marks (115), contested possessions (226) and hard ball gets (77 – third in the SANFL).
Wilson also had the most inside 50s (81) and rebound 50s (58) for the Crows, while ranking second for tackles (82) and handballs (136) and kicking 11 goals.
Throughout the year, he had a number of standout games, including Round 16 against North Adelaide, where he compiled a perfect 12-vote game after receiving four votes from each coach.
A breakout season for Himmelberg made him a worthy runner-up of the award.
He kicked 21 goals and marked strongly up forward, while also pinch-hitting in the ruck.
Signorello also demonstrated a lot of improvement in his second year, registering the most tackles and handballs for Adelaide.
The State League Club Champion voting process follows the same protocol as the senior side, with the coaching panel, Ryan O’Keefe, Brent Reilly and Paul Thomas, rating every player from 0 – 4 after each match according to their impact.
Wilson has become the fifth State League Club Champion behind Scott Thompson, Jonathon Beech and two-time winner Ian Callinan.
State League Club Champion Leaderboard - Top 10
1. Patrick Wilson – 105
2. Elliott Himmelberg – 80
3. Matthew Signorello – 69
4. Ben Davis – 65
5. Ben Jarman – 64
6. James Loneragan – 53
7. Paul Hunter – 49
8. Sam Gibson – 46
9. Corey Davey – 44
10. Douglas Hadden – 42
State League Club Champions
2014 – Ian Callinan
2015 – Ian Callinan
2016 – Jonathon Beech
2017 – Scott Thompson
2018 – Patrick Wilson
Club Champion voting protocol
1 vote – Played his role. Solid game without significant influence on the game.
2 votes – Played his role well and influenced the game.
3 votes – Played his very well with significant influence on the game.
4 votes – Played his role outstandingly and dominated the game.
