CARLTON captain Patrick Cripps has etched his name into an esteemed chapter of the Navy Blue history books, winning his fourth John Nicholls Medal in a nail-biting vote count on Friday night.

The Club champion has added to his feats of 2015, 2018 and 2019 to now become the equal of the great Bruce Doull with four John Nicholls Medals – only Nicholls himself now holds more Carlton best-and-fairest honours to his name with five.

Cripps (181 votes) polled five best-on-ground performances on the night, including in the final round as he did on Brownlow night less than a fortnight ago, to see the 27-year-old narrowly edge out great mate Sam Docherty (173 votes) - a remarkable story in his own right - while last year’s winner Sam Walsh (163 votes) earned a top-three finish for the third consecutive season.

This was the first season Cripps assumed the sole captaincy, doing so as a leader not only by example but so much more.

His remarkable season began with 30-plus disposals in six of his first seven games, including 13 goals during that stretch, to finish with a career-high tally of 20 majors for the season.

Cripps also returned to the deserved claim as the competition’s preeminent ball-winner, ranking in the top three for clearances and contested possession across the competition.

Beyond his obvious brilliance on the field, it was his work as a leader of the Carlton Football Club which has further enhanced his standing amongst all at IKON Park.

This was further recognised on Friday night as Cripps received the Coaches Award, while also winning the Players’ Award – voted on by his fellow teammates for the player who most upholds the values required to be a Carlton player.

He was also named the Bill Lanyon Inner Blue and Carltonians Award winner.

AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss paid tribute to the ever-growing reputation the skipper was building amongst those who have come before him.

“Only two other players have done what Patrick has in the 158 years of our football club: that tells you a lot about the legacy he is building at Carlton,” Voss said.

“The biggest part of his legacy though is what most people don’t see. The work he does as a leader, to set standards and drive those standards to ultimately have us in a position to be successful over the coming years – that is infectious across the entire football club.

“Patrick is incredibly driven to see us succeed and while it’s not individual awards that motivate him, to be a four-time John Nicholls Medallist, equalling one of the all-time greats in Bruce Doull, that is an achievement that deserves to be celebrated – every Carlton person is proud of our skipper.”

For Docherty, his second-place finish in the John Nicholls Medal was a fitting full stop on an inspiring 2022 season.

Less than 14 months since a secondary cancer occurrence, the 28-year-old took his place on the podium alongside Cripps to raucous applause in what was yet another inspiring image the former co-captain was able to produce in 2022.

Despite being unable to commence pre-season until the middle of January, Docherty did not just mark his return to the competition – he stamped his place on it again as an elite player.

He played every game, mostly at his meticulous best across half back while also showing strong capability through the midfield, ranking elite across the competition for average disposals (28.4), marks (7.3), tackles (3.3) and metres gained (510).

The No.15’s goal to help the Blues to a stirring Round 1 victory over Richmond remains one of the game’s most memorable moments of the 2022 season.

Docherty was also named the Spirit of Carlton award winner for the player who best encompasses the spirit of the Carlton Football Club both on and off the field.

Despite enduring interrupted preparation that saw him suffer an ankle syndesmosis injury just five weeks out from the start of the season, Walsh showcased his now customary professionalism and class to exhibit another stellar campaign for the Blues.

Averaging more than 32 possession a game (top three in the competition), the first-year co-vice captain welcomed the increased leadership responsibility to once again drive the Blues’ engine room with a level of consistency very few can match across the competition.

Corey Durdin was also acknowledged for a strong second season, named the Club’s Best Young Player.

Following two games in his debut season, the 20-year-old showed he has a bright future in the famed No.19 – earning his place as a mainstay of the forward line, Durdin missed just the one game while earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination with 19 disposals and two goals in Round 9 against GWS.

Defender Nic Newman was also a deserving winning of the Best Clubman Award, voted by his peers throughout the football department.

As well as making a significant impact on the field, Newman was imperative to moving the Club forward from a culture perspective over the last 12 months. Joining the AFLW program as an assistant coach, becoming a more senior voice across the football department and going above and beyond to be a quality character around IKON Park all contributed to the 29-year-old’s deserved honour.

Carlton President Luke Sayers credited all involved for the progress made in the 2022 AFL season, laying the foundations to launch into 2023.

“Congratulations to our captain Patrick Cripps, a four-time John Nicholls Medallist: an incredible achievement and well worth his place in the history books of our club,” Sayers said.

“To have Sam Docherty stand alongside him tonight, another inspiring chapter to add to what has been one of the most remarkable stories in recent history, we are proud of Sam and could not be more grateful for having a person of his character part of our football side.

“Congratulations also to all of our award winners tonight. Progress has been made these last 12 months but the satisfaction is certainly not there. Everybody associated with our football club understands where we want to get to but no one is just going to hand it to us, we need to take it.

“The only way this football club achieves the success we are all striving for is by remaining united, staying committed and understanding our shared responsibility to be relentless and humble in our pursuit of sustained excellence.”