BLUES superstar Patrick Cripps has added yet another achievement to his growing list, placing second in the AFL Players’ Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday night.

The 23-year-old tallied 529 votes at the count, as nominated by players from the 17 opposing teams. Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell took home the Leigh Matthews Trophy with 773 of the votes.

The Blues’ vice-captain was a shining light for his team in a challenging season, setting a new record for the most contested possession in a home and away season. He amassed 386 contested possessions to break the record of 385 set by Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield in 2017. The 195cm midfielder/forward, who played every game this season, also totalled 651 disposals – the fourth highest count across the league.

The accomplishment comes after Cripps placed second in the 2018 AFL Coaches Associations Player of the Award earlier this week, earning 91 votes from the 18 AFL coaches across the season. He fell six votes short of winner Max Gawn, who rounded out the AFL Players MVP top three with 412 votes.

Teammate Kade Simpson was also recognised at the AFL Players’ MVP Awards in Melbourne last night, placing fourth in the Robert Rose Most Courageous Award.