Blackwell bows out with fourth Claremont fairest and bestMonday, October 13, 2014 - 4:26 PM - by Chris Pike

LUKE Blackwell has capped off a remarkable six-season career with Claremont by winning a fourth EB Cook Medal as the club's fairest and best with his younger brother Dean also claiming the reserves fairest and best award.

The 27-year-old joined Claremont in 2009 after returning from Carlton in the AFL and over the past six years has put together a remarkable career both in terms of individual and team success before announcing his retirement from the WAFL as he moves to Melbourne in 2015.

Blackwell had an outstanding 2014 WAFL season with the Tigers and was decidedly unlucky not to win a second Sandover Medal, but he did claim a fourth EB Cook Medal as Claremont's fairest and best winner.

Blackwell polled 370 votes for the season to finish ahead of Ryan Neates, Mark Seaby, Brandon Franz, Andrew Foster, Corey Yeo, Jordan McAllister, Matthew Davies, Tom Taylor and Jack Bradshaw.

Despite being just 27, Blackwell's WAFL career with Claremont is now over but he achieved an amazing amount in his 117 games with the Tigers.

After previously playing four matches with Swan Districts in 2004, he was drafted to Carlton where he spent four years and made 23 AFL appearances.

Once out of the AFL, he signed with Claremont where his father Wayne is a premiership player from 1981 and ever since has gone on to become one of the Tigers' all-time great players in his own right.

In his 117 games with Claremont, Blackwell won fairest and best awards in 2009, 2010, 2011 and now 2014 while coming third in 2012 behind Kane Mitchell and Tom Lee.

Blackwell also played in the premierships of 2011 and 2012 including being captain in 2011 to go along with winning the 2011 Sandover Medal and 2010 State game Simpson Medal.

While that already is a remarkable career, Blackwell was unlucky to not win another State game Simpson Medal in 2011 and also a second Sandover Medal this year.

He needed just one vote to share the medal with West Perth's Aaron Black or two to win it outright, but he didn’t receive a solitary vote despite what many considered a best on ground performance in Claremont's win over minor premiers East Perth in the final round.

Blackwell had an outstanding 2014 season averaging almost 30 disposals a game and continuing to be a clearance machine, and the leader in the Tigers midfield who had a slow start to the year but finished on fire.

Blackwell didn’t have a game where he had fewer than 18 possessions all season and that was in a Round 1 thumping at the hands of Perth.

He had at least 25 disposals in the other 17 games he played, and had more than 30 touches on nine occasions.

Small forward turned midfielder Neates also had the best season of his 61-game WAFL career to finish as runner-up after averaging 24.7 possessions a game in 2014. He now will become the leader of the midfield in 2015 with the departure of Blackwell.

Veteran ruckman Seaby put together another strong season for the Tigers to finish third in voting with a particularly strong second half of the year once he was again given the responsibility to be the No. 1 ruckman after starting as a forward target.

Another veteran, Franz, might be unheralded but had an outstanding season with Claremont after a year off and was given many of the biggest jobs in defence, and held up well.

The 29-year-old has now played 96 games with Claremont since making his debut in 2007 and will look to bring up game No. 100 in 2015 to etch his name onto the No. 12 locker.

Foster also had a strong season with Claremont after originally retiring before the year, but still managed to average 20.1 possessions a game and kick 16 goals to end up coming fifth in fairest and best voting.

Yeo was recruited to Claremont from East Fremantle for the 2014 season and after starting the season in the reserves and then in the league team as a tagger, became a prolific ball winner through the second half of the season averaging over 23 possessions in the last 11 games.

McAllister was another Claremont player to emerge in 2014 and the defender became a permanent member of the Tigers' back-line and finished seventh in fairest and best voting.

Meanwhile, the night became a decidedly Blackwell affair when Luke's younger brother Dean won the reserves fairest and best award when the 25-year-old capped his first full season of senior football by being named the reserves best for 2014 in a team that made it to a preliminary final.

He won the reserves fairest and best ahead of Timm House, Henry Roberts, Jack McPhee, Ben Taylor, Sam Lamont, Keegan Knott, Josh Tilley, Keifer Yu and Ethan Panizza.

Claremont's colts again made the grand final in 2014 coming off the 2013 premiership with Harrison McCracken taking out the fairest and best award ahead of Matt Cairns, Sam Humphry, Isaac Baum, Bailey Rogers, Jack Prendiville, Harry Taylor, Alec Waterman, Jacob Delaporte and Adam Volaric.

LEAGUE FAIREST AND BEST TOP 10
EB Cook Medal winner – Luke Blackwell (370 votes)
Ryan Neates – 336
Mark Seaby – 315
Brandon Franz – 308
Andrew Foster – 296
Corey Yeo – 278
Jordan McAllister – 271
Matthew Davies – 264
Tom Taylor – 252
Jack Bradshaw - 250

RESERVES FAIREST AND BEST TOP 10
Fairest and best winner – Dean Blackwell (302 votes)
Timm House – 266
Henry Roberts – 265
Jack McPhee – 230
Ben Taylor – 227
Sam Lamont – 221
Keegan Knott – 218
Josh Tilley – 215
Keifer Yu – 211
Ethan Panizza – 203

COLTS FAIREST AND BEST TOP 10
Fairest and best winner - Harrison McCracken (336 votes)
Matt Cairns – 324
Sam Humphry – 323
Isaac Baum – 317
Bailey Rogers – 273
Jack Prendiville – 266
Harry Taylor – 256
Alec Waterman – 256
Jacob Delaporte – 245
Adam Volaric – 244