Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt has described hitting the lead in the count for the club's best and fairest award as more nerve-wracking than lining up for any of the 78 goals he scored in his breakout 2010 AFL season.
Fronting the media at Punt Road on Thursday, Riewoldt said he was honoured and proud to add the Jack Dyer Medal to his Coleman Medal for the competition's leading goalscorer.
The 22-year-old polled 210 votes in Wednesday night's count to edge club captain Chris Newman (204) with Brett Deledio, who's won the past two Jack Dyer Medals, in third place on 193.
"It's actually the first best and fairest I've ever won in any sort of football, any grade," Riewoldt said.
"It was a pretty special moment."
"I wasn't nervous until about Round 18 and I started shaking and didn't know what to do."
"Then when everyone stood up and started applauding I was a bit embarassed and I didn't know how to accept or receive other people's gratitude towards me."
Riewoldt said natural development was a big factor in his improved form in 2010 though the extra opprtunities created by the retirement of club great Matthew Richardson certainly helped and he thanked Ben Cousins for helping him to become a team player.
"I thought I had a fairly good year, but I backed the skipper in the whole way," said Riewoldt.
"He won the Francis Bourke Award which the players vote on every week so that's a credit to him."
"Individual awards are great to receive the same as the Coleman but everyone up there last night that won an award and everyone in the AFL if they win an individual award would trade it in for a premiership and I would do that in a heartbeat."
Riewoldt said he was looking forward to a short break at home in Tasmania, but not before getting along to watch his cousin Nick in action for the Saints against Geelong in Friday night's qualifying final at the MCG.
"I suppose because he's family I'm hoping that he can have the success that he wants to over this finals campaign and hopefully he achieves the goals he wants to achieve," Riewoldt said.
"I think the Kangaroos game, the one before last, showed that he was starting to hit his straps again and starting to get back to the high work rate and the high intensity that he plays."
"It's been a progression for him ... and he's going to be an integral part to them having success over the finals series."