Following the most consistent season of his career Dane Rampe is among the top contenders for this year’s Bob Skilton Medal.

After just his third season of AFL football, Rampe has developed into a mainstay of the Swans’ defence having not missed a game since Round 4, 2013.

Rampe’s versatility makes him a triple-threat in that it allows him to play on small, medium and tall forwards. His pace can keep up with the best small forwards in the competition while key forwards are never safe as the 188cm backman can play tall.

This was on full display when Rampe was given the task of shutting down eventual Coleman Medallist in West Coast’s Josh Kennedy. Rampe restricted the spearhead to three goals in the Swans’ 52-point loss in Round 17.

Rampe’s ability to shut down an opponent isn’t the only string to his bow. The departure of Nick Malceski during the off-season give Rampe a licence to create scoring chances from the half-back line, a skill  that has become a cornerstone of his game.

The mature aged recruit had a slow start to the season before becoming one of the most important players for the Swans, reaching a career-high average of 19 disposals and six marks per game by end of 2015.

For the first time in his career the 25-year-old surpassed 30 disposals in a game but it wasn’t limited to just a once off. He did it three times throughout the season, in Round 10 (Gold Coast), Round 18 (Adelaide) and the all-important semi-final (North Melbourne).

Given his influence on a number of important matches throughout the season, the versatile defender is likely to feature highly in next Friday’s vote count.

Click here to read Rampe’s player profile and view a snapshot of his 2015 season.