Inspirational Sydney Swans co-captain Brett Kirk has been recognised by his peers for his extraordinary leadership qualities, by being named “best captain” at the AFL Players’ Association Awards in Melbourne.

Kirk polled 142 votes, 67 votes clear of Brisbane Lions’ captain Jonathan Brown, with Carlton’s Chris Judd coming in third.

Swans midfielder Jude Bolton was also recognised at the AFLPA Awards, finishing fourth in the Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player, behind Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge.

The most prestigious award of the night, the AFLPA Most Valuable Player, was taken out by Collingwood midfielder Dane Swan, who becomes just the second Magpies player to win the Leigh Matthews Trophy.

Swan secured 972 votes, on the 3-2-1 basis, Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge finished second (603 votes), whilst Geelong’s Gary Ablett polled third (562 votes).

In other award categories, the Best First Year Player Award was taken out by Fremantle’s Michael Barlow, whilst Tim Callan from the Western Bulldogs was awarded the Education and Training Excellence Award.

Capping off Kirk’s big week, he was also named Phillips Sports Dad of the Year on Sunday.

On his way to being crowned Sports Dad of the Year, Kirk pipped nine other high profile athletes, based on public voting over the past two weeks.

As the recipient of the award, Kirk received $5,000 prize money for his nominated charity and $5,000 for himself. Kirk, however, donated the entire $10,000 to Redkite, his favourite charity which supports children with cancer and their families