Sydney Swans games record holder Michael O’Loughlin today added the 2009 AFL Players’ Association Madden Medal and Steel Blue Community Award to his impressive list of achievements.
The Madden Medal is awarded to a player who has recently retired and who demonstrated outstanding on-field football achievements, a high level of off-field football achievements and a display of great personal growth over their career, community and charity endeavours.
O'Loughlin's football achievements are well documented; 303-game career to be the Swans' games record holder, Club Best and Fairest in 1998, All-Australian in 1997 and 2000, Club leading goalkicker in 2000 and 2001, Indigenous Team of the Century member. Off-field, the proud Narangga / Kaurna man is a leader amongst the AFL’s indigenous players as well as the wider community and his advocacy in the areas of health, children’s and indigenous reconciliation issues has been outstanding.
Now in its third year, the Madden Medal is named in honour of former AFLPA presidents and Essendon and Carlton players, brothers Simon and Justin Madden.
The Medal was presented to O’Loughlin by the Madden brothers at the gala lunch event held today at Docklands.
The AFLPA Executive said they faced a difficult task in deciding the winner, given the high calibre of AFL players retiring in 2009. The former Swan was up against the likes of Matthew Richardson, Matthew Lloyd, Tom Harley, David Wirrpanda, Adam Simpson, Joel Simpson as well as former teammates Jared Crouch and Leo Barry.
O’Loughlin won with 18 votes, Harley placed second with 13 votes and Richardson in third with 10 votes.
If one award wasn’t enough, O’Loughlin also received the Steel Blue Community Award for his dedication to both the indigenous and wider communities through various ambassadorial roles.
Furthermore, O’Loughlin’s all round excellence was evident given he was nominated across all four Madden Medal categories - Madden Medal, Football Achievement, Personal Development and Community Spirit.
Congratulations Michael!
