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Much-respected Sydney midfielder Jude Bolton has won the Madden Medal as the AFL’s top retiring player.
The AFL Players Association award acknowledges off-field contributions to the community as well as on-field excellence.
Bolton retired after the preliminary final loss to Fremantle on 325 games and played in Sydney’s 2005 and `12 premiership teams.
He was a key member of the player leadership group at Sydney and helped form the “Bloods” culture that has been the foundation of their current successful era.
Bolton retired second on the Swans’ all-time games list behind Adam Goodes.
He has also been an ambassador for Redkite, a young cancer charity group, and worked with the Volkswagen Environmental Program.
Two other Swans players have won the award in its seven-year history – Michael O’Loughlin in 2009 and Brett Kirk the following year.
“To be recognised by your peers is an honour and I’m completely chuffed,” Bolton said at the awards function on Friday in Melbourne.
“I count myself as one of the lucky ones to have played this game for the past 15 years.
“Football brings people together and some of the highlights of my career would have to be the grand finals.
“To be able to deliver a premiership to the Swans and South Melbourne fans after 72 years (in 2005) was really special.
“I sensed early on in my career that if you invested in the community, you get so much more out of it.”
Players Association president and Collingwood star Luke Ball paid tribute to Bolton, who is one of the game’s most popular figures.
“He’s laid more tackles than any other player in the history of the game and is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve come across,” Ball said.
“Yet off the field he is such a gentlemen and give so much back to the community, so you can’t help but respect everything about him.”
Other candidates for the award included St Kilda’s Jason Blake and West Coast midfielder Andrew Embley and Adam Selwood, plus Essendon pair David Hille and Nathan Lovett-Murray.
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