Former Greater Western Victoria Rebels player Sebastian Ross has claimed his second St Kilda best-and-fairest award in three years.
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Ross edged out fellow Rebels product Rowan Marshall in an emotional ceremony which paid homage to Bungaree footballer and club legend Danny Frawley.
Ross, who attended Ballarat's Clarendon College, polled 170 votes to finish ahead of Marshall (152 votes) and Jack Steele (151 votes) on the podium.
WATCH: SEBASTIAN ROSS 2019 AFL HIGHLIGHTS
The win put the icing on the cake on another successful season for Ross who won the Trevor Barker Award in 2017 and finished second to Jack Steven in 2018.
The 26-year-old was a regular standout for the Saints in 2019, averaging 26 disposals a game. He logged less than 21 disposals in only one match, and was a stand-in captain for much of the season in the absence of injured skipper Jarryn Geary.
Upon winning the award, a surprised Ross began his acceptance speech by extending condolences to Frawley's family, praising the man affectionately known as 'Spud' for influencing the lives of so many.
"It's a little bit surreal, I didn't know what to expect coming into tonight. We won nine games and there was a lot of guys that had really consistent seasons, so it could have gone to any one of us," he said.
Ross admitted afterwards he expected the award to be claimed by Marshall who proved a revelation for the side at ruckman. Ross praised the way his teammate went about his business day in, day out with a smile on his face.
"He got the nickname 'prospect' really early on because in his first preseason he was doing things that none of us had seen a big man do," he said,
"He has always had that potential, and we were all just waiting for it to come out. He got a good crack at it this year and he was able to show the rest of the AFL world what he could do."
Marshall played 20 games for the Saints, and was named the club's most improved player of 2019. The figure marked the most senior games in a single season for the the 23-year-old since he was plucked from North Ballarat in the 2017 rookie draft.
"That number one ruck spot was up for grabs at the beginning of the season, so I was lucky enough to find my way into the team back in round two, and I was stoked to be able to play senior footy for the rest of the year," he said.
