Few would be surprised Dyson Heppell was once again among the top performers at the 2015 Crichton Medal. 

Capping off what was a challenging year for the 23 year old, Heppell walked away from the night third in the overall count, voted the best team player and best clubman.

Heppell once again stood up when the club needed him the most, after captain Jobe Watson did not take to the field for the better part of half a season as a result of injury. 

It was Heppell who was chosen to the lead the team for the rest of the year. 

Interim coach Matthew Egan was quick to praise the maturity Heppell showed in working on the skills necessary to be a good leader.

“I think early days he tried to do too much,” Egan said when asked about Heppell as a Captain. 

“Early days he probably tried to take too much responsibility.

“I think he’s learnt a lot about himself.

“He spoke to some leaders over the journey about being himself and making sure the Captain he is - is Dyson Heppell.”

With more experienced midfielders such as Jobe Watson, David Myers and Heath Hocking all missing from the line-up, it was Heppell who would attract the attention of the opposition. 

However, forever the hard worker, Heppell did not let this slow him down as he averaged  25 disposals a game and showed that he could also impact the scoreboard, kicking a personal best 13 goals for the season. 

Reflecting on the season at Wednesday’s Crichton Medal, Heppell did not shy away from his disappointment with the Bombers' season, but believed that with key players returning from injury and a distraction free pre-season, the team would turn the corner quickly.

“Probably a bit disappointed in the year that I’ve had, but I think that i’ve developed in a lot of other areas,” said Heppell

 “It certainly does make it tough when you do lose a lot of key personnel, especially around the midfield with the bigger bodies.

“I still really enjoyed the year.

“As a whole, as a team, probably a bit disappointing in our performances, but I certainly see a really exciting future for the group and a lot of exciting young guys coming through.”

Aside from finishing with 360 votes and in third place in this year’s count, last year’s Crichton Medalist was the recipient of both the ‘John Kilby Best Clubman Award’ and the ‘Bruce Heymanson Best Team Player’ award.  

In what speaks mountains of how highly the club views Heppell, this is the fourth consecutive year that he has been voted as the best clubman by his peers, a record in itself.

The Bruce Heymanson award, is awarded to the player who lives and breathes the values of the club and is reserved for someone who is a solid contributor on the field as well as to the overall culture of the club - something that describes Heppell more than adequately. 

Debuting in 2011, Heppell this year raced to his 100th game in round 17 against Port Adelaide.

His journey may not have been smooth sailing in 2015, but the 23 year old is still a proud Bomber.