James Polkinghorne has capped off a brilliant year for the VFL Bombers, being crowned the R.A Freeman Medalist on Thursday night.

Polkinghorne finished the count narrowly ahead of fellow midfielder Daniel Coghlan, while AFL-listed defender Ariel Steinberg rounded out the top three.

It’s a fantastic achievement by Polkinghorne who joined Essendon VFL at the end of last season after playing 94 games for Brisbane Lions from 2008-2014.

Polkinghorne played all but one game this season, exemplifying his durability and consistency holding down a valuable role throughout the midfield.

The hard-nosed midfielder averaged over 20 disposals a game as well demonstrating his ability to hit the scoreboard, booting 14 goals for the season.

Polkinghorne arguably saved his best performance for the finals series where he averaged 22 disposals and booted a total of six goals in three matches.

James Polkinghorne 2015 stats:

Games: 20

Average disposals: 20.5

Goals: 14

Final leaderboard:

1- James Polkinghorne (321 votes)

2- Daniel Coghlan (303)

3- Ariel Steinberg (298)

4- Kyle Hardingham (275)

5- Nick O’Brien (265)

6- Elliott Kavanagh (231)

7- Shaun McKernan (221)

8- Jordan Schroder (145)

9- Kurt Aylett (138)

10- Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (133)