Young Carlton star Patrick Cripps has been recognised for his outstanding season, winning the 2015 Chris Judd Development Academy Award.
The dual Brownlow medallist returned to Ikon Park on Friday to personally present the award to Cripps – who found it somewhat surreal receiving an award named in honour of his football hero.
“I put a lot of work in over the summer and it was just amazing to win the award,” Cripps said.
“It obviously means a lot – Juddy is a champion of the game and I idolised him growing up.
“Juddy has had a huge influence on my career and he’s given me a few little tips which have really helped me, so I can’t thank him enough.”
In just his second year at Carlton the big-bodied midfielder is averaging 23 disposals, five tackles and seven clearances, despite being tagged or lining up on a more experienced opponent.
“At the start of the season I set myself a goal to play a certain amount of games this year. Injuries to players gave me more time in the midfield and helped me develop quicker than I thought I would,” Cripps said.
The champion and his protégé: Chris Judd and Patrick Cripps at Ikon Park on Friday morning. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)
The award was created last year by Carlton’s development coach Mathew Capuano, and director of coaching and development Rob Wiley. Irishman Ciaran Sheehan was the inaugural winner.
“We wanted to put something together to reward the player in our academy that displays the most development over the season, is self motivated, and proactive in terms of wanting to improve his football,” Capuano said.
“The award is a bit about the on-field performance, but it’s really about the work that’s gone into getting to that point.”
At the end of last year, after discussing his football with Judd, Cripps went away in the off-season and worked hard on his running ability. He also shed almost 4kg of fat.
“He put together a really strong plan about how he wanted to tackle pre-season and how he wanted to conduct himself…and this year you can see the results of that (hard work),” Capuano said.
