TOM Wilson has etched himself further in the Northern Blues history books with a third Laurie Hill Trophy.

In front of nearly 200 people at the Mantra Bell City Ballroom, Wilson prevailed in the count with 85 votes, narrowly finishing ahead of Sam Fisher (81) and Josh Hill (75).

It was the Northern Blues captain’s third best and fairest win in five years, and he becomes just the fourth player in the history of the Club to achieve a hat-trick of Laurie Hill Trophies.

In a year which brought about his 100th game for the Club in Round 7, Wilson achieved career-best tallies in disposals, clearances and inside 50s, providing the leadership which has made him widely admired at Preston City Oval and Ikon Park.

Wilson ultimately emerged victorious from a vote count which went right down to the wire, with Northern’s No.1 trailing midfield partner Fisher by seven votes heading into the final game.

A career-best 40 disposals against Essendon in 2018’s final game saw Wilson receive 11 votes, finishing just four ahead of the runner-up.

Over the course of the season, Wilson averaged just shy of 26 disposals per game. His consistency was marked by polling in 12 of his 17 games.

Northern Blues senior coach Josh Fraser was full of praise for the captain, saying he deserved to be acknowledged as one of the Club’s very best.

“We all knew Tom’s credentials heading into the year, but his ability to back it up consistently and drive this club forward is an absolute credit to him,” Fraser said.

“He has lived our values and upheld our standards, he’s the ultimate professional.

“It’s incredibly difficult to win just one best and fairest, so to win three in five years is an enormous achievement.

“Seeing the work he puts in on and off the field, it’s no surprise.

“It’s important to mention the years of Sam Fisher and Josh Hill, who finished just behind ‘Willo’. They’ve come in and bought into our program over the last 12 months.”