IT WAS always going to take a fair effort for Sam Walsh to replicate the form he showed in year one.

The No.1 draft pick proved himself to the football world instantly in his debut season, winning the NAB AFL Rising Star and AFLPA Best First Year Player on the back of a record-breaking first campaign.

Now, you can add the AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player to the collection.

Walsh completed a clean sweep of the individual awards available to the youngsters of the competition on Wednesday, having accrued the most coaches’ votes of anyone in their first two seasons of football.

Speaking to Carlton Media, Walsh credited his adaptation to his role on the wing as a driving force behind his exemplary 2020 campaign.

“The wing role was a really positive one for me. I started to get my work rate going out there and I feel as though I can provide a lot for the team with my run,” Walsh said.

“Early on in the season, I started off a bit slow and there were a few things that I needed to adapt to.

“I really started to get back to my best footy… I started getting involved defensively and offensively, and that’s where I felt I was starting to impact games.”

You don’t have to look any further than Carlton’s nailbiter against Port Adelaide for proof of Walsh’s defensive efforts, with his most courageous of acts a leading contender for the AFL Mark of the Year.

Then, there was Walsh’s impact going forward, which was a clear weapon of Walsh’s in the second half of the season.

After six goals in his first 28 games, Walsh kicked eight in his final 11 games of 2020 while also averaging just shy of 22 disposals per game.

He praised the influence of midfield coaches John Barker and Brent Stanton, as well as Senior Coach David Teague, for a run of form which saw the 20-year-old described by some as the in-form wingman in the AFL.

“Those guys have been great, they always back me in,” he said.

“The best thing about our coaching group is they know what our strengths are and encourage us to play to those strengths.

“As a team, we’ve learnt so much this year. Pre-season is going to be really big for us in building that synergy more and more as well as the ability to play four quarters.”

Sam Walsh by the numbers

64 AFLCA votes in two seasons — polled 30 votes between Rounds 12-18
Ranked No.1 at Carlton for inside 50s, uncontested possessions
Ranked No.2 at Carlton for metres gained
Ranked No.3 at Carlton for score involvements, contested possessions
Ranked No.1 in AFL for contested possessions, inside 50s among players aged 20 or under
Ranked No.2 in AFL for marks, uncontested possessions and metres gained among players aged 20 or under
Averaged 20.5 disposals per game in 2020
Eight consecutive games of 20 disposals or more from Rounds 11-18