Phelan caps stellar year for Lions with Outridge Medal

CHRIS Phelan’s outstanding and consistent performances for Subiaco have been rewarded with the dual premiership midfielder claiming the Outridge Medal as the Lions’ fairest and best for the 2015 WAFL season.

Phelan was a constant and consistently strong ball-winner in the midfield all season long for Subiaco and he was acknowledged on Friday night by claiming his first Outridge Medal just weeks after winning a second premiership medal.

Subiaco’s tremendous recruiting was also on show in their fairest and best voting with centreman Leigh Kitchin finishing runner-up to Phelan in fairest and best voting.

Versatile big man Clancy Wheeler also played in his second premiership team and was third in Outridge Medal voting ahead of two more terrific signings – defender Jordan Lockyer and the hard-running Scott Hancock who were both in their first seasons with Subiaco.

The fairest and best victory for Phelan was a terrific reward for his perseverance having originally started his career with Subiaco at half-back on the back end of the Lions’ premiership hat-trick of 2006, 2007 and 2008.

By the grand final making team of 2011, he had become a permanent and important member of the midfield and following an injury-plagued 2012 season, he has gone from strength to strength the last three seasons.

After an outstanding 2014 where he was a crucial part of the premiership winning midfield, the now 27-year-old went to the elite WAFL level in 2015 playing for Western Australia for the first time in the win over South Australia at Lathlain Park.

He also finished sixth, 10 votes behind winner Aidan Tropiano, in Sandover Medal voting and after averaging 24.3 possessions a game in 2015 for the Lions, he claimed the Outridge Medal.

Kitchin wasn’t far behind following a superb first season with Subiaco in the centre with Wheeler not only rewarded by coming third splitting his time between being a key forward, defender and pinch-hitting ruckman but also being named Player of the Finals.

Wheeler took over the No. 1 ruck role for the second semi-final and grand final wins for Subiaco over West Perth and that didn’t go unnoticed, or without reward.

Lockyer joined Subiaco after time with the Sydney Swans in the AFL after being drafted from West Perth, and became a mainstay of the Lions’ defensive unit in 2015 and did some tremendous jobs both defensively and with helping to set up play.

That saw him finish fourth in fairest and best voting while Hancock’s move to join Subiaco from East Fremantle paid dividends with him not only playing every game and earning a premiership medal, but also coming fifth in Outridge Medal voting.