Midfielder Michael Rischitelli received his first Merrett-Murray Medal after being voted as the Brisbane Lions’ best and fairest player for 2010 at tonight’s Club Champion dinner held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Rischitelli - who parted company with the Lions earlier this week - becomes just the eighth person to claim the Club’s top prize since the award was renamed following the 1996 merger.

He now joins elite company at the Lions alongside previous winners Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Michael Voss, Nigel Lappin, Jason Akermanis, Justin Leppitsch, Chris Scott and Matthew Clarke.

It was Rischitelli’s first appearance on the Lions’ Club Champion podium, eclipsing his previous best finish of 6th from back in 2008.

The 24 year-old midfielder polled 37.5 votes to edge out Vice-Captain Simon Black (34.5 votes) who finished Runner-Up for the third consecutive season.

Rischitelli’s win also brought to an end Captain Jonathan Brown’s run of three consecutive Club Champion awards. However, the inspirational skipper still managed to finish third overall with 28.5 votes despite being sidelined for six matches throughout the season.

The Merrett-Murray Medal awarded to the Lions Club Champion is named after Roger Merrett and Kevin Murray who both made a significant contribution to the Club's history with the Bears and Fitzroy respectively.

The Club Champion voting system rewards consistency, excellence, durability and is decided upon by the people who know the players' assigned roles the best - the Lions' Match Committee.

The Match Committee convened on Mondays to give each player's performance a rating out of five - including half votes. The maximum five votes are given out very rarely and are generally reserved for faultless individual performances. Players who have little or no impact on a game can receive zero votes.

Rischitelli proved a worthy winner following a career-best season.

He was one of only six players to feature in every Lions senior match in 2010 and led the Club in a range of key statistical categories including total kicks, handballs, marks and contested possessions. He also averaged a career-high 24.1 disposals per game.

Simon Black was awarded the Nigel Lappin Trophy as the Club Champion Runner-Up after another consistent season in the midfield.

It was the fourth time the 31 year-old has finished second in the Club's highest individual honour and the eighth time in the past ten seasons that he has stood on the Club Champion dais as a member of its top three.

The Lions Vice-Captain - who is a former three-time Club Champion winner in 2001, 2002 and 2006 - proved Rischitelli’s main competition throughout the evening and finished just three votes shy of a fourth Merrett-Murray Medal. It was a remarkable effort considering he missed four matches.

Black averaged a Club-high 25.6 disposals per game in 2010 and was regularly among the team’s key contributors in an otherwise disappointing season.

He was also recognised by his team-mates as the winner of the Players’ Player of the Year award for the second year in-a-row and took home The Courier Mail Player of the Year award for the third consecutive season.

Jonathan Brown was awarded the Alastair Lynch Trophy as the Club Champion's third place-getter after kicking a team-high 53 goals and taking 40 contested marks in just 16 matches this year.

Brown was the count’s early bolter after polling 13 votes from his first four matches including an impressive 4.5 votes for his seven-goal performance against Carlton back in Round 2 at the Gabba.

The 28 year-old centre half-forward also received the Shaun Hart Most Courageous Player Award and was voted for the second year in-a-row as the Members Player of the Year.

Supremely consistent Vice-Captain Luke Power finished fourth overall with 27.5 votes - his eighth consecutive top five finish - while teenager Jack Redden rounded out the top five with 26.5 votes.

In other awards, Vice-Captain Daniel Merrett took out the Marcus Ashcroft Most Professional Player award while Tom Rockliff edged out fellow 2010 AFL Rising Star nominees Jack Redden and Todd Banfield for the honour of Rookie of the Year.

The Club also inducted three new Life Members to the Club including former Chairman Tony Kelly, defender Ash McGrath and Craig Lambert who departs the Lions after 17 years of outstanding service as a player, Assistant Coach and Welfare Development Manager.

The complete list of 2010 award winners are as follows:

Merrett-Murray Medal (Club Champion Winner): Michael Rischitelli
Nigel Lappin Trophy (Club Champion Runner-Up): Simon Black
Alastair Lynch Trophy (Club Champion Third Place): Jonathan Brown
Players' Player of the Year: Simon Black
Marcus Ashcroft Most Professional Player: Daniel Merrett
Shaun Hart Most Courageous Player: Jonathan Brown
Rookie of the Year: Tom Rockliff
The Courier-Mail Player of the Year: Simon Black
Members' Player of the Year: Jonathan Brown

Below is a list of the top ten place-getters in the 2010 Merrett-Murray Medal:

1st: Michael Rischitelli - 37.5
2nd: Simon Black - 34.5
3rd: Jonathan Brown - 28.5
4th: Luke Power - 27.5
5th: Jack Redden - 26.5
6th: Ashley McGrath - 25.5
7th: Brent Staker - 25.0
8th: Daniel Rich - 24.5
9th: Matthew Leuenberger - 24.0
10th: Todd Banfield - 23.5

Click here for the full list of votes and final player standings