Will Day has claimed Hawthorn’s 2023 Peter Crimmins Medal, edging out fellow midfielder Jai Newcombe by the smallest of margins to earn his maiden best and fairest.

It was Day’s consistency throughout the year that saw him top the leader board, with the young gun polling votes in all but one of his 21 appearances.

In what was another exhilarating finish to the count, Day ended the season with 125 votes, just two ahead of runner-up Newcombe (123), while Nash (114) finished in third place.

In a reflection of their strong campaigns, the midfield duo of Day and Newcombe alternated between first and second place for the majority of the count.

Newcombe was leading from Round 17 onwards, with Day closely trailing behind, before again making the jump in the final round of the season to secure the victory.

James Worpel’s impressive return campaign from a shoulder reconstruction was rewarded with a fourth-place finish, while James Sicily – the reigning 2022 winner – claimed fifth spot.

The captain polled a perfect 12 votes on three occasions, in Round 11, Round 19 and Round 21, where he registered 43, 28 and 37 disposals respectively.

Newcombe was the only other player to poll a 12-vote game, when he collected 29 disposals in Hawthorn’s Round 22 clash against Richmond.

See all the votes below.

Votes for the 2023 Peter Crimmins Medal are awarded after each home-and-away match, with three voting cards split between Hawthorn’s coaching group. A maximum of 12 votes can be accumulated by a player after the three voting cards are submitted using the following grading system: three votes to the best player/s, two votes for the player/s who had a significant influence on the game, one vote to player/s who played their role or beat their opponent. On rare occasions a player/s may receive four votes for an exceptional game.