From humble beginnings, he rose to become the modern-day epitome of determination, spirit and leadership, and in early December, Brett Kirk capped off an inspiring career by winning the 2010 Madden Medal, awarded to the retiring player who has achieved the most in their football, in the community and in developing themselves.

The Swans’ ‘Captain’ Kirk accepted the Medal from brothers Simon and Justin Madden, becoming the second Sydney player in two years to accept this prestigious award following Michael O’Loughlin’s win in 2009.

Kirk beat a strong field of contenders, which included football greats: Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin, Brett Burton, Brad Johnson, Warren Tredrea and Ben Cousins.

The 241-game veteran leaves the game with a Premiership (2005), All-Australian honours (2004), two Club Best and Fairest awards (2005, 2006), Robert Rose Award for the League’s Most Courageous Player (2006) and Best Captain Award at this year’s AFLPA MVP Awards.

The Award – presented by GNC LiveWell – is voted on by the Board of the AFL Players’ Association. This year’s poll saw Kirk (24 votes) come in narrowly ahead of McLeod (21 votes) and Johnson (10 votes).

Previous winners of the award include Glenn Archer (2007), Robert Harvey (2008) and Michael O’Loughlin (2009).

AFL Players’ Association CEO, Matt Finnis said Kirk stood out among this year’s crop of retiring stars, not just because of his roll-call of on-field achievements, but also the way he has forged his own path in football and in life.

“We all know the story of the one-time delisted player who fought his way back from football oblivion to become the heart and soul of his beloved Swans,” Finnis said.

“But Brett’s determination to show leadership away from football has also been an inspiration to the AFL industry. He’s become an exemplar of the kind of values championed by the AFLPA: courage, unity, compassion and personal development” – Matt FInnis

“But Brett’s determination to show leadership away from football has also been an inspiration to the AFL industry. He’s become an exemplar of the kind of values championed by the AFLPA: courage, unity, compassion and personal development.”

The Madden Medal awards recognise both a player’s on and off-field achievements and comprise awards for Community Spirit, Personal Development, Football Achievement and the overarching Madden Medal.

Kirk received nominations in all four categories and also won the Community Spirit Award ahead of Andrew McLeod and Brett Burton. This was a recognition of the huge amount of community work he has completed throughout his career, including his most recent AFLPA-supported tour of Sri Lanka where he worked with local groups to explore reconciliation through sport.

In other awards, Adelaide champion Andrew McLeod took out the GNC LiveWell Football Achievement Award, polling 30 votes ahead of Jason Akermanis (12 votes) and Brad Johnson (9 votes).

McLeod had an incredible 340-game career with highlights including two Premierships, two Norm Smith Medals, three Club Best and Fairests, five All-Australian honours and was being a member of the Indigenous Team of the Century.

The Open Universities Australia Personal Development Award was won by former Geelong and Bulldog player Tim Callan, ahead of Brett Burton.

Callan has completed a Masters of Applied Finance and is currently working as an equity analyst with investment firm Goldman Sachs JBWere.