FRESH from being named in the Wallabies squad, Warren's Ben McCalman has achieved another honour after being awarded the winner of the Nathan Sharpe medal as the outstanding Western Force player for the 2015 season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On top of that, McCalman was also named in the Western Force's team of the decade as the club celebrated ten years of Super Rugby.
Nathan Sharpe was named captain of the team of the decade and McCalman was one of six players from the Force's 2015 team to make the lineup, along with Pek Cowan, Sam Wykes, Matt Hodgson, Alby Mathewson and Nick Cummins.
While the team announcement was one of the highlights at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday night, Dubbo-born McCalman walked away with the biggest individual offer.
Currently in training with the Wallabies in the lead up to Saturday's Rugby Championship clash against South Africa, McCalman finished with 378 points in the voting, a record amount for the Force.
The previous best was last year when Matt Hodgson took home the medal after polling 343 points.
But after an incredible run of consistent Super Rugby performances, finishing second in the medal votes the past two years, McCalman's form in 2015 saw him finally claim the prize.
It may not have been the Force's best season of the past decade, only recording three wins and finishing last in the Australian pool, but the former Kinross Woloroi student was a standout.
The barnstorming number eight made 160 runs in the regular season, the most by any player, while he also made the most tackle busts (23) and linebreaks (6) by a forward at the Force.
He collected the most number of votes in five matches during the season, including the three very first rounds of the season.
The 27-year-old was a clear winner with Steve Mafi and Dane Haylett-Petty the next best, equal on 225 votes.
The medal win for McCalman follows on from him confirming his future in the west with a new contract for the next three seasons signed last month.
WESTERN FORCE TEAM OF THE DECADE: 1 Pek Cowan, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Kieran Longbottom, 4 Sam Wykes, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 6 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock, 8 Ben McCalman, 9 Alby Mathewson, 10 Matt Giteau, 11 Nick Cummins, 12 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 14 Drew Mitchell, 15 Cameron Shepherd
