Departed Queensland Reds flanker Liam Gill has been belatedly named as the winner of this year's Pilecki Medal for players' player of the year.
It is the second Super Rugby season in a row the 24-year-old has claimed the award after winning it for the first time in 2015.
The announcement was delayed as the Reds did not hold a gala dinner this year because of financial restrictions and were hoping for an opportunity to give Gill the medal in person.
Gill, who now plays for French Top 14 club Toulon, will be formally presented with the Pilecki Medal when he is next in Australia, most likely in February for the inaugural Brisbane Global Tens tournament.
"I thought he was one of our better players, consistent and I liked his aggression," said Reds great Stan Pilecki, who the award is named after.
"From my point of view if I had to pick someone to win it I would have picked him anyway.
"Quite often it's won back to back, he clearly hit a rich vein of form and made a significant contribution over the last couple of years.
"It's tough to stand out in a losing team and he did that well over the last couple of years. We've had a tough few years, but the wheel turns.
"We've filled a lot of the gaps we had last year and I'm pretty hopeful and confident for next season."
Gill tallied 282 votes to finish in first place, ahead of Hendrik Tui (229) and Samu Kerevi (201).
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