The Merrivale onballer polled 19 votes to claim the coveted medal after a dramatic count at City Memorial Bowls Club on Wednesday night.

He finished three clear of Kolora-Noorat pair Joe Kenna and Joe Conheady, who polled 16. Nirranda utility Peter McDowall was fourth with 15.

But taking the top honour could yet be bittersweet for the Tigers captain. A knee injury has him in doubt for the second semi-final.

Sobey said scans had ruled out any damage to his anterior cruciate ligament. But he was unsure if he would take to the field.

“I’m a little bit ginger but we’re ready to go, we’re just taking it day by day,” he said.

“I’m trying my best to get up for Saturday. Compared to what it was last week, we’re moving all right.”

Sobey said clinching the medal was “a big shock but I’m honoured at the same time”.

“It’ll definitely be something that I’ll look back on. I never thought it would be me standing up there,” he said.

Sobey had just five votes to his name at the halfway mark of the season but picked up 11 during a medal-winning run from rounds 12 to 15.

A further three-vote effort in round 17 took him to his final tally. Kenna could have joined him on 19 votes with a best-afield performance in the last round, but neither player attracted votes.

Sobey is the seventh Tiger to claim the medal. The others are Dudley Maslin (1947), John Carmody (1960), Mike Hamblin (1976, 1979), David Cassidy (1991), Jason Porter (1994) and Jamie Neave (1998).

His 19-vote tally is the equal-lowest since the three-way tie of 1987, when Russells Creek’s Iain Jackson, West End-Allansford’s Don Steel and Northern Districts’ Jamie Darmody polled 15.

“Playing with some quality players makes things a lot easier. I’ve enjoyed the year and Karl (Dwyer) is a great coach and gives me a pretty basic role to play each week,” he said.