St Kilda key forward Tim Membrey has been awarded the Saints’ Best Emerging Player prize at Thursday night’s Trevor Barker Award, capping off a stunning breakout season in 2016.

The 22-year-old overcame a delayed start to the year, due to off-season shoulder surgery, to work his way into the senior setup in Round 6. With five goals against Melbourne in his return game, Membrey never looked back, playing the final 17 games to entrench himself inside Alan Richardson’s plans.

Membrey finished the season as St Kilda’s leading goal kicker with 44 goals next to his name, at an average of 2.6 per game (No. 7 in the AFL). The former Sydney Swan collected four bags of five, a haul of four and three sets of three to flaunt his goal kicking prowess.

Alongside last year’s leading goal kicker, Josh Bruce, and 2014 No. 1 pick, Paddy McCartin, the Saints forward line is stacked with budding stars which should hold the club in good stead in the future.

Saints Assistant Coach Aaron Hamill attributed Membrey’s rise this season to a massive pre-season last summer, where the explosive forward took his endurance base to the next level, whilst being away from the main group as part of his rehabilitation program.

“I think he had an exceptional pre-season. He missed the first five games, but his pre-season really set him up to have the year he had,” Hamill told saints.com.au.

“While he was out of the main group during summer, he did a lot of running and a lot of forward pattern play, a fair bit of read and react work.

“He just got his body in a sound condition and his mind was sharp, that’s what set him on a path to achieve what he has in 2016.”

Hamill lauded Membrey’s meticulous approach to football, starting with his application to recovery and extending to his preparation for each game and his areas for improvement.

“He’s such a professional with what he does; he is an elite preparer,” Hamill said.

“He’s very consistent with how he prepares, he reviews his game really hard and he wants to know where he can improve and get better and he wants to know that every week, regardless of how he has played on the weekend.

“In terms of his recovery he is a pro, so he’s sussed the system out at a young age and hopefully that will hold him in good stead to become an elite consistent performer over many years.”

After playing one senior game in two years in the harbour city, Membrey has now added another 29 games in his first two seasons at Linen House Centre, laying the foundations for a prosperous career in the AFL.