Gold Coast superstar Gary Ablett has been acknowledged by his peers as the AFL’s most valuable player for a record fifth time.

The Suns skipper won the AFL players’ association MVP award on Tuesday night for the second straight year.

He also won the award in three straight years with Geelong from 2007-09, during which time he was also part of two premierships.

No other player has won the award more than twice, with Carlton’s Chris Judd and former greats Greg Williams, Wayne Carey and Michael Voss the other multiple winners.

Ablett, 29, is also the hot favourite to win his second Brownlow Medal later in September, to go with the 2009 award he won while playing with the Cats.

Until Ablett won the MVP award last year, no player had claimed it in a year in which his club did not play finals since the Western Bulldogs’ Luke Darcy in 2002.

The Suns came 14th this season.

Ablett averaged 31 disposals in his 21 games this year and led Gold Coast’s goal-kicking with 28 majors.

It ensured he was again a clear winner of the Suns’ best and fairest award, which he has claimed in all three of the club’s seasons in the AFL.

His enormous list of honours also includes Geelong best and fairest awards in 2007 and 2009, both premiership years.

He is also expected to next week be awarded All Australian honours for a seventh straight year.

Earlier, skipper Joel Selwood was voted both the AFL’s best captain and the league’s most courageous player, an award he received for the third time.

Gold Coast’s Jaeger O’Meara was named best first year player and Essendon’s Dyson Heppell was made captain of the inaugural 22under22, a side comprised of the competition’s best players in that age bracket.