The Wellington Phoenix awards dinner nearly turned into a benefit for central defender Ben Sigmund last night.
Sigmund's outstanding performances, along with his heart-on-the sleeve, never-say-die approach saw him take home the top four awards.
The central defender was named player of the year by the media, players and members, which were all seperate gongs - while the coaching staff awarded points throughout the season on a 3-2-1 basis to crown the Sony player of the year, which was the major prize.
Sigmund claimed the player of the year award from the club for the second season in a row.
Only Paul Ifill, who won the club's golden boot, and Tim Brown, with goal of the year for his long-range effort against Sydney FC, stopped Sigmund making it a clean sweep
