Melbourne utility Ryan Hinchcliffe has taken out the NRL club's player of the year award.

Hinchcliffe edged out a representative field including Golden Boot winner Cameron Smith, halves pairing Cooper Cronk and Brett Finch and prop Aiden Tolman in claiming the award.

Hinchcliffe, in his second season at the club, scored four tries in 23 games for the Storm this year but it was his defensive tenacity and versatility that saw him claim the most votes.

It was otherwise a forgettable year for the Storm who could not earn points in 2010 and were stripped of two NRL titles after major salary cap breaches.

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