Emerging Sydney Swans defender Nic Newman has started 2017 on a bright note, being presented with the Cathy Lees Memorial Award ahead of training on Monday.

The award is named in the honour of Cathy Lees, the daughter of Alan and Barbara, who are a passionate Swans supporting family. Cathy sadly passed away from cancer at a very young age.

The award started in 1998 and is presented to the most promising Swans player at the end of each season. The likes of Brett Kirk, Tadhg Kennelly, Luke Parker, Sam Reid and Isaac Heeney are just a few of the players to receive the honour.

The idea for the award came from the Lees' enjoyment of watching the NEAFL team in action to see who will be the next stars to line up in red and white.

Newman joined the Swans through the rookie draft in 2014, and has had to bide his time in the NEAFL for the past two seasons.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a successful 2016 campaign, finishing in the NEAFL Team of the Year and being awarded the Andrew Ireland Medal for the best player in the NEAFL Grand Final.

The left-footer capped off the year with a place on the senior list and a new two-year contract extension.