Crossword Genius

Maybe Tony died after a long fight (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

award

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'maybe tony' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'died after a long fight' is the wordplay.
'died' becomes 'd' (abbreviation next to the year of someone's death).
'after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'long fight' becomes 'war' (warring is a kind of fighting. I am not sure about the 'long' bit.).
'a'+'war'='awar'
'd' after 'awar' is 'AWARD'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for award that I've seen before include "Arbitrator's decision" , "Judicial decision" , "Grant made by a court of law" , "Trophy or medal, for example" , "Grant - prize" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
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