The Norm Smith Medal, awarded annually to the best-on-ground in the AFL Grand Final, stands as one of the most prestigious individual accolades in Australian Rules football.
Named after Norm Smith, the legendary four-time premiership player and six-time premiership coach of Melbourne, the medal has a storied history since its inception in 1979.
The inaugural winner, Wayne Harmes, was the last-minute hero of Carlton's triumph over Collingwood, setting the stage for a tradition of exceptional performances and moments on the grandest stage of our code.
Dustin Martin holds the record with three medals, his standout performances coming during Richmond's reign in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Typically a winning player claims the award, but there have been notable exceptions. Maurice Rioli, Gary Ablett Snr., Nathan Buckley and Chris Judd earned the medal despite their teams' losses, while Saint Lenny Hayes' 2010 win will be the first and only awarded in a drawn Grand Final.
The selection process for the Norm Smith Medal involves a panel of five experts who cast votes based on the players' performances. In rare cases of tied votes, countbacks are used to determine the winner, with Cat Paul Chapman being the only player to win through this method in 2009.
As we delve into the history of the Norm Smith Medal, we explore the stat lines of every recipient, offering a more comprehensive look at the elite performances that have defined the pinnacle of the AFL competition.
2023 - Bobby Hill (Collingwood)
- 18 disposals (14 kicks)
- 4 goals
- 8 marks
- 5 tackles
- 118 SuperCoach Points
2022 - Isaac Smith (Geelong)
- 32 disposals (23 kicks)
- 3 goals
- 12 marks
- 2 tackles
- 156 SuperCoach Points
2021 - Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
- 39 disposals (21 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 4 tackles
- 3 marks
- 160 SuperCoach Points
2020 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
- 21 disposals (16 kicks)
- 4 goals
- 3 tackles
- 1 mark
2019 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
- 22 disposals (11 kicks)
- 4 goals
- 4 marks
- 1 tackle
- 137 SuperCoach Points
2018 - Luke Shuey (West Coast)
- 34 disposals (21 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 8 tackles
- 3 marks
- 168 SuperCoach Points
2017 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
- 29 disposals (14 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 1 mark
- 1 tackle
- 150 SuperCoach Points
2016 - Jason Johannisen (Western Bulldogs)
- 33 disposals (25 kicks)
- 7 marks
- 1 tackle
- 92 SuperCoach Points
2015 - Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn)
- 18 disposals (14 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 12 marks
- 2 tackles
- 107 SuperCoach Points
2014 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
- 35 disposals (21 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 12 marks
- 4 tackles
- 3 hit-outs
- 137 SuperCoach Points
2013 - Brian Lake (Hawthorn)
- 22 disposals (16 kicks)
- 10 marks
- 1 tackle
- 104 SuperCoach Points
2012 - Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney)
- 29 disposals (16 kicks)
- 15 tackles
- 3 marks
- 143 Fantasy Points
2011 - Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)
- 26 disposals (15 kicks)
- 3 goals
- 6 marks
- 2 tackles
- 95 SuperCoach Points
2010* - Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
- 29 disposals (20 kicks)
- 11 tackles
- 7 marks
- 123 SuperCoach Points
2010 - Lenny Hayes (St Kilda)
- 32 disposals (18 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 12 tackles
- 5 marks
- 3 hit-outs
- 174 SuperCoach Points
2009 - Paul Chapman (Geelong)
- 26 disposals (17 kicks)
- 3 goals
- 4 tackles
- 4 marks
- 119 Fantasy Points
2008 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
- 26 disposals (20 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 9 marks
- 5 tackles
- 155 SuperCoach Points
2007 - Steve Johnson (Geelong)
- 23 disposals (18 kicks)
- 4 goals
- 9 marks
- 2 tackles
- 122 Fantasy Points
2006 - Andrew Embley (West Coast)
- 26 disposals (14 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 6 marks
- 97 Fantasy Points
2005 - Chris Judd (West Coast)
- 29 disposals (14 kicks)
- 2 tackles
- 1 mark
- 86 Fantasy Points
2004 - Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide)
- 20 disposals (19 kicks)
- 3 goals
- 8 marks
- 2 tackles
- 109 Fantasy Points
2003 - Simon Black (Brisbane)
- 39 disposals (16 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 9 tackles
- 2 marks
- 144 Fantasy Points
2002 - Nathan Buckley (Collingwood)
- 32 disposals (28 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 4 tackles
- 2 marks
- 1 hit-out
- 122 Fantasy Points
2001 - Shaun Hart (Brisbane)
- 23 disposals (14 kicks)
- 3 marks
- 1 tackle
- 73 Fantasy Points
2000 - James Hird (Essendon)
- 29 disposals (24 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 7 marks
- 3 tackles
- 1 hit-out
1999 - Shannon Grant (North Melbourne)
- 19 disposals (15 kicks)
- 4 goals
- 5 marks
- 2 tackles
1998 - Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
- 30 disposals (15 kicks)
- 2 marks
1997 - Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
- 31 disposals (18 kicks)
- 11 marks
- 3 tackles
1996 - Glenn Archer (North Melbourne)
- 22 disposals (14 kicks)
- 8 marks
1995 - Greg Williams (Carlton)
- 31 disposals (17 kicks)
- 5 goals
- 5 marks
- 1 tackle
1994 - Dean Kemp (West Coast)
- 23 disposals (18 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 5 marks
- 3 tackles
1993 - Michael Long (Essendon)
- 33 disposals (20 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 8 marks
- 1 tackle
1992 - Peter Matera (West Coast)
- 18 disposals (15 kicks)
- 5 goals
- 4 marks
- 2 tackles
1991 - Paul Dear (Hawthorn)
- 26 disposals (18 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 11 marks
- 1 tackle
- 2 hit-outs
1990 - Tony Shaw (Collingwood)
- 32 disposals (22 kicks)
- 8 marks
- 4 tackles
1989 - Gary Ablett Snr. (Geelong)
- 15 disposals (12 kicks)
- 9 goals
- 8 marks
- 3 tackles
- 1 hit-out
1988 - Gary Ayres (Hawthorn)
- 22 disposals (18 kicks)
- 6 marks
- 3 tackles
1987 - David Rhys-Jones (Carlton)
- 17 disposals (9 kicks)
- 4 marks
- 1 tackle
- 0 goals conceded (Dermott Brereton)
1986 - Gary Ayres (Hawthorn)
- 23 disposals (17 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 5 marks
1985 - Simon Madden (Essendon)
- 22 disposals (12 kicks)
- 14 marks
1984 - Billy Duckworth (Essendon)
- 19 disposals (11 kicks)
- 2 goals
- 6 marks
1983 - Colin Robertson (Hawthorn)
- 29 disposals (14 kicks)
- 4 marks
1982 - Maurice Rioli (Richmond)
- 19 disposals (18 kicks)
- 3 goals
- 1 mark
- 1 hit-out
1981 - Bruce Doull (Carlton)
- 17 disposals (14 kicks)
- 2 marks
- 0 goals conceded (Craig Davis)
1980 - Kevin Bartlett (Richmond)
- 21 disposals (20 kicks)
- 7 goals
- 9 marks
1979 - Wayne Harmes (Carlton)
- 17 disposals (12 kicks)
- 1 goal
- 3 marks
