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)
2022 - Isaac Smith (Geelong)
2021 - Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
2020 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
2019 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
2018 - Luke Shuey (West Coast)
2017 - Dustin Martin (Richmond)
2016 - Jason Johannisen (Western Bulldogs)
2015 - Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn)
2014 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
2013 - Brian Lake (Hawthorn)
2012 - Ryan O'Keefe (Sydney)
2011 - Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)
2010* - Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
2010 - Lenny Hayes (St Kilda)
2009 - Paul Chapman (Geelong)
2008 - Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
2007 - Steve Johnson (Geelong)
2006 - Andrew Embley (West Coast)
2005 - Chris Judd (West Coast)
2004 - Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide)
2003 - Simon Black (Brisbane)
2002 - Nathan Buckley (Collingwood)
2001 - Shaun Hart (Brisbane)
2000 - James Hird (Essendon)
1999 - Shannon Grant (North Melbourne)
1998 - Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
1997 - Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)
1996 - Glenn Archer (North Melbourne)
1995 - Greg Williams (Carlton)
1994 - Dean Kemp (West Coast)
1993 - Michael Long (Essendon)
1992 - Peter Matera (West Coast)
1991 - Paul Dear (Hawthorn)
1990 - Tony Shaw (Collingwood)
1989 - Gary Ablett Snr. (Geelong)
1988 - Gary Ayres (Hawthorn)
1987 - David Rhys-Jones (Carlton)
1986 - Gary Ayres (Hawthorn)
1985 - Simon Madden (Essendon)
1984 - Billy Duckworth (Essendon)
1983 - Colin Robertson (Hawthorn)
1982 - Maurice Rioli (Richmond)
1981 - Bruce Doull (Carlton)
1980 - Kevin Bartlett (Richmond)
1979 - Wayne Harmes (Carlton)