Consistently recognised as one of the game's premier midfielders,[3] Judd was selected in the All-Australian team six times, including as captain in 2008.

At a representative level, he played for Australia in the 2002 International Rules Series and for Victoria in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008.

[5] He was raised in Melbourne's bayside suburbs, where he played for the East Sandringham Junior Football Club[6][7] before he attended Caulfield Grammar School.

Judd averaged 22 disposals, kicked 24 goals for the season, and became West Coast's first Brownlow medallist, polling 30 votes to finish seven ahead of runner-up Mark Ricciuto.

Additionally, he was named to his first All-Australian team as a wingman, and won the Eagles' Club Champion award for the first time.

In 2005, he again averaged 22 disposals and was runner-up to Cousins as Club Champion; he kicked the Goal of the Year and won the Norm Smith Medal in West Coast's four-point loss to Sydney in the 2005 AFL Grand Final.

On 1 March 2006, Judd was named captain of the club, succeeding Ben Cousins who stepped down from the role for disciplinary reasons.

[citation needed] However, as the year progressed, he was hampered by a chronic groin injury which sidelined him for several weeks and restricted his performance in the games he played.

[13] He notified West Coast coach John Worsfold and CEO Trevor Nisbett of his intentions earlier that day.

His first game in navy blue was a Friday afternoon practice match on 7 March 2008 against the Western Bulldogs at MC Labour Park, with his presence attracting 12,000 fans,[21] and he began his senior career with the club in the first round.

His return match against West Coast at Subiaco Oval in round 7 was widely anticipated in the media, and Carlton won by 37 points.

In another deadpan statement after the hearing, he stated "I've since watched a couple of Steven Seagal movies and realised that pressure points are no laughing matter," but he also acknowledged his own "stupidity" in the controversy.

[23][24] Then, his leadership was called into question when the team misbehaved during an organised Christmas booze cruise, which saw suspensions to teammates Andrew Walker, Eddie Betts and Ryan Houlihan.

[29][30] He had entered the Brownlow Medal count as an unbackable favourite, with Sportsbet electing to pay out early after round 20, but he ultimately finished fifth.

In round 16 against North Melbourne he was reported for misconduct in that he pulled opposition player Leigh Adams' arm up, causing the shoulder to dislocate, in a move known as a "chicken wing tackle".

[20] In round 10, 2015, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee[35][36] and subsequently announced his retirement days later, bringing an end to his 279-game career.

He possessed a combination of explosive speed, acceleration, agility and core strength which few if any players in the league could match; these attributes gave him the ability to receive the ball in traffic, then break free from or weave around taggers and opponents, allowing him to take clearing kicks in open space which were damaging to opposition teams.

By virtue of his core strength and balance, he became one of the best in the league at receiving ruck tap-outs, and riding or shaking off tackles in packs and congestion to win clearing handpasses to Carlton's outside midfielders.

[48] Towards the end of 2003, Judd began writing a column on the West Coast Eagles official website called "Juddy's Jibe".

Throughout the 2006 season, the column was also published in Melbourne newspaper The Age, in which Judd wrote about issues such as global warming, terrorism, superficiality in the mass media, world peace and James Surowiecki's book The Wisdom of Crowds.

[49] In 2019, Judd alongside Rich Lister Josh Liberman and other investors backed up Thinkmarkets, a London-based online brokerage company in its pre-IPO raising.

[citation needed] On the night of Judd's 2004 Brownlow win, Twigley wore a revealing red dress which caused national comment.