Norm Smith Medal

[1] It was first presented in the 1979 VFL Grand Final, and it was won by Wayne Harmes, playing in Carlton's premiership victory against Collingwood.

[2] The award is named in honour of Norm Smith,[2] who won four VFL premierships as a player and six as coach for the Melbourne Football Club.

The winner is voted on by a five-member panel consisting of former players, journalists and media personalities, with one member designated as the chair.

[9][10] In some years judges were required to lodge their decisions prior to the completion of the match, to ensure votes were compiled in time for the ceremony.

[11] This was changed following the 2002 AFL Grand Final, after Michael Voss had five crucial possessions in the last five minutes of the close game which could have swayed the voting, but eventually placed fourth behind Nathan Buckley.

A male athlete with light hair wearing a polo shirt and pants walks on the grass surface of the playing arena.
Nathan Buckley is one of just four players to have received the Norm Smith Medal as a member of the losing Grand Final team, winning the award in 2002 . [ 5 ]
A male athlete with dark hair wearing a jumper sits in a chair.
Chris Judd is the most recent player to receive the medal as a member of the losing Grand Final team, winning in 2005 . [ 5 ]
A male athlete with dark hair wearing a sleeved jersey smiles at camera.
Luke Hodge is one of just four players to have won multiple Norm Smith Medals, winning in 2008 and 2014 . [ 4 ]
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Paul Chapman is the only player to win the Norm Smith Medal on a countback, winning in 2009 . [ 9 ]
A male athlete with dark hair wearing a sleeved jersey and compression pants runs on the boundary of the grass surface of the playing arena.
Lenny Hayes is the only player to have won a Norm Smith medal in a drawn Grand Final, doing so in 2010 . [ 13 ]