Norm Smith Medal
Updated: 12/11/2025, 4:58:27 PM Wikipedia source
The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990, the competition was known as the Victorian Football League (VFL). 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. The award is named in honour of Norm Smith, who won four VFL premierships as a player and six as coach for the Melbourne Football Club. Dustin Martin (2017, 2019 and 2020) is the only player to win the award three times. The award is usually won by a player on the winning team in the grand final; only four players have received the award as members of the losing teams: Maurice Rioli in 1982, Gary Ablett Sr. in 1989, Nathan Buckley in 2002, and Chris Judd in 2005. The club with the most Norm Smith Medal wins is Hawthorn, with eight awards won by players representing the club. The most recent recipient of the award is Brisbane's Will Ashcroft.
Infobox
League
Australian Football League
Awarded for
The best on ground in the VFL/AFL Grand Final
First award
1979
First winner
Wayne Harmes
Most wins
Dustin Martin (3)
Most recent
Will Ashcroft
Tables
Table key · Recipients
| ^ | Player was member of losing team |
Table of recipients · Recipients
1979
1979
Year
1979
Recipient
Wayne Harmes
Club
Carlton
1980
1980
Year
1980
Recipient
Kevin Bartlett
Club
Richmond
1981
1981
Year
1981
Recipient
Bruce Doull
Club
Carlton
1982
1982
Year
1982
Recipient
Maurice Rioli^
Club
Richmond
1983
1983
Year
1983
Recipient
Colin Robertson
Club
Hawthorn
1984
1984
Year
1984
Recipient
Billy Duckworth
Club
Essendon
1985
1985
Year
1985
Recipient
Simon Madden
Club
Essendon
1986
1986
Year
1986
Recipient
Gary Ayres
Club
Hawthorn
1987
1987
Year
1987
Recipient
David Rhys-Jones
Club
Carlton
1988
1988
Year
1988
Recipient
Gary Ayres (2)
Club
Hawthorn
1989
1989
Year
1989
Recipient
Gary Ablett Sr.^
Club
Geelong
1990
1990
Year
1990
Recipient
Tony Shaw
Club
Collingwood
1991
1991
Year
1991
Recipient
Paul Dear
Club
Hawthorn
1992
1992
Year
1992
Recipient
Peter Matera
Club
West Coast
1993
1993
Year
1993
Recipient
Michael Long
Club
Essendon
1994
1994
Year
1994
Recipient
Dean Kemp
Club
West Coast
1995
1995
Year
1995
Recipient
Greg Williams
Club
Carlton
1996
1996
Year
1996
Recipient
Glenn Archer
Club
North Melbourne
1997
1997
Year
1997
Recipient
Andrew McLeod
Club
Adelaide
1998
1998
Year
1998
Recipient
Andrew McLeod (2)
Club
Adelaide
1999
1999
Year
1999
Recipient
Shannon Grant
Club
North Melbourne
2000
2000
Year
2000
Recipient
James Hird
Club
Essendon
2001
2001
Year
2001
Recipient
Shaun Hart
Club
Brisbane Lions
2002
2002
Year
2002
Recipient
Nathan Buckley^
Club
Collingwood
2003
2003
Year
2003
Recipient
Simon Black
Club
Brisbane Lions
2004
2004
Year
2004
Recipient
Byron Pickett
Club
Port Adelaide
2005
2005
Year
2005
Recipient
Chris Judd^
Club
West Coast
2006
2006
Year
2006
Recipient
Andrew Embley
Club
West Coast
2007
2007
Year
2007
Recipient
Steve Johnson
Club
Geelong
2008
2008
Year
2008
Recipient
Luke Hodge
Club
Hawthorn
2009
2009
Year
2009
Recipient
Paul Chapman
Club
Geelong
2010
2010
Year
2010
Recipient
Lenny Hayes
Club
St Kilda
2010 (R)
2010 (R)
Year
2010 (R)
Recipient
Scott Pendlebury
Club
Collingwood
2011
2011
Year
2011
Recipient
Jimmy Bartel
Club
Geelong
2012
2012
Year
2012
Recipient
Ryan O'Keefe
Club
Sydney
2013
2013
Year
2013
Recipient
Brian Lake
Club
Hawthorn
2014
2014
Year
2014
Recipient
Luke Hodge (2)
Club
Hawthorn
2015
2015
Year
2015
Recipient
Cyril Rioli
Club
Hawthorn
2016
2016
Year
2016
Recipient
Jason Johannisen
Club
Western Bulldogs
2017
2017
Year
2017
Recipient
Dustin Martin
Club
Richmond
2018
2018
Year
2018
Recipient
Luke Shuey
Club
West Coast
2019
2019
Year
2019
Recipient
Dustin Martin (2)
Club
Richmond
2020
2020
Year
2020
Recipient
Dustin Martin (3)
Club
Richmond
2021
2021
Year
2021
Recipient
Christian Petracca
Club
Melbourne
2022
2022
Year
2022
Recipient
Isaac Smith
Club
Geelong
2023
2023
Year
2023
Recipient
Bobby Hill
Club
Collingwood
2024
2024
Year
2024
Recipient
Will Ashcroft
Club
Brisbane Lions
2025
2025
Year
2025
Recipient
Will Ashcroft (2)
Club
Brisbane Lions
| Year | Recipient | Club | Ref |
| 1979 | Wayne Harmes | Carlton | |
| 1980 | Kevin Bartlett | Richmond | |
| 1981 | Bruce Doull | Carlton | |
| 1982 | Maurice Rioli^ | Richmond | |
| 1983 | Colin Robertson | Hawthorn | |
| 1984 | Billy Duckworth | Essendon | |
| 1985 | Simon Madden | Essendon | |
| 1986 | Gary Ayres | Hawthorn | |
| 1987 | David Rhys-Jones | Carlton | |
| 1988 | Gary Ayres (2) | Hawthorn | |
| 1989 | Gary Ablett Sr.^ | Geelong | |
| 1990 | Tony Shaw | Collingwood | |
| 1991 | Paul Dear | Hawthorn | |
| 1992 | Peter Matera | West Coast | |
| 1993 | Michael Long | Essendon | |
| 1994 | Dean Kemp | West Coast | |
| 1995 | Greg Williams | Carlton | |
| 1996 | Glenn Archer | North Melbourne | |
| 1997 | Andrew McLeod | Adelaide | |
| 1998 | Andrew McLeod (2) | Adelaide | |
| 1999 | Shannon Grant | North Melbourne | |
| 2000 | James Hird | Essendon | |
| 2001 | Shaun Hart | Brisbane Lions | |
| 2002 | Nathan Buckley^ | Collingwood | |
| 2003 | Simon Black | Brisbane Lions | |
| 2004 | Byron Pickett | Port Adelaide | |
| 2005 | Chris Judd^ | West Coast | |
| 2006 | Andrew Embley | West Coast | |
| 2007 | Steve Johnson | Geelong | |
| 2008 | Luke Hodge | Hawthorn | |
| 2009 | Paul Chapman | Geelong | |
| 2010 | Lenny Hayes | St Kilda | |
| 2010 (R) | Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood | |
| 2011 | Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | |
| 2012 | Ryan O'Keefe | Sydney | |
| 2013 | Brian Lake | Hawthorn | |
| 2014 | Luke Hodge (2) | Hawthorn | |
| 2015 | Cyril Rioli | Hawthorn | |
| 2016 | Jason Johannisen | Western Bulldogs | |
| 2017 | Dustin Martin | Richmond | |
| 2018 | Luke Shuey | West Coast | |
| 2019 | Dustin Martin (2) | Richmond | |
| 2020 | Dustin Martin (3) | Richmond | |
| 2021 | Christian Petracca | Melbourne | |
| 2022 | Isaac Smith | Geelong | |
| 2023 | Bobby Hill | Collingwood | |
| 2024 | Will Ashcroft | Brisbane Lions | |
| 2025 | Will Ashcroft (2) | Brisbane Lions |
Table of multiple recipients · Recipients › Players with multiple wins
Dustin Martin
Dustin Martin
Player
Dustin Martin
Team
Richmond
Medals
3
Years
2017, 2019, 2020
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Player
Gary Ayres
Team
Hawthorn
Medals
2
Years
1986, 1988
Andrew McLeod
Andrew McLeod
Player
Andrew McLeod
Team
Adelaide
Medals
2
Years
1997, 1998
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Player
Luke Hodge
Team
Hawthorn
Medals
2
Years
2008, 2014
Will Ashcroft
Will Ashcroft
Player
Will Ashcroft
Team
Brisbane Lions
Medals
2
Years
2024, 2025
| Player | Team | Medals | Years |
| Dustin Martin | Richmond | 3 | 2017, 2019, 2020 |
| Gary Ayres | Hawthorn | 2 | 1986, 1988 |
| Andrew McLeod | Adelaide | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| Luke Hodge | Hawthorn | 2 | 2008, 2014 |
| Will Ashcroft | Brisbane Lions | 2 | 2024, 2025 |
Table of clubs' totals · Recipients › Club totals
Hawthorn
Hawthorn
Club
Hawthorn
Total
8
Years
1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015
Geelong
Geelong
Club
Geelong
Total
5
Years
1989, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2022
Richmond
Richmond
Club
Richmond
Total
5
Years
1980, 1982, 2017, 2019, 2020
West Coast
West Coast
Club
West Coast
Total
5
Years
1992, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2018
Carlton
Carlton
Club
Carlton
Total
4
Years
1979, 1981, 1987, 1995
Collingwood
Collingwood
Club
Collingwood
Total
4
Years
1990, 2002, 2010 replay, 2023
Essendon
Essendon
Club
Essendon
Total
4
Years
1984, 1985, 1993, 2000
Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
Club
Brisbane Lions
Total
4
Years
2001, 2003, 2024, 2025
Adelaide
Adelaide
Club
Adelaide
Total
2
Years
1997, 1998
North Melbourne
North Melbourne
Club
North Melbourne
Total
2
Years
1996, 1999
Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide
Club
Port Adelaide
Total
1
Years
2004
St Kilda
St Kilda
Club
St Kilda
Total
1
Years
2010
Sydney
Sydney
Club
Sydney
Total
1
Years
2012
Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
Club
Western Bulldogs
Total
1
Years
2016
Melbourne
Melbourne
Club
Melbourne
Total
1
Years
2021
Fremantle
Fremantle
Club
Fremantle
Total
0
Years
—
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Club
Greater Western Sydney
Total
0
Years
—
Gold Coast
Gold Coast
Club
Gold Coast
Total
0
Years
—
| Club | Total | Years |
| Hawthorn | 8 | 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| Geelong | 5 | 1989, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2022 |
| Richmond | 5 | 1980, 1982, 2017, 2019, 2020 |
| West Coast | 5 | 1992, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2018 |
| Carlton | 4 | 1979, 1981, 1987, 1995 |
| Collingwood | 4 | 1990, 2002, 2010 replay, 2023 |
| Essendon | 4 | 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000 |
| Brisbane Lions | 4 | 2001, 2003, 2024, 2025 |
| Adelaide | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| North Melbourne | 2 | 1996, 1999 |
| Port Adelaide | 1 | 2004 |
| St Kilda | 1 | 2010 |
| Sydney | 1 | 2012 |
| Western Bulldogs | 1 | 2016 |
| Melbourne | 1 | 2021 |
| Fremantle | 0 | — |
| Greater Western Sydney | 0 | — |
| Gold Coast | 0 | — |
References
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