The AFL Players Association (AFLPA) awards are a group of awards given annually, mainly to players in the Australian Football League and AFL Women's, voted for by all AFL and AFL Women's players.
The AFLPA nominates the following as their main awards.
In the VFL/AFL, the most valuable player award is named the Leigh Matthews Trophy. It has been awarded by the players to the best player of the season annually since 1982. It is the AFLPA equivalent of the Brownlow Medal (voted for by umpires), and a variety of media-sponsored MVP awards. Gary Ablett, Jr. (2007–09, 2012–13) is the only player to win the award five times. Greg Williams (1985, 1994), Wayne Carey (1995, 1998), Michael Voss (2002, 2003), Chris Judd (2006, 2011) and Nat Fyfe (2014, 2015) have won the award twice.
In the AFL Women's, it has been awarded since the inaugural season in 2017. Erin Phillips is the only player to have won the award more than once, claiming it in 2017 and 2019.
VFL/AFL (Leigh Matthews Trophy)
AFL Women's
Season | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2017 | Erin Phillips | Adelaide |
2018 | Courtney Gum | Greater Western Sydney |
2019 | Erin Phillips (2) | Adelaide |
2020 | Jasmine Garner | North Melbourne |
2021 | Brianna Davey | Collingwood |
2022 (S6) | Emily Bates | Brisbane |
2022 (S7) | Monique Conti | Richmond |
In the VFL/AFL, the best captain award was given sporadically from 1986 until 1997, and has been given annually since 1998. Michael Voss won the award four times from 2001 to 2004, the most of any player.
In the AFL Women's, the award has been given since the inaugural season in 2017. Daisy Pearce holds the record for most wins with four, in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022 (S6).
VFL/AFL
AFL Women's
Season | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2017 | Daisy Pearce | Melbourne |
2018 | Daisy Pearce (2) | Melbourne |
2019 | Brianna Davey | Carlton |
2020 | Daisy Pearce (3) | Melbourne |
2021 | Ellie Blackburn | Western Bulldogs |
2022 (S6) | Daisy Pearce (4) | Melbourne |
2022 (S7) | Chelsea Randall | Adelaide |
In the AFL, this award has been given annually since 1998. It is awarded to the best adjudged player who is in his first year on an AFL list. [1] The eligibility for the award is different from the AFL's other main award for the best performing young player, the AFL Rising Star, which can be won by any player aged under 21 as of 1 January that year, and who has not played more than ten matches before the start of the season. [2] Michael Barlow, for example, won the award in 2010 but was not eligible for the Rising Star. Brownlow Medallists Adam Goodes and Chris Judd have both won the award in the past.
In the AFL Women's, the award has been given since the second season in 2018. There is a similarly decreased focus on youth—for example, Richmond's Irish convert Eilish Sheerin won the award in 2022 (S7) at the age of 30.
AFL
Season | Player [3] | Club |
---|---|---|
1998 | Nick Stevens | Port Adelaide |
1999 | Adam Goodes | Sydney |
2000 | Paul Hasleby | Fremantle |
2001 | Daniel Kerr | West Coast |
2002 | Chris Judd | West Coast |
2003 | Daniel Wells | Kangaroos |
2004 | Aaron Davey | Melbourne |
2005 | Brett Deledio | Richmond |
2006 | Marc Murphy | Carlton |
2007 | Joel Selwood | Geelong |
2008 | Rhys Palmer | Fremantle |
2009 | Daniel Rich | Brisbane Lions |
2010 | Dustin Martin | Richmond |
2011 | Dyson Heppell | Essendon |
2012 | Jeremy Cameron | Greater Western Sydney |
2013 | Jaeger O'Meara | Gold Coast |
2014 | Marcus Bontempelli | Western Bulldogs |
2015 | Isaac Heeney | Sydney |
2016 | Callum Mills | Sydney |
2017 | Andrew McGrath | Essendon |
2018 | Tim Kelly | Geelong |
2019 | Sam Walsh | Carlton |
2020 | Caleb Serong | Fremantle |
2021 | Errol Gulden | Sydney |
2022 | Nick Daicos | Collingwood |
2023 | Harry Sheezel | North Melbourne |
AFL Women's
Season | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2018 | Chloe Molloy | Collingwood |
2019 | Madison Prespakis | Carlton |
2020 | Georgia Patrikios | St Kilda |
2021 | Ellie McKenzie | Richmond |
2022 (S6) | Charlie Rowbottom | Gold Coast |
2022 (S7) | Eilish Sheerin | Richmond |
In the AFL, the award for most courageous player is called the Robert Rose Award. It has been awarded annually since 1991 to the most courageous player in the league. The award is named after the Australian sportsman Robert Rose, who became a quadriplegic in 1974 after a car accident. Glenn Archer has won the award most often (with six wins), while Paul Kelly won it five times, including four consecutively from 1994 to 1997. Jonathan Brown won the award in 2007, 2008 and 2011. In 2009, Joel Selwood won the award for the first time, and then won it three consecutive times from 2012 to 2014.
In the AFL Women's, the award has been given since the inaugural season in 2017. Chelsea Randall has won the award five times (in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 (S7)), the most of any player.
VFL/AFL (Robert Rose Award)
AFL Women's
Season | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2017 | Chelsea Randall | Adelaide |
2018 | Chelsea Randall (2) | Adelaide |
2019 | Chelsea Randall (3) | Adelaide |
2020 | Kiara Bowers | Fremantle |
2021 | Chelsea Randall (4) | Adelaide |
2022 (S6) | Kirsty Lamb | Western Bulldogs |
2022 (S7) | Chelsea Randall (5) | Adelaide |
The following awards are also currently or have previously been presented by the AFLPA.
Named after the Indigenous game Marn Grook, the award was presented annually from 2001 to 2007 for the top emerging Indigenous player in the game, who must be within their first three seasons of AFL competition.
Season | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2001 | Adam Goodes | Sydney |
Dean Rioli [4] | Essendon | |
2002 | Leon Davis | Collingwood |
2003 | Graham Johncock | Adelaide |
2004 | Daniel Wells | Kangaroos |
2005 | Aaron Davey | Melbourne |
2006 | Danyle Pearce | Port Adelaide |
2007 | Lance Franklin | Hawthorn |
This section is missing information about some nominated works.(September 2020) |
The Grant Hattam Award has been awarded annually since 1999 to the most outstanding piece of football journalism for that year as voted by the players. All forms of media from all around Australia, covering the AFL, AFL Women's or any other football topic, are eligible for the award.
The award was created in honour and memory of the late Grant Hattam, who was a leading sports and media lawyer.
Year | Winner | Nominated work |
---|---|---|
1999 | Caroline Wilson ( The Age ) | |
2000 | Mark Robinson ( Herald Sun ) | |
2001 | Jake Niall ( The Age ) | |
2002 | Mark Robinson ( Herald Sun ) | "The importance of being honest", newspaper article on Essendon's Dean Rioli |
2003 | Michael Gleeson ( Herald Sun ) | "Search for Cole comfort", newspaper article on Collingwood's Richard Cole |
2004 | Michael Davis ( The Australian ) | |
2005 | Jon Ralph ( Herald Sun ) | |
2006 | Jason Bennett (Fox Footy Channel) | Headliners: The Peter Crimmins Story, two-part television documentary series on late Hawthorn champion Peter Crimmins |
2007 | Samantha Lane ( The Age ) | |
2008 | Mike Sheahan ( Herald Sun ) | "Champ tells how he beat the odds", newspaper article on Adelaide midfielder Simon Goodwin's gambling addiction |
2009 | Emma Quayle ( The Age ) | "A street named desire", newspaper article on then draft hopefuls Chris Yarran, Michael Walters and Nic Naitanui |
2010 | Scott Gullan ( Herald Sun ) | "'I cried for hours'", newspaper article on Geelong forward Mathew Stokes' battle with drugs |
2011 | Sam Edmund ( Herald Sun ) | "The tyranny of distance" / "The red centre's angry boys", two-part newspaper article on the plight of Indigenous footballers |
2012 | Emma Quayle ( The Age ) | "Short stories", newspaper article on the careers of Collingwood's Tom Hunter, St Kilda's Jarryd Allen and Essendon's Darcy Daniher |
2013 | Saturday Night Footy (Seven Sport) | #Discovered: Jeremy Cameron, television feature piece on a day in the life of Greater Western Sydney forward Jeremy Cameron |
2014 | Michael Gleeson ( The Age ) | "On a wing and a prayer with footy's faithful", newspaper article on the professional footballers who regularly practice religion |
2015 | Adrian Brown and Western Bulldogs | Sons of the West, five-part web documentary series on Robert Murphy and the Western Bulldogs' 2015 season |
2016 | Emma Quayle ( The Age ) | "'I needed to see what else was in the world'", newspaper article on Essendon forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti |
2017 | Fox Footy | Fyfe, six-part television documentary series on Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe's return from injury |
2018 | Neroli Meadows (Fox Footy) | On the Mark with Hugh Greenwood, television feature piece on Adelaide midfielder Hugh Greenwood's ill mother |
2019 | Michael Gleeson ( The Age ) | "A feast of footy, family and religion", newspaper article on Essendon defender Adam Saad's practice of religion |
2020 | Russell Jackson (ABC News) | "The persecution of Robert Muir is the story football doesn't want to hear", web article on the racial abuse and mistreatment of former St Kilda midfielder Robbie Muir |
2021 | Liz Walsh ( The Advertiser ) [5] | "It's a journey of discovery for us", newspaper article on North Melbourne players Kaitlyn Ashmore and Mia King's discovery of their Indigenous heritage |
2022 | Thursday Night Football (Seven Sport) [6] | Interview with Carlton player Sam Docherty on his return to football after having cancer |
2023 | Sarah Black (AFL Media) [7] | "'I'm a better mum because of it': Inside Garing's return to footy", web article on Geelong player Renee Garing's return to football after giving birth |
The Education and Training Excellence Award has been given annually since 2001 to the player who displays the best all-round performance in balancing football with external education and training. From 2001 to 2016, it was awarded to AFL players only. Since 2017, the award has been presented to at least one winner from both the AFL and AFL Women's each year.
AFL
Year | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2001 | Paul Licuria | Collingwood |
2002 | Peter Bell | Fremantle |
2003 | Simon Garlick | Western Bulldogs |
2004 | Michael Wilson | Port Adelaide |
2005 | James Clement | Collingwood |
2006 | Josh Mahoney | Port Adelaide |
2007 [8] | Brett Burton | Adelaide |
Shane Wakelin | Collingwood | |
2008 [9] | Jason Blake | St Kilda |
2009 [10] | Max Hudghton | St Kilda |
2010 [11] | Tim Callan | Western Bulldogs |
2011 [12] | Henry Slattery | Essendon |
2012 [13] | Alan Toovey | Collingwood |
2013 [14] | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs |
2014 [15] | Jonathon Griffin | Fremantle |
2015 [16] | Mike Pyke | Sydney |
2016 [17] | Jamie Macmillan | North Melbourne |
2017 [18] | Ed Curnow | Carlton |
2018 [19] | David Mundy | Fremantle |
2019 [20] | Isaac Smith | Hawthorn |
2020 [21] | Harry Taylor | Geelong |
Todd Goldstein | North Melbourne | |
2021 [22] | Nathan Murphy | Collingwood |
2022 [23] | Tom Cutler | Essendon |
2023 [24] | Darcy Fort | Brisbane Lions |
Robbie Fox | Sydney |
AFL Women's
Year | Player | Club |
---|---|---|
2017 [18] | Renee Forth | Greater Western Sydney |
2018 [19] | Tiarna Ernst | Western Bulldogs |
2019 [20] | Kate Gillespie-Jones | North Melbourne |
2020 [21] | Libby Birch | Melbourne |
2021 [22] | Ellyse Gamble | Western Bulldogs |
Nina Morrison | Geelong | |
2022 [lower-alpha 1] [23] | Lexi Hamilton | Sydney [lower-alpha 2] |
Each season, the AFLPA also names the 22 Under 22 team for both the AFL and AFL Women's. These are full teams of 22 (AFL) or 21 (AFL Women's) players. The AFLPA selects a team of 40, before the final team is selected by fans. To be eligible for selection, players must be aged 22 or under for the entire season (including finals). In the AFL, the first team was named in 2013, with a respective team also named for the 2012 season. In the AFL Women's, the first team was named in 2020, with a respective team named which covered the first three seasons from 2017 to 2019.
Awarded annually to young aspiring non-AFL players, attempting to help them balance external study and training with football training.
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their Ascot Vale home "Alisa", and while the exact date is unknown, it is generally accepted to have been in 1872. The club's first recorded game took place on 7 June 1873 against a Carlton seconds team. From 1878 until 1896, the club played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), then joined seven other clubs in October 1896 to form the breakaway Victorian Football League. Headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Ground, known as Windy Hill, from 1922 to 2013, the club moved to The Hangar in Tullamarine in late 2013 on land owned by the Melbourne Airport corporation. The club shares its home games between Docklands Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Zach Merrett is the current club captain.
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 reigning premiers.
The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition.
The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most prolific goalkickers in the league's history, who was league leading goalkicker for five consecutive seasons.
The Crichton Medal is the name given to the best and fairest award for the Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. The naming of the award is in honour of Wally Crichton, a former administrator for Essendon. The voting system as of the 2017 AFL season consists of five coaches, giving each player a ranking from zero to five after each match. Players can receive a maximum of 25 votes for a game.
The AFL Players Association is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players.
Joel Anthony Selwood is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a quadruple premiership player, a six-time All-Australian, and a three-time captain of the All-Australian team. Selwood captained Geelong between 2012 and 2022, is the club's games record holder, has won the Carji Greeves Medal three times as their best and fairest player, and holds the record for longest-serving captain in the AFL.
Daisy Pearce is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Often regarded as the face of women's Australian rules football, Pearce served as Melbourne captain from the competition's inaugural season in 2017 until her retirement at the end of season 7, having previously captained the club in the women's exhibition games staged prior to the 2016 creation of the league. She captained Victoria in the inaugural AFL Women's State of Origin match in 2017, where she was adjudged best afield.
Dyson Heppell is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Heppell won the AFL Rising Star award in his first season in 2011, and won a Crichton Medal and All-Australian selection in 2014. He served as Essendon captain from the 2017 season, and relinquished the captaincy before 2023 season proper having led the side 107 times.
Ben Duscher is an Australian rules footballer; he was co-captain for the Bendigo Bombers in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 2011; co-captain of Bendigo Gold VFL team in 2012 and was elected by his peers as co-captain of the Essendon VFL Football Club in 2013. At the commencement of the 2012 season he was rated number four amongst the players in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Mid 2013 season Ben was rated number 3 amongst the top 50 VFL players by Football Nation. Ben won the Carter medal for club champion at the Bendigo Bombers in 2011 and was runner-up in 2012. He won the Essendon VFL Best and Fairest in 2013.
Zach Merrett is a professional Australian rules footballer, currently the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) A medium-sized midfielder standing at 1.79 metres tall and weighing 83 kilograms, Merrett is able to contribute as a hard-running midfielder capable of collecting a large number of uncontested possessions whilst also being capable of winning a contested ball and clearance. He was recruited by the Essendon Football Club with the twenty-sixth selection in the 2013 AFL draft and made his debut in the 2014 season. Merrett is a four-time Crichton Medallist and three-time All-Australian; in 2023, he was selected to be the 41st captain of the Essendon Football Club.
The AFL Coaches Association awards are a group of awards which have been presented annually since 2003, mainly to players and coaches in the Australian Football League (AFL), voted for by all AFL coaches.
Monique Conti is an Australian rules footballer and basketballer. Conti currently plays for the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2018 to 2019, and plays for the Melbourne Boomers in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), having also played for the Southside Flyers from 2020 to 2023.
Libby Birch is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Melbourne in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She played the first 3 seasons of AFLW for the Western Bulldogs. She previously played netball and captained Victoria at the National Netball Championships. Birch is currently studying a Physiotherapy degree at La Trobe University. In 2016, Birch switched from netball to Australian rules football and was recruited by the Western Bulldogs as a rookie after having only played football for three months for the Darebin Falcons in the VFL Women's.
Alexandra Anderson is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Anderson was part of the Brisbane team that won the AFL Women's premiership in 2021 and won the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 best and fairest award. She is also a dual Brisbane best and fairest winner and was named in the 2019 AFL Women's All-Australian team. Anderson is the Brisbane games record holder and AFL Women's equal games record holder with 75 games.
The 2018 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 155th season of competition.
Madison Prespakis is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Carlton Football Club from 2019 to season 6. A midfielder who won multiple accolades at junior level and played in the VFL Women's (VFLW) as a teenager, Prespakis won the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award in her debut season and the 2020 AFL Women's best and fairest award in her second season. She is a three-time AFL Women's All-Australian, three-time Carlton best and fairest winner and was the inaugural Essendon best and fairest winner in season 7, and is Essendon's equal games record holder with 19 games.
The 2019 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 156th season of competition.
Georgia Patrikios is an Australian rules footballer playing for the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Patrikios received a nomination for the 2020 AFL Women's Rising Star award in round 1 of the 2020 season, her debut match, and went on to be named the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) AFLW best first-year player that year. She won the inaugural two St Kilda best and fairest awards and was selected in the 2021 AFL Women's All-Australian team.