THE HISTORY OF THE NORM SMITH MEDAL

The first VFL Grand Final was played on 24 September 1898, at the Junction Oval in St Kilda, between Fitzroy and reigning premier Essendon (who had claimed the first League premiership the year before, in what was a short-lived, round-robin finals format). On Grand Final day 1898, Fitzroy defeated Essendon by 15 points, creating history by winning the first stand alone, season-ending match to determine the VFL’s premier team. Afterwards, Melbourne’s Sportsman published a sketch of Fitzroy’s standout follower and forward, Mick Grace, one of two brothers (with older sibling and full-forward, Jim) who helped lead the Maroons to victory on that momentous day.

That Mick Grace’s image—wearing suit and tie, rather than his football uniform—had been singled out is significant, as it provided the first instance in VFL/AFL history where an individual’s feats on Grand Final day were seen to warrant additional, albeit brief, coverage above the regular match description. It was rare in the game’s early decades for images to be published with match reports. According to the Sportsman’s ‘Dropkick’, all members of the Fitzroy team showed fine form, but “Mick Grace was at his best. He marked and kicked with splendid effect.” The Age, too, was full of praise for Grace’s performance. ‘Follower’ wrote that, while Fitzroy were always on top and rarely looked like losing, “the scores were close enough to justify hope of a good finish.” That was, until Grace, in the decisive third term, “made a marvellous mark” and “beautifully” drop-kicked Fitzroy’s fifth goal. He “was the best man of the 40, and it may safely be said that no player ever finished up a successful season more brilliantly. His marking, running and kicking were equally fine, and it would be impossible to over estimate the value of his play to the winning side.”

Over the next eight decades, to the end of 1978—excluding 1924 when, as in 1897, a round robin was played to determine the premier and, once again, Essendon proved victorious—the role that individuals played on Grand Final day continued to fascinate the football public and media alike. As coverage of the game increased, so too did the interest in the game’s best performers.

In 1901, Essendon’s Albert Thurgood played a leading role with three goals in his team’s 27-point victory over Collingwood. Five seasons later, Mick Grace, having moved to Carlton, was again the hero when he helped the Blues defeat his former team by 49 points to claim their first premiership. High flying Collingwood forward, Dick Lee, kicked four goals in the Magpies’ 14-point win over Carlton in 1910; in 1918, the Magpies were on the losing end when South Melbourne’s Vic Belcher was moved into the ruck in the final quarter with his side trailing, where he then proceeded to change the momentum of play and drag South to a five-point victory. Gordon Coventry’s record nine goals in the 1928 Grand Final steered the Magpies to a 33-point triumph over Richmond. When the Tigers saluted in 1932, defeating Carlton by nine points, it was the play of the Strang brothers, Doug (four goals) and Gordon (16 marks), which proved decisive; when Richmond won again two seasons later, Jack Titus’s six goals was vital in the 39-point victory over South. In 1942, Essendon captain-coach, Dick Reynolds, inspired his team to a 53-point win over Richmond which broke an 18-year premiership drought; the following season, it was Richmond’s leader, Jack Dyer, who turned the tables on Reynolds to lead his team to a five-point victory.

A seven-goal performance from Gordon Lane led Essendon to the 1946 premiership, defeating Melbourne by 63 points; the following year, a last-kick effort from Carlton’s Fred Stafford gave the Blues a one-point win over the Bombers. Melbourne’s Ron Barassi took control of the 1957 Grand Final with a dominant opening quarter against the Bombers, then played an equally dominant final quarter in 1959 to again deny Essendon. Kevin Neale kicked five goals and Barry Breen a crucial behind against Collingwood in St Kilda’s first victorious Grand Final in 1966. Four years later, in 1970, Alex Jesaulenko soared skyward and Ted Hopkins came off the bench to kick four game-turning goals in Carlton’s record-breaking second half comeback against Collingwood. The following year, Hawthorn’s Bob Keddie kicked four last-quarter goals to help his team defeat St Kilda by seven points.

In 1975, Brent Crosswell was brilliant against Hawthorn in what was North Melbourne’s first premiership; the following year, John Hendrie helped the Hawks gain revenge on the Kangaroos. In 1977, a late mark and goal by Collingwood’s Ross Dunne forced a famous draw against North; the next weekend, in the replay, Phil Manassa’s bouncing effort to goal for the Magpies was not enough to get his team across the line. In 1978, a young Robert DiPierdomenico ran ragged as the Hawks again denied the Kangaroos.

These were but a few of the magical moments and performances produced in Grand Final history between 1898 and 1978. Remarkably, during that 80-year stretch there was never an award for the best player on Grand Final day. Instead, journalists provided a list of the best players, although this was more in line with their regular round-by-round analysis of games rather than an official finding on who was to be judged best afield. This lack of a best-player award was out of line with other major sporting codes. In the NFL’s equivalent match, the Super Bowl, there had been a Most Valuable Player award since the marquee game’s inception in 1967. The NBA had presented a Finals MVP award since 1969 (over a seven-game finals series). The NHL’s equivalent, the Conn Smythe Trophy, was introduced in 1964 and was awarded at the conclusion of the final game in the Stanley Cup playoffs (but the best player was judged on his performance across the entire finals series, not solely the best-of-seven Stanley Cup contest). And in cricket’s World Cup Final, first played in 1975, a Man of the Match award was implemented at the tournament’s inception.

It was at a VFL administrative sub-committee meeting, on 14 November 1978, held at VFL House—located at 82 Jolimont Street in Jolimont, and attended by chairman Jack Hamilton (VFL General Manager), Gary Clayton (VFL Park), Ken Davis (League PR consultant), Ralph Lane (VFL Finance Director), Ian McDonald (VFL Media Manager), Jim McKay (VFL Properties), Jim Robb (Football Record Editor) and Alan Schwab (Administrative Manager)—where a ‘Best Player Award’ for the Grand Final was first officially discussed. It is unclear who motioned for the introduction of the award, but following discussions on an upcoming VFL Administration Seminar and the advertising of the AMCO-Herald Shield, the eight attendees turned their attention to the potential new award. According to the minutes from that 14 November meeting: “It was noted that the VFL Directors had agreed in principle to the recommendation that a medal be awarded to the player selected as best on the ground in the Grand Final and the Administration Sub-Committee was requested to recommend a name for the medal.” No doubt, many potential names for the medal were discussed. Finally, they narrowed the field down to three giants of Grand Final day:

Following consideration, it was agreed the medal be named after one of the most successful Premiership Coaches, and investigation of the records of both players and coaches involved with VFL Premiership teams indicated that the following three were outstanding: Norm Smith (Melbourne) 10 premierships; Ron Barassi (Melbourne/Carlton/Nth Melb.) 10 premierships; Jock McHale (Collingwood) nine premierships.

With other pressing concerns to be addressed at the meeting, it was agreed that they would submit the three names to the VFL Directors for determination of the appropriate coach. Of the three selected, Barassi, still an active coach with North Melbourne in 1978, was nominated more out of respect for his ongoing achievements, rather than he being a likely candidate for the naming of the new award: “Although it was generally agreed that Ron Barassi be not considered in view of his present involvement as a VFL coach, it was agreed to submit the abovementioned gentleman to the VFL Directors for their consideration and subsequent choice.” Clearly, the committee preferred the award to be one which honoured a retired and, in the case of both McHale and Smith, deceased subject for the prestigious Best Player Award.

McHale had been a legendary figure at Collingwood. As a player, he represented the Magpies in 261 games (1903-20) and was a member of five Grand Final teams, winning premierships in 1910 and ’17—the latter as playing-coach. But it was his coaching career which defined his legend. McHale led the Magpies in a then record 714 games (1912-49), including a staggering 16 Grand Finals and eight premierships, seven as non-playing coach. His team came to be known as ‘The Machine’, so clinical was their application to McHale’s methods. Between 1927 and ’30, McHale’s men were all but unstoppable, and remain the only team to have won four consecutive VFL/AFL Grand Finals.

Collingwood’s legendary coach, Jock McHale, transformed the Magpies into a powerhouse.

McHale died on 4 October 1953, aged 70, just days after his beloved Magpies defeated Geelong in that year’s Grand Final. While he remained a legendary figure at Collingwood for decades, his deeds were largely overlooked outside the club. There were no monuments of McHale, no awards in his honour, and had he received the vote of approval from the VFL in 1978 to have the Best Player Award known as the Jock McHale Medal, it would have been a fitting tribute to a figure who had a significant impact on the league during its first half century.

Remarkably, during McHale’s lifetime he received little recognition from the VFL, despite his 50-year involvement. However, years after his death, that recognition began to finally eventuate. He was made a VFL life member in 1977, then was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2001, the AFL honoured McHale by naming the coach’s premiership medallion the Jock McHale Medal, with one awarded retrospectively to every premiership-winning coach (or surviving family member) since 1950, the season after McHale retired as Collingwood’s leader. In 2005, McHale was appropriately elevated to Legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Ironically, it was Norm Smith, in the 1950s, who succeeded McHale as the VFL’s next dominant non-playing coach. Like McHale had done in a Magpie uniform, Smith’s playing career with Melbourne was significant, yet was, for years, overshadowed by his feats as a coach. Between 1935 and ’48, Smith played 210 games for the Demons, kicking a then club-record 546 goals. It was no coincidence that Smith’s time at Melbourne corresponded with the club’s rise to power in the late-1930s. With Smith at full-forward, the Demons, coached by Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes, won three successive premierships (1939-41), then lost another Grand Final in 1946. In 1948, Smith, as captain, played a decoy forward role against a dominant Essendon, enabling veteran Jack Mueller to kick six goals and help Melbourne produce the first draw in Grand Final history. The Bombers had lost just two games all season and kicked a wayward 7.27 in the Grand Final to Melbourne’s 10.9. Again, Smith played the decoy in the replay, and again Mueller kicked six goals as the Demons won comfortably by 39 points. Smith’s tactical awareness in games, and his self-sacrifice as a forward, were important fundamentals he took with him into coaching. He was an astute philosopher on the game who understood the value of the team over the individual.

The 32-year-old Smith was overlooked for the Melbourne coaching position after Hughes stepped down following the 1948 triumph. In his determination to learn the coaching craft, Smith transferred to Fitzroy as captain-coach (a club his older brother, Len, had played for and later coached), in order to gain valuable experience in the role. After three years with Fitzroy (55 games for a winning percentage of 56.36 per cent), Smith returned as coach of the Demons in 1952; his former club had missed the finals the previous two seasons, and Smith’s return signalled a renaissance at the club. Melbourne dominated the 1950s and early-1960s, winning five premierships from seven Grand Finals, including three in a row from 1955-57. Ironically, it took a physical Collingwood side in the 1958 Grand Final to stop Smith from equalling McHale’s record of four straight premierships. The Demons then won the next two flags to cement their greatness.

In 1996, Norm Smith (pictured with Ron Barassi to his right) was named coach of the VFL/AFL Team of the Century.

Melbourne won the premiership again in 1964 (making it six in 10 years), but by the following year Smith had fallen out with his committee. He was famously sacked on 23 July 1965, then re-instated due to popular (or unpopular) demand on 27 July. But the damage had been done. Despite coaching the Demons until the end of 1967, Smith’s—and, as it would eventuate, Melbourne’s—premiership-winning days were over. He had led the Demons in 310 matches, for an outstanding winning percentage of 64.35 per cent. With the coaching fires still burning, in 1969 Smith became coach of South Melbourne, a club bereft of success having not won a premiership since 1933. He returned them to the finals in 1970, for the first time since the losing 1945 ‘Bloodbath’ Grand Final, but they were eliminated by St Kilda in the first semi-final. It was to be his, and South’s, last hurrah. Norm Smith coached South Melbourne in 87 games (1969-72), for a winning percentage of 29.89 per cent. His overall record as coach (1949-67, and 1969-72) was 452 games, 253 wins, 192 losses, seven draws and a winning percentage of 56.75 per cent. During that period, Smith coached teams in 24 finals, for a winning percentage of 66.67 per cent.

Having agreed to join Barassi at North Melbourne in 1973, to act as his former pupil’s chairman of selectors, on 29 July 1973 Smith died of a cerebral tumour at his home in Pascoe Vale. He was just 57 years old and was survived by his wife, Marjorie, and son Peter. Norm Smith is buried at Fawkner Cemetery, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Among the many tributes to Smith after his death, former teammate Percy Beames wrote in The Age, “He had great qualities as a coach—a deep understanding of the game and excellent judgment of a footballer. He had that ability to get the best out of all types. He was tough, almost cruel, but scrupulously honest and fair.” Smith’s long-time secretary at Melbourne, Jim Cardwell, said that Smith was “undoubtedly the greater coach of my time and the greatest coach Melbourne has had. He lived for football and the club and his devotion probably helped shorten his life.” ‘Checker’ Hughes described his former captain as “probably the greatest coach ever,” a “great pupil and a great team man.” In 1978, Smith was posthumously awarded VFL life membership, coinciding with his appropriate nomination to have his name attached to the Grand Final’s Best Player Award.

The VFL’s Minutes from a meeting on 5 December 1978 record the naming of the newly-implemented Norm Smith Medal.

It is unclear from the Minutes of the time as to how and why the VFL Directors chose Smith over McHale. That he had passed away only five years earlier and likely knew each director personally, and because Melbourne’s success under Smith was still fresh in people’s memories—unlike McHale’s, which largely came before the Second World War—may also have been significant in determining the award’s name. However the decision was ultimately agreed upon, on 5 December 1978 the Minutes record the decision as thus: “It was reported that the VFL Board had agreed that the player selected as best on the ground in the Grand Final be awarded a medal to be known as the Norm Smith Medal.” It was also reported that the sub-committee was to submit a panel who would select the winner of the first Norm Smith Medal. A decision on judges for the 1979 Grand Final was deferred “to allow the Media Manager to suggest a panel of names.” It was also determined that Brim Medallion Company would be given the honour to strike the medal, and that they were to “submit designs for consideration.” Surprisingly, there was no announcement of the new award in any newspaper at the time.

On 12 December, the Minutes show that media manager, McDonald, suggested the judging panel should “comprise one representative each from television, radio and press in addition to the President and General Manager of the VFL,” and that each year new judges should be selected on recommendation of the Media Manager. One week later, the League had received two separate designs for the Norm Smith Medal: one similar in style to the Brownlow Medal at a cost of approximately $100, the other a “circular gold medal” estimated to cost between $300-$400. It was agreed “to recommend the circular medallion be adopted.” Given that the premiership medallions for the winning team cost $48.30 per medal in 1977, rising to $80 in 1978, the decision to spend up to $400 on the newly approved Norm Smith Medal suggests the League recognised it was to be a medal of significance.     

Despite initially deciding on a circular gold medallion, the first Norm Smith Medal was more akin to the shape of a shield. It had a flat top, flat sides, and was curved to a point at the bottom. It was made of Stirling Silver with a polished finish, and was gold plated with a hard-blue enamel background. At the top it read VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, while curved around the sides were the words NORM SMITH MEMORIAL MEDAL. In the centre, ringed by a thick silver border was the VFL logo of a large white V with a football in the middle.

VFL General Manager, Jack Hamilton, proudly unveiled the new medallion in the round nine, 1979, edition of The Football Record.

The League announced that they were awarding the Norm Smith Medal through their official publication, the Football Record, on 2 June 1979. An adjacent picture showed Jack Hamilton proudly holding the new medallion. The first judges selected were Hamilton, Aylett, The Herald’s Alf Brown, Barassi, along with Channel Seven commentator and former Collingwood premiership captain, Lou Richards. Norm Smith’s widow, Marj, was given the honour of presenting the first medal.

Whether it was fortuitous or through sentiment, the first Norm Smith medallist was Carlton’s Wayne Harmes—Smith’s grand-nephew! Harmes had provided one of the great Grand Final moments when a miss-kick slew off the side of his boot, dribbled towards the boundary line and appeared to be headed out of bounds before Harmes chased down his kick, dived desperately and tapped the ball into his team’s goal square where a waiting Ken Sheldon kicked a crucial goal. Despite collecting just 17 disposals, it had been the move of Harmes up the field from the back-pocket during the second quarter which had helped to wrest momentum away from Collingwood, after the Magpies had jumped out to an early lead. Harmes’ game was critical to Carlton’s success and he was a deserving winner of the award, regardless of the family connection. For Harmes, however, he remains convinced that sentiment played a part in him being announced the winner of the first Norm Smith Medal:

I don’t think that I was in the top 10 in the Norm Smith Medal voting, to be honest. I would have had Peter Francis as best on the ground, with Wayne Johnston not far behind him. Then you have guys like [Collingwood’s] Billy Picken who played a ripper, and [Carlton centre half-forward] Mark Maclure. It was the first time the Norm Smith had been awarded, he was my great-uncle and they knew that—of course they did. For a bloke who had 17 touches in a Grand Final to be awarded the Norm Smith, of course they had to have known the connection. I’m certainly happy to have it and I won’t give it back, but I’m a little bit embarrassed at times to have it.

Wayne Harmes received a kiss from Marjorie Smith, his great-aunt, after being judged the first recipient of the Norm Smith Medal.

In a touching moment, Harmes and his great-aunt embraced on the podium as she presented him with his medallion. The noted hard man later conceded the moment was overwhelming:

When I was presented with the Norm Smith Medal by my great-aunt, we said nothing. We just looked at each other and cried. I gave her a kiss and we cried. And that was because she was Aunty Marj. I believe that they called for me to come back and say a few words, but I couldn’t because I was a mess! It was a good moment. I went and saw Marj about a week after the celebrating finished, and we sat down and had a chat about it. Norm could be intimidating, but Marj was a gorgeous lady. Their son, Peter, has presented a Norm Smith Medal [in 1981], and I was lucky enough to win one, so it’s a great thing for our family.

Unlike the Brownlow Medal, where the votes for each season have always been made public, the official votes for the Norm Smith Medal were not published until 2003. Therefore, it is unclear how many votes Harmes received in 1979. According to current AFL Public Relations Manager, Patrick Keane, there are in fact no voting records for the Norm Smith Medal held at AFL House prior to 2003. It was only on Keane’s instigation that the overall vote tallies were retained and published that year for the first time. In 2005, the League began releasing the individual breakdown of each judge’s votes. In all, there has been more than 120 former players, commentators, journalists and officials who have been given the honour of voting on the Norm Smith Medal. Of those, former AFL chief executive, Ross Oakley, along with the man affectionately dubbed ‘Mr Football’ in Ted Whitten, have voted on the most occasions (10 times each). To date, there has been five female judges, the first of which was The Age’s chief football writer, Caroline Wilson, in 1999. Wilson was followed by Emma Quayle (2008 and 2014), Daisy Pearce (2017), Bridget Lacy (2018) and Angela Pippos (2019). With the AFLW competition having begun in 2017, and with women playing more prominent roles in the game in recent seasons, we can expect more female judges of the Norm Smith Medal in the future.

Like with the voting for the Brownlow, judges are asked to vote on a 3-2-1 system. They then submit their voting card to the AFL’s media manager late in the last quarter. This caused controversy in 2002 when Collingwood captain, Nathan Buckley, won the medal despite his opposing captain, Michael Voss of the Brisbane Lions, performing a number of critical acts in the dying minutes to help his side win a hard-fought decider by nine points. Both would have been worthy winners of the award, but Voss’s late heroics were unable to be considered by the judges as they had already submitted their vote cards in favour of Buckley halfway through the final quarter.

Once the AFL media manager tallies the vote cards, and while the teams celebrate (or commiserate) after the final siren, the official then alerts the winner that they have won the medal. Therefore, while it remains a hotly discussed subject for supporters in the moments after the game—Who do you reckon will win the Norm Smith?—the Norm Smith medallist is not as shocked when his name is announced on the dais moments later.

In 1982, Richmond’s first-year recruit, Maurice Rioli, became the first to win the medal in a losing team. He was later joined by Geelong’s Gary Ablett (in 1989), Buckley (2002), who immediately removed his medallion from around his neck as he exited the dais, and West Coast’s Chris Judd (2005). In 1988, Hawthorn’s Gary Ayres was the first to win two Norm Smith’s, having also won in 1986. Since Ayres, three more champions have received the dual honour: Adelaide’s Andrew McLeod (1997-98), Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge (2008 and ’14) and Richmond’s Dustin Martin (2017 and ’19). In 2010, St Kilda’s Lenny Hayes became the only player to win the award in a drawn Grand Final. With the League having determined in 2016 that there will never be another drawn decider (rather, two periods of five minutes of extra time will be played, followed by a ‘golden score’ if scores are level after extra time), it is a record Hayes will hold on his own.

Of the known voting tallies, Hayes’s teammate, Jason Gram, is the only player to lose the award on a countback. In 2009, Gram received nine votes (2, 3, 1, 1 and 2), the same as Geelong’s Paul Chapman (3, 3, 3), but Chapman, with three three-votes, was judged the winner. Having received votes off all judges, unlike Chapman, Gram can count himself unlucky to have missed out on becoming the fifth player to win the Norm Smith Medal in a losing team. Should the AFL ever follow their decision in 1989 to award retrospective Brownlow Medals to six players—Harry Collier, Allan Hopkins, Col Austen, Bill Hutchison, Verdun Howell and Noel Teasdale—who had previously lost on a countback, Gram may receive a fitting and belated honour.    

There is also a unique family connection between three of the winners of the Norm Smith Medal. Maurice Rioli, his first cousin in Essendon’s Michael Long (1993) and their nephew, Hawthorn’s Cyril Rioli (2015), have all won the award—confirming that the Rioli-Long bloodlines are some of the greatest in Grand Final history. The Tiwi Islands, where the three champions emanate from, can proudly claim to be a Norm Smith Medal-making factory of footballing talent. Indeed, of the 38 winners (1979-2019), six Norm Smith Medals have been awarded to Aboriginal players: Maurice Rioli, Peter Matera, Long, McLeod, Byron Pickett and Cyril). Moreover, in 2016, Western Bulldogs running machine, Jason Johannisen, became the first player born outside of Australia (Johannesburg, South Africa) to win the award.

In 2016, Jason Johannisen became the first Norm Smith Medal recipient to be born outside of Australia.

The Norm Smith Medal has received three make-overs since 1979. The first came in 1990, the year the VFL became the AFL. Collingwood captain, Tony Shaw, was the first player to receive the newly designed AFL version, which maintained its shape and look, albeit with an AFL logo in the centre replacing the VFL image. The word AUSTRALIAN replaced VICTORIAN at the top of the medallion. In 2000, the AFL logo was modernised, with new replacing old on the medal won by Essendon captain, James Hird; just two years later, when Buckley received his medallion, his was the first to include Smith’s image on what was a larger, oval-shaped version with the words: BEST PLAYER—AFL GRAND FINAL.

According to Vincent Formosa, managing director of Cash’s Awards and Promotions Solutions—who Brim amalgamated under in the late-1980s, and who now makes all the major AFL awards, including the Brownlow—the present version of the Norm Smith Medal takes just six to eight hours to produce. Each new medallion costs approximately $500, but, as Keane explained, “we at the AFL say it is priceless because you can’t buy it, you can only win it.” The Brownlow Medal costs $2,500. Formosa explained the process involved in making a “priceless” Norm Smith Medal:

The medal is made traditionally and the outer shape is cut out by hand. It then needs to be filed and polished, to ensure that the final product is of a high standard. The Medal is made from Sterling Silver, with a coating of brass over the surface that allows for the antiquing finish, which then gives the appearance of the old-fashioned style. This has an enamel colour fill. The ribbon that is then attached to the Medal is a ribbon with the AFL logo, that has been woven into the design.

From humble beginnings in 1979, the awarding of the Norm Smith Medal has become one of the highlights of Grand Final day. It has its own betting market, is a topic of much debate before, during and immediately after the game, and for those fortunate to be presented with one, they each earn a unique place in the game’s rich history. To be recognised as a Norm Smith medallist is one of the finest individual accolades a player can receive, even in a losing side. Harmes concluded, “It’s great now, because you have somebody standing up on that little stage each year who actually joins your little club.”

In 2015, Cyril Rioli joined uncles Maurice Rioli (1982) and Michael Long (1993) as a Norm Smith medallist.

THE NORM SMITH MEDALLISTS, the definitive story behind the men who’ve won the Norm Smith Medal, is available through daneddybooks.com. For more on the life of Norm Smith, see Ben Collins, The Red Fox: The Biography of Norm Smith, Legendary Melbourne Coach, Slattery Media Group, 2007.