AFL Players Association awards


The AFL Players Association awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players.

Main awards

The AFLPA nominates the following four awards as their main awards.

Leigh Matthews Trophy

The Leigh Matthews Trophy 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, and a variety of media-sponsored MVP awards. Gary Ablett, Jr. is the only player to win the award five times. Greg Williams, Wayne Carey, Michael Voss, Chris Judd and Nat Fyfe have won the award twice.

Best Captain

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 2001–2004, the most of any player.

Winners

YearPlayerClub
1986
1987
1988
1990
1992
1994
1995
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player

Awarded annually since 1991 to the most courageous player in the league. Glenn Archer has won the award most often with six wins, while Paul Kelly won it five times, including four consecutively from 1994–1997. 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 2012–2014.

Winners

Best First Year Player

Awarded annually since 1998, the Best First Year Player award is awarded to the best adjudged player who is in his first year on an AFL list. The eligibility for the award is different to 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. 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.

Winners

Other awards

The following awards are also currently or have previously been presented by the AFLPA.

Marn Grook Award

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.

Winners

Grant Hattam Trophy

The Grant Hattam Trophy has been awarded annually since 1999 to the best football journalist, as voted by the players. The Herald Suns Mark Robinson and The Ages Emma Quayle are only journalists to have won the award twice. Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan won the award in 2008 for his article on Simon Goodwin and his gambling addiction.
The Trophy was created in honour and memory of the late Grant Hattam who was a leading sports and media lawyer.

Education and Training Excellence Award

Given annually since 2001 to the player who displays the best all-round performance in balancing football with external education and training.
YearPlayerClub
2001Paul LicuriaCollingwood
2002Peter BellFremantle
2003Simon GarlickWestern Bulldogs
2004Michael WilsonPort Adelaide
2005James ClementCollingwood
2006Josh MahoneyPort Adelaide
2007Brett BurtonAdelaide
2007Shane WakelinCollingwood
2008Jason BlakeSt Kilda
2009Max HudghtonSt Kilda
2010Tim CallanWestern Bulldogs
2011Henry SlatteryEssendon
2012Alan TooveyCollingwood
2013Matthew BoydWestern Bulldogs
2014Jonathon GriffinFremantle
2015Mike PykeSydney
2016Jamie MacmillanNorth Melbourne
2017Ed CurnowCarlton
2018David MundyFremantle

Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships

Awarded annually to young aspiring non-AFL players, attempting to help them balance external study and training with football training.