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Presented to the player judged, by an independent panel of football experts, to be best on ground in the Grand Final.
Norm Smith was a famous Melbourne Football Club identity who was also associated with Fitzroy and South Melbourne at senior level. Smith played a total of 227 games with Melbourne and Fitzroy and coached in a total of 452 games with Melbourne (310), Fitzroy (55) and South Melbourne (87).
During his 310-game tenure coaching Melbourne, he took the club into every Grand Final between 1954 and 1960 and won six premierships in the years 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964. He played from 1935 to 1950, and coached at senior level every year between 1949 and 1972, except 1968. Smith died in 1973, aged 57.
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jason Johannisen | Western Bulldogs |
| 2015 | Cyril Rioli | Hawthorn |
| 2014 | Luke Hodge | Hawthorn |
| 2013 | Brian Lake | Hawthorn |
| 2012 | Ryan O'Keefe | Sydney Swans |
| 2011 | Jimmy Bartel | Geelong Cats |
| 2010 (replay) | Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood |
| 2010 | Lenny Hayes | St Kilda |
| 2009 | Paul Chapman | Geelong Cats |
| 2008 | Luke Hodge | Hawthorn |
| 2007 | Steve Johnson | Geelong Cats |
| 2006 | Andrew Embley | West Coast Eagles |
| 2005 | Chris Judd | West Coast Eagles |
| 2004 | Byron Pickett | Port Adelaide |
| 2003 | Simon Black | Brisbane Lions |
| 2002 | Nathan Buckley | Collingwood |
| 2001 | Shaun Hart | Brisbane Lions |
| 2000 | James Hird | Essendon |
| 1999 | Shannon Grant | North Melbourne |
| 1998 | Andrew McLeod | Adelaide |
| 1997 | Andrew McLeod | Adelaide |
| 1996 | Glenn Archer | North Melbourne |
| 1995 | Greg Williams | Carlton |
| 1994 | Dean Kemp | West Coast Eagles |
| 1993 | Michael Long | Essendon |
| 1992 | Peter Matera | West Coast Eagles |
| 1991 | Paul Dear | Hawthorn |
| 1990 | Tony Shaw | Collingwood |
| 1989 | Gary Ablett | Geelong Cats |
| 1988 | Gary Ayres | Hawthorn |
| 1987 | David Rhys-Jones | Carlton |
| 1986 | Gary Ayres | Hawthorn |
| 1985 | Simon Madden | Essendon |
| 1984 | Billy Duckworth | Essendon |
| 1983 | Colin Robertson | Hawthorn |
| 1982 | Maurice Rioli | Richmond |
| 1981 | Bruce Doull | Carlton |
| 1980 | Kevin Bartlett | Richmond |
| 1979 | Wayne Harmes | Carlton |
