Crichton Medal
Award for the best and fairest player of the Essendon Football Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Crichton Medal is the best and fairest award for the Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. Since 1959 or 1960, it has been known officially as the W. S. Crichton Medal.[citation needed] The naming of the award is in honour of Wally Crichton, a former administrator for Essendon (who was a committeeman from 1926 to 1931, vice-president from 1932 to 1940, and president from 1941 to 1959).[1] 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.[2]
| Crichton Medal | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The best and fairest player of the Essendon Football Club |
| Location | Crown Palladium Ballroom |
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | Essendon Football Club |
| First award | 1897 |
| Currently held by | Zach Merrett |
| Website | Essendon Football Club Honours |
Essendon's best-and-fairest award has been awarded since 1897, although records of winners between 1897 and 1921 are incomplete. The award was suspended during World War I.
Recipients
| ^ | Denotes current player |
| + | Player won Brownlow Medal in same season |
Multiple winners
| ^ | Denotes current player |
| Player | Medals | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Hutchison | 7 | 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 |
| Dick Reynolds | 7 | 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943 |
| Zach Merrett^ | 6 | 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| James Hird | 5 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2007 |
| Simon Madden | 4 | 1977, 1979, 1983, 1984 |
| Tim Watson | 4 | 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989 |
| John Birt | 3 | 1961, 1965, 1967 |
| Wally Buttsworth | 3 | 1941, 1945, 1946 |
| Barry Davis | 3 | 1968, 1969, 1971 |
| Tom Fitzmaurice | 3 | 1922, 1923, 1924 |
| Graham Moss | 3 | 1974, 1975, 1976 |
| Jobe Watson | 3 | 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| Reg Burgess | 2 | 1957, 1960 |
| Bill Busbridge | 2 | 1908, 1909 |
| Ernie Cameron | 2 | 1911, 1912 |
| Jack Clarke | 2 | 1958, 1962 |
| Keith Forbes | 2 | 1930, 1935 |
| Ken Fraser | 2 | 1963, 1964 |
| Jason Johnson | 2 | 2001, 2005 |
| Scott Lucas | 2 | 2003, 2006 |
| Mark Thompson | 2 | 1987, 1990 |
Notes
- a The best-and-fairest was first awarded in 1897; however, records from 1897 to 1921 are incomplete.
- b The Essendon Football Club did not participate in the 1916 and 1917 VFL seasons due to World War I.