Magarey Medal
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The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the Home and Away season of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) as adjudged by the field umpires. The award was created by William Ashley Magarey, then chairman of the league.
After each match, the three field umpires (those umpires who control the flow of the game) confer and award a 3, 2 and 1 point vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best. If a player is suspended for a reportable offence throughout the season then they become ineligible to win the award.
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William Ashley Magarey (born on January 30th, 1868, died October 18th, 1929) was born in Adelaide, South Australia. A lawyer by vocation, he had an enduring interest in sports, although he did not play football. He was however an active sports administrator who in 1897 became the Chairman of the South Australian Football Association (later to be renamed the SANFL). The sport at that time was known for often rough play and Magarey wanted to help combat this and to help gain more respect for umpires.
In 1898 Magarey presented the award of a Medal to South Australia’s "fairest and most brilliant player". Similar Best and Fairest player awards followed in other state-based competitions, notably the Sandover Medal in Western Australia from 1921 and Brownlow Medal in Victoria from 1924.
The Magarey Medal has been awarded in every year of SANFL competition since 1898, with the exception of 1900, 1904 (no record being extant) and when the competition was suspended due to war 1916-1918 and a restricted competition held during the war period of 1942-1944.
The first recipient of the coveted Magarey Medal award was Norwood’s Alby Green in 1898.
By definition recipients are notable players, however even in such high company some players stand out. Players to win the Magarey Medal on more than one occasion include:
| Years | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Dual winners | ||
| 1910, 1915 | S Hosking | Port Adelaide |
| 1926, 1927 | H B McGregor | West Adelaide |
| 1938, 1945 | R B Quinn | Port Adelaide |
| 1946, 1947 | R W Hank | West Torrens |
| 1948, 1949 | H R Phillips | North Adelaide |
| 1953, 1957 | J Deane | South Adelaide |
| 1994, 1995 | G McIntosh | Norwood |
| 1987, 1997 | A N Jarman | North Adelaide / Norwood |
| 1999, 2000 | D Squire | Sturt |
| Triple winners | ||
| 1902, 1905, 1906 | T D MacKenzie | West Torrens / North Adelaide |
| 1921, 1924, 1930 | W Scott | Norwood |
| 1919, 1920, 1921 | D Moriarty | South Adelaide |
| 1952, 1954, 1959 | L C Fitzgerald | Sturt |
| 1955, 1958, 1963 | L H Head | West Torrens |
| 1968, 1970, 1973 | B C Robran | North Adelaide |
| Quadruple winners | ||
| 1971, 1974, 1976, 1980 | R F Ebert | Port Adelaide |
Some other notable recipients include Malcolm Blight and John Platten who both also went on to win Brownlow Medals in the (then) VFL.
The 2006 winner was Brett Backwell from Glenelg Football Club, who in 2005 gained some international publicity when he had a finger amputated in order to continue his playing career.
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