Sandover Medal

The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and benefactor.

Voting system

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 in the match respectively. Voting wasn't always done this way. From 1985-2018, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point votes were given, from 1930–1984, 3, 2 and 1 point votes were given, and prior to 1930 there was only one vote per game.

Just like similar "fairest and best" awards, for example the Brownlow and Magarey Medals, if a player is suspended for a reportable offence throughout the season then they become ineligible to win the award. This in effect is where the "fairest" element of the award comes in.

On the awards night, the votes over the home and away (regular) season are tallied and the eligible player with the highest number of votes is awarded the medal. In the past, ties were decided on a countback system, but after a three-way tie in the 1984 count, the WAFC decided to scrap countback system and award multiple medals to joint winners.

Prior to 1930 when only 1 vote per game was given, and hence a countback was not possible, the WAFL president would cast a deciding vote to decide the winner.

Players that had missed out on a medal due to the countback system were awarded them retrospectively in 1997.

Sandover Medal winners

Year	Player	Team	Votes
1921	Cyril Hoft **	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	–
	Tom Outridge	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	–
1922	Harold Boyd	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	6
1923	William "Digger" Thomas	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	–
1924	Jim Gosnell	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	–
1925	George Owens	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	4
1926	Johnny Leonard	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	6
1927	Jim Craig	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	7
1928	Jack Rocchi	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	5
1929	Johnny Leonard **	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	5
	Billy Thomas	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	5
1930	Ted Flemming	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	23 †
1931	Lin Richards	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	34
1932	Keith Hough	‹The template WAFL CC is being considered for deletion.› Claremont-Cottesloe	32
1933	Sammy Clarke	‹The template WAFL CC is being considered for deletion.› Claremont-Cottesloe	15
1934	Sammy Clarke	‹The template WAFL CC is being considered for deletion.› Claremont-Cottesloe	24
1935	Lou Daily	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	25
	George Krepp	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	25
1936	George Moloney	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	30
1937	Frank Jenkins	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	34
1938	Haydn Bunton, Sr.	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	27
1939	Haydn Bunton, Sr.	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	20
1940	Ed O'Keefe	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	29
1941	Haydn Bunton, Sr.	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	22
1942	Laurie Bowen	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	13
1943	Terry Moriarty	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	28
1944	Jim Davies	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	33
1945	George Bailey	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	24
1946	John Loughridge	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	26
1947	Clive Lewington	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	22
1948	Merv McIntosh	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	22
1949	Gordon Maffina	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	17
1950	Frank Allen **	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	23
	Jim Conway	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	23
1951	Fred Buttsworth	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	25
1952	Steve Marsh	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	20
1953	Merv McIntosh	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	14
1954	Merv McIntosh	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	22
1955	John Todd	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	25
1956	Graham Farmer	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	15
1957	Jack Clarke	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	19
	Graham Farmer **	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	19
1958	Ted Kilmurray	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	20
1959	Brian Foley	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	24
1960	Graham Farmer	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	26
1961	Neville Beard	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	22
	Ray Sorrell **	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	22
1962	Haydn Bunton, Jr.	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	22
1963	Ray Sorrell	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	20
1964	Barry Cable	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	23
1965	Bill Walker	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	24
1966	Bill Walker	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	20
1967	John Parkinson	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	19
	Bill Walker	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	19
1968	Barry Cable	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	25
1969	Mal Brown	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	21
1970	Pat Dalton	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	17
	Bill Walker **	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	17
1971	David Hollins	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	26
1972	Ian Miller	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	20
1973	Barry Cable	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	25
1974	Graham Melrose	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	20
1975	Alan Quartermaine	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	16
1976	Peter Spencer	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	21
1977	Brian Peake	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	24
1978	Phil Kelly	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	26
1979	Phil Kelly	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	24
1980	Stephen Michael	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	24
1981	Stephen Michael	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	37
1982	Phil Narkle	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	19
1983	Bryan Cousins **	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	16
	John Ironmonger	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	16
1984	Steve Malaxos	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	17
	Michael Mitchell	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	17
	Peter Spencer	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	17
1985	Murray Wrensted	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	46 †
1986	Mark Bairstow	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	39
1987	Mark Watson ‡	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	30
1988	David Bain	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	42
1989	Craig Edwards	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	39
1990	Mick Grasso	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	36
1991	Ian Dargie	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	34
1992	Robbie West	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	32
1993	Neil Mildenhall	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	38
1994	Ian Dargie	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	34
1995	Craig Treleven	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	43
1996	Jeremy Wasley	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	37
1997	Brady Anderson	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	30
1998	Adrian Bromage	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	32
1999	Gus Seebeck	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	33
2000	Richard Ambrose	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	34
2001	Ryan Turnbull	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	31
2002	Allistair Pickett	‹The template WAFL PT is being considered for deletion.› Peel Thunder	33
2003	Shane Beros	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	39
2004	Allistair Pickett	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	42
2005	Jaxon Crabb	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	39
	Toby McGrath	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	39
2006	Matt Priddis	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	58
2007	Anthony Jones	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	29
2008	Hayden Ballantyne	‹The template WAFL PT is being considered for deletion.› Peel Thunder	42
2009	Ross Young	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	45
2010	Andrew Krakouer	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	44
2011	Luke Blackwell	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	42
2012	Kane Mitchell	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	58
2013	Rory O'Brien	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	55
2014	Aaron Black	‹The template WAFL WP is being considered for deletion.› West Perth	47
2015	Aidan Tropiano	‹The template WAFL Per is being considered for deletion.› Perth	45
2016	Jye Bolton	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	49
2017	Haiden Schloithe	‹The template WAFL SF is being considered for deletion.› South Fremantle	52
2018	Jye Bolton	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	52
2019	Lachlan Delahunty	‹The template WAFL Sub is being considered for deletion.› Subiaco	28 †
2020	Sam Fisher	‹The template WAFL SD is being considered for deletion.› Swan Districts	13 §
2021	Bailey Rogers	‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont	30
2022	Blaine Boekhorst	‹The template WAFL EF is being considered for deletion.› East Fremantle	25
2023	Hamish Brayshaw	‹The template WAFL EP is being considered for deletion.› East Perth	26

• • Awarded retrospective Sandover Medal in 1997

† Voting system changed from a single vote per game to 3-2-1 voting in 1930, then to 5-4-3-2-1 voting in 1985, and back to 3-2-1 voting in 2019

‡ In 1987, Derek Kickett (‹The template WAFL Cla is being considered for deletion.› Claremont) polled 46 votes, but was ineligible to win due to suspension.

§ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortened 10 game season was played

Multiple winners

The following players have won the Sandover Medal multiple times.

Medals	Player	Team	Seasons
4	Bill Walker	Swan Districts	1965, 1966, 1967, 1970
3	Haydn Bunton, Sr.	Subiaco	1938, 1939, 1941
	Merv McIntosh	Perth	1948, 1953, 1954
	Graham Farmer	East Perth	1956, 1957, 1960
	Barry Cable	Perth	1964, 1968, 1973
2	Johnny Leonard	Subiaco	1926, 1929
	Sammy Clarke	Claremont	1933, 1934
	Ray Sorrell	East Fremantle	1961, 1963
	Phil Kelly	East Perth	1978, 1979
	Stephen Michael	South Fremantle	1980, 1981
	Peter Spencer	East Perth	1976, 1984
	Ian Dargie	Subiaco	1991, 1994
	Allistair Pickett	Peel Thunder / Subiaco	2002, 2004
	Jye Bolton	Claremont	2016, 2018

References

• List of Sandover Medal winners from the Official WAFL website

External links

• Alfred Sandover Bio