# 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 ** | Perth | – |
| 1921 | Tom Outridge | Subiaco | – |
| 1922 | Harold Boyd | West Perth | 6 |
| 1923 | William "Digger" Thomas | East Perth | – |
| 1924 | Jim Gosnell | West Perth | – |
| 1925 | George Owens | East Perth | 4 |
| 1926 | Johnny Leonard | Subiaco | 6 |
| 1927 | Jim Craig | West Perth | 7 |
| 1928 | Jack Rocchi | South Fremantle | 5 |
| 1929 | Johnny Leonard ** | Subiaco | 5 |
| 1929 | Billy Thomas | East Perth | 5 |
| 1930 | Ted Flemming | West Perth | 23 † |
| 1931 | Lin Richards | East Fremantle | 34 |
| 1932 | Keith Hough | Claremont-Cottesloe | 32 |
| 1933 | Sammy Clarke | Claremont-Cottesloe | 15 |
| 1934 | Sammy Clarke | Claremont-Cottesloe | 24 |
| 1935 | Lou Daily | Subiaco | 25 |
| 1935 | George Krepp | Swan Districts | 25 |
| 1936 | George Moloney | Claremont | 30 |
| 1937 | Frank Jenkins | South Fremantle | 34 |
| 1938 | Haydn Bunton, Sr. | Subiaco | 27 |
| 1939 | Haydn Bunton, Sr. | Subiaco | 20 |
| 1940 | Ed O'Keefe | West Perth | 29 |
| 1941 | Haydn Bunton, Sr. | Subiaco | 22 |
| 1942 | Laurie Bowen | West Perth | 13 |
| 1943 | Terry Moriarty | Perth | 28 |
| 1944 | Jim Davies | Swan Districts | 33 |
| 1945 | George Bailey | Perth | 24 |
| 1946 | John Loughridge | West Perth | 26 |
| 1947 | Clive Lewington | South Fremantle | 22 |
| 1948 | Merv McIntosh | Perth | 22 |
| 1949 | Gordon Maffina | Claremont | 17 |
| 1950 | Frank Allen ** | East Perth | 23 |
| 1950 | Jim Conway | East Fremantle | 23 |
| 1951 | Fred Buttsworth | West Perth | 25 |
| 1952 | Steve Marsh | South Fremantle | 20 |
| 1953 | Merv McIntosh | Perth | 14 |
| 1954 | Merv McIntosh | Perth | 22 |
| 1955 | John Todd | South Fremantle | 25 |
| 1956 | Graham Farmer | East Perth | 15 |
| 1957 | Jack Clarke | East Fremantle | 19 |
| 1957 | Graham Farmer ** | East Perth | 19 |
| 1958 | Ted Kilmurray | East Perth | 20 |
| 1959 | Brian Foley | West Perth | 24 |
| 1960 | Graham Farmer | East Perth | 26 |
| 1961 | Neville Beard | Perth | 22 |
| 1961 | Ray Sorrell ** | East Fremantle | 22 |
| 1962 | Haydn Bunton, Jr. | Swan Districts | 22 |
| 1963 | Ray Sorrell | East Fremantle | 20 |
| 1964 | Barry Cable | Perth | 23 |
| 1965 | Bill Walker | Swan Districts | 24 |
| 1966 | Bill Walker | Swan Districts | 20 |
| 1967 | John Parkinson | Claremont | 19 |
| 1967 | Bill Walker | Swan Districts | 19 |
| 1968 | Barry Cable | Perth | 25 |
| 1969 | Mal Brown | East Perth | 21 |
| 1970 | Pat Dalton | Perth | 17 |
| 1970 | Bill Walker ** | Swan Districts | 17 |
| 1971 | David Hollins | East Fremantle | 26 |
| 1972 | Ian Miller | Perth | 20 |
| 1973 | Barry Cable | Perth | 25 |
| 1974 | Graham Melrose | East Fremantle | 20 |
| 1975 | Alan Quartermaine | East Perth | 16 |
| 1976 | Peter Spencer | East Perth | 21 |
| 1977 | Brian Peake | East Fremantle | 24 |
| 1978 | Phil Kelly | East Perth | 26 |
| 1979 | Phil Kelly | East Perth | 24 |
| 1980 | Stephen Michael | South Fremantle | 24 |
| 1981 | Stephen Michael | South Fremantle | 37 |
| 1982 | Phil Narkle | Swan Districts | 19 |
| 1983 | Bryan Cousins ** | Perth | 16 |
| 1983 | John Ironmonger | East Perth | 16 |
| 1984 | Steve Malaxos | Claremont | 17 |
| 1984 | Michael Mitchell | Claremont | 17 |
| 1984 | Peter Spencer | East Perth | 17 |
| 1985 | Murray Wrensted | East Fremantle | 46 † |
| 1986 | Mark Bairstow | South Fremantle | 39 |
| 1987 | Mark Watson ‡ | Perth | 30 |
| 1988 | David Bain | East Perth | 42 |
| 1989 | Craig Edwards | South Fremantle | 39 |
| 1990 | Mick Grasso | Swan Districts | 36 |
| 1991 | Ian Dargie | Subiaco | 34 |
| 1992 | Robbie West | West Perth | 32 |
| 1993 | Neil Mildenhall | West Perth | 38 |
| 1994 | Ian Dargie | Subiaco | 34 |
| 1995 | Craig Treleven | East Fremantle | 43 |
| 1996 | Jeremy Wasley | Swan Districts | 37 |
| 1997 | Brady Anderson | East Perth | 30 |
| 1998 | Adrian Bromage | East Fremantle | 32 |
| 1999 | Gus Seebeck | Perth | 33 |
| 2000 | Richard Ambrose | Subiaco | 34 |
| 2001 | Ryan Turnbull | East Perth | 31 |
| 2002 | Allistair Pickett | Peel Thunder | 33 |
| 2003 | Shane Beros | Swan Districts | 39 |
| 2004 | Allistair Pickett | Subiaco | 42 |
| 2005 | Jaxon Crabb | Claremont | 39 |
| 2005 | Toby McGrath | South Fremantle | 39 |
| 2006 | Matt Priddis | Subiaco | 58 |
| 2007 | Anthony Jones | Claremont | 29 |
| 2008 | Hayden Ballantyne | Peel Thunder | 42 |
| 2009 | Ross Young | Perth | 45 |
| 2010 | Andrew Krakouer | Swan Districts | 44 |
| 2011 | Luke Blackwell | Claremont | 42 |
| 2012 | Kane Mitchell | Claremont | 58 |
| 2013 | Rory O'Brien | East Fremantle | 55 |
| 2014 | Aaron Black | West Perth | 47 |
| 2015 | Aidan Tropiano | Perth | 45 |
| 2016 | Jye Bolton | Claremont | 49 |
| 2017 | Haiden Schloithe | South Fremantle | 52 |
| 2018 | Jye Bolton | Claremont | 52 |
| 2019 | Lachlan Delahunty | Subiaco | 28 † |
| 2020 | Sam Fisher | Swan Districts | 13 § |
| 2021 | Bailey Rogers | Claremont | 30 |
| 2022 | Blaine Boekhorst | East Fremantle | 25 |
| 2023 | Hamish Brayshaw | East Perth | 26 |
| 2024 | Callan England | Claremont | 19 |
| 2024 | Nik Rokahr | Swan Districts | 19 |
** 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 (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 |
| 3 | Merv McIntosh | Perth | 1948, 1953, 1954 |
| 3 | Graham Farmer | East Perth | 1956, 1957, 1960 |
| 3 | Barry Cable | Perth | 1964, 1968, 1973 |
| 2 | Johnny Leonard | Subiaco | 1926, 1929 |
| 2 | Sammy Clarke | Claremont | 1933, 1934 |
| 2 | Ray Sorrell | East Fremantle | 1961, 1963 |
| 2 | Phil Kelly | East Perth | 1978, 1979 |
| 2 | Stephen Michael | South Fremantle | 1980, 1981 |
| 2 | Peter Spencer | East Perth | 1976, 1984 |
| 2 | Ian Dargie | Subiaco | 1991, 1994 |
| 2 | Allistair Pickett | Peel Thunder / Subiaco | 2002, 2004 |
| 2 | Jye Bolton | Claremont | 2016, 2018 |