Magarey Medal

Magarey Medal

For the biography award of the same name, see Magarey Medal for biography. For a list of winners, see List of Magarey Medallists.

The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by 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 3, 2 and 1 points to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best during the match. Players suspended for a reportable offence during the season are ineligible to win the award though they can continue gaining votes leading to times when an ineligible player would poll the most votes in the medal count but not win the medal. The most celebrated time was in 1983 when Glenelg player Stephen Kernahan polled a then record 44 votes but due to being suspended in Round 4 of the season the medal was awarded to Tony Antrobus of North Adelaide who polled 35 votes.