Coleman Medal


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The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most prolific goalkickers in the league's history, who was league leading goalkicker for five consecutive seasons.[1]

Coleman Medal
A man with short brown hair in a sleeveless yellow guernsey and black shorts

Jesse Hogan, recipient of the Coleman Medal in 2024

LeagueAustralian Football League
Awarded forMost goals in the home-and-away season
History
Most winsDick Lee (7)
Most recentJesse Hogan (Greater Western Sydney)

The medal has been presented at various different events, including the preliminary[2] and grand finals,[3] the All-Australian awards ceremony,[4][5] and club award ceremonies. Greater Western Sydney's Jesse Hogan is the most recent recipient, kicking 69 goals in 2024.

The award was first presented in 1981 to Richmond's Michael Roach.[6] At the time, the competition was known as the Victorian Football League (VFL); it would become the AFL in 1990.[7] It was named after John Coleman, a full-forward and Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend who scored 537 goals in 98 games for Essendon between 1949 and 1954.[1]

In September 2001, the AFL decided to recognise all leading goalkickers prior to Roach's victory;[8] leaders from 1955—the year after Coleman's last match—to 1980 were named retrospective Coleman Medallists, while winners prior to 1955 were named Leading Goalkicker Medallists.[6] Medals were presented to winners or their surviving relatives in a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall in July 2004.[6][9] Jack Collins, who had been a leading advocate for naming the award after Coleman[10] and honouring leading goalkickers prior to 1981,[11] was the only player to receive both a Coleman and a Leading Goalkicker Medal.[12] Upon receiving the accolades, he was "bloody angry" and complained to the AFL Commission, as he perceived the Leading Goalkicker Medal to be an inferior award.[13]

Collingwood is the club most frequently represented by Coleman and Leading Goalkicker Medallists: its players have won on 23 occasions, six clear of Geelong's tally of 17. The majority of Collingwood's awards were contributed by Dick Lee (7) and Gordon Coventry (6), which stand as the most and second-most in league history. Coleman himself won the Leading Goalkicker Medals in all five of his complete VFL seasons to have the third-most. As of 2023, there have been five four-time medallists, five three-time medallists, and 16 dual medallists.

 
Jack Leith tied with Eddy James for the most goals (22) in 1897, the VFL's inaugural season.
 
Percy Martini was retrospectively awarded a Leading Goalkicker Medal for his 51-goal performance in 1910.
 
Greg Stockdale's 68-goal haul for the 1923 season from just 18 out of 19 games broke the league record (when including finals).[14] Stockdale would go on to be Essendon's leading goalkicker in three seasons between 1923 and 1928.
 
Gordon Coventry led the VFL in goalkicking six times, including five consecutive occasions from 1926 to 1930.
 
Des Fothergill scored the most goals (63) in the 1946 VFL season.
 
John Coleman, the namesake of the medal, led the VFL in goalkicking five times in a row (1949–1953).
 
Brian Taylor scored 100 goals in 1986, winning the season's Coleman Medal.
 
John Longmire led the AFL in goalkicking for 1990 at the age of 19, making him the youngest Coleman Medallist.[15]
 
Lance Franklin (pictured playing for Sydney) has won four Coleman Medals at two clubs: Hawthorn (2008, 2011) and Sydney (2014, 2017).

Note: Bold text denotes player currently plays in the AFL

 
Dick Lee led the league in goalkicking a record seven times.
 
Josh Kennedy is one of 16 players to twice score the most goals in a season.
 
Jack Riewoldt has won three of Richmond's eight Coleman Medals / league Leading Goalkicker Awards.
 
Jonathan Brown won Brisbane's only Coleman Medal in 2007, kicking 77 goals.
 
Charlie Curnow won two consecutive Coleman Medals in 2022 and 2023. Had he won the award for a third year—which he was close to achieving by having the second-highest average for goals per game—he would have been the first since Gary Ablett Sr. to do so.
  1. ^ a b c The following websites are used as sources for recipients: Conflicts arise between the sources on three occasions; an additional source for each dispute is provided:
    • 1910: AFL.com.au notes Dick Lee as joint leading goalkicker. AFL Tables omits Lee, supported by the 2018 Grand Final edition of the AFL Record.[17]
    • 1977: AFL.com.au gives Hudson's goal total as 105. AFL Tables records 99, supported by the 2015 Grand Final edition of the AFL Record.[18]
    • 2004: AFL.com.au gives Gehrig's goal total as 103. AFL Tables records 90, supported by ABC News; the difference is because the AFL erroneously implies Gehrig got 103 goals to win the medal, but these extra 13 goals were kicked in finals and therefore are not included in this list.[19]
  2. ^ Three teams which have participated in the VFL/AFL no longer compete today. Fitzroy, a founding member of the league, played from 1897 to 1996 before its severe financial problems forced a merger with the Brisbane Bears, an expansion club that had competed in the VFL from 1987, to form the Brisbane Lions. University, an amateur club, played in the VFL from 1908 to 1914.[7]
  3. ^ Known as South Melbourne prior to 1982 relocation.[7]
  4. ^ Known as Footscray prior to 1997.[7]
  1. ^ a b c "Coleman Medal". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Quinlan's goals award". The Canberra Times. John Fairfax and Sons. 18 September 1983. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020 – via Trove.
  3. ^ "PM backs VFL: Government to be ignored". The Canberra Times. John Fairfax and Sons. 26 September 1982. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2020 – via Trove.
  4. ^ "Brown's All Australian honours". lions.com.au. Telstra Media. 18 September 2007. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. ^ "AFL finals: Leigh Matthews to present Jock McHale medal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b c McClure, Geoff (12 August 2002). "Sporting Life – Call for the champs". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d "Chronology". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  8. ^ Gould, Russell (14 September 2001). "Old champs in from the cold". Herald Sun. News Limited. p. 116 – via EBSCO. THE AFL is set to reward more than 90 past champions with retrospective medals for leading the goalkicking ...
  9. ^ Oakes, Dan (27 July 2004). "A night of tribute to the rich history of the game". The Age. Fairfax Media. p. 12 – via EBSCO. [P]ast ... AFL players ... gathered at Melbourne Town Hall last night ... [t]he occasion was the retrospective presentation of medals ... to the ... leading goalkickers ... since the start of the VFL/AFL.
  10. ^ Dowsley, Anthony (29 March 2010). "Auction of Western Bulldogs star Jack Collins' medals causes family feud". Herald Sun. News Limited. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  11. ^ Palmer, Scot (27 May 2001). "Medals for goal greats". The Sunday Mail. News Limited. p. 118 – via EBSCO. Former Footscray champion Jack Collins ... supports the move.
  12. ^ Hobbs, Greg (30 July 2004). Lovett, Michael (ed.). "Jack of all trades". AFL Record. Vol. 93, no. 18. Melbourne: Australian Football League. p. 70. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020 – via State Library of Victoria.
  13. ^ Palmer, Scot (16 September 2001). "Dogs star's pain". Herald Sun. News Limited. p. 50 – via EBSCO. [Collins] has ... written a ... complaint to the AFL Commission ... Jack will receive what he feels is an inferior ... medal.
  14. ^ "STOCKDALE, Greg". Essendon Listing. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Coaches: John Longmire". sydneyswans.com.au. Telstra Media. 22 November 2019. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Leading Goalkicker". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  17. ^ Lovett, Michael, ed. (29 September 2018). "Collingwood – Leading Goalkicker Medallists". AFL Record. Vol. 107. Melbourne: Crocmedia. p. 129.
  18. ^ Lovett, Michael, ed. (3 October 2015). "Hawthorn – John Coleman Medallists". AFL Record. Vol. 104. Melbourne: AFL Media. p. 120.
  19. ^ "Gehrig clinches Coleman medal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 August 2004. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020.