The J. J. Liston Trophy is awarded annually to the best and fairest senior player in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which was formerly known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA). It is named after J.J. Liston, a businessman, civic leader and sports administrator who was fundamental in advancing sport in Australia, particularly Australian Rules Football and Soccer.
| J. J. Liston Trophy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | The fairest and best player in the Victorian Football League |
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | VFL |
| First awarded | 1945 |
| Last awarded | Ongoing |
| Currently held by | Dom Brew (Werribee, 2024) |
History
editThe first award for the Association best and fairest player was the Woodham Cup, named after North Melbourne committeeman Alf Woodham, which was first awarded in 1923. The Woodham Cup was renamed the Recorder Cup, named after the Association's official match-day publication, in 1926.[1] Starting from 1933, a second award, the V.F.A. Medal (or Association Medal), was awarded concurrently. From 1933 until 1939, both the Recorder Cup and the V.F.A. Medal were presented annually based on the votes of the umpires; but the two awards were given based on different voting systems.
The two best and fairest awards were combined into one in 1940, when the Association dispensed with the Recorder Cup voting system; in 1940 and 1941, both the V.F.A. Medal and the Recorder Cup were awarded as trophies to the same player based on the same set of votes.[2] The Association went into recess from 1942 until 1944 during World War II; upon resumption in 1945, and continuously since, the winning player has received one trophy, the J. J. Liston Trophy, named after long-term Association president John James Liston, who died in 1944.[3]
From 1961 until 1988, when the Association operated in two divisions, the Liston Trophy was awarded to the best and fairest in Division 1. A separate award, known as the J. Field Medal, was awarded for the second division.
Voting system
editThe current voting system for the J. J. Liston Trophy is the same as for the Australian Football League's Brownlow Medal. At the conclusion of each game, the field umpires confer, and award three votes to the player deemed best on ground, two votes to the player deemed second-best on ground, and one vote to the player deemed third best on ground. A player is ineligible to win the award if he is suspended for a reportable offence during the season.[4] If more than one player ties for the highest number of votes, each is awarded a Liston Trophy jointly.
- Past voting systems
Initial voting rules for the Woodham and Recorder cups, used from 1924 until 1932, saw the field umpire award two votes in each game: one to the best player on each team; the player with the most votes at the end of the season won the cup.[5] This was amended in 1933, such that the umpire awarded a single vote to the overall best player on the ground; this voting system was used from 1933 until 1939.[6]
When the V.F.A. Medal was established in 1933, its voting system was: the field umpire and each of the two goal umpires separately awarded two votes to the player they deemed best on ground, and one vote to the player they deemed second-best on ground – a total of nine votes awarded per game, with any player able to poll a maximum of six;[7] this voting system was retained when the Recorder Cup and V.F.A. Medals were combined in 1940, and was then used for Liston Trophy voting until 1980.[8]
The system was altered in 1981 when a second field umpire was introduced; after this change, each field umpire awarded votes to the best two players on a 2–1 basis, but the goal umpires did not, giving a new total of six votes per game, with any player able to poll a maximum of four.[9] This system was used only in 1981, and the present day 3–2–1 voting system, based on agreement between the two (and later, three) field umpires, was adopted in 1982.[10]
During the 1930s, multiple players could win the V.F.A. Medal if they were tied on total number of votes. When the Liston Trophy was instituted in 1945, a countback system was introduced, such that if two players tied on votes, the award would go to the player who polled the higher number of first preferences; and (after 1981) if still tied, the higher number of second preferences; if these countbacks failed to separate the players (as occurred in 1978), the players were joint winners. The countback system was abandoned from 1988, making total votes the only criterion for the award;[11] and, in September 1989, the Association amended the history books and awarded Liston Trophies retrospectively to players who had been beaten on a countback, following by five months a similar action taken by the Victorian Football League regarding players who had been beaten for the Brownlow Medal on countback.[12]
Winners
edit- J. J. Liston Trophy
† denotes the award was won retrospectively.
- Recorder Cup/Woodham Cup
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1941* | Des Fothergill | Williamstown |
| 1940* | Jack Davis | Brighton |
| 1939 | Pat Hartnett | Brighton |
| 1938 | Arthur Cutting Bill Downie |
Williamstown Northcote |
| 1937 | Neville Huggins | Williamstown |
| 1936 | Bert Hyde Peter Reville |
Preston Coburg |
| 1935 | Les White | Prahran |
| 1934 | Danny Warr | Preston |
| 1933 | Charlie Stanbridge | Williamstown |
| 1932 | Bob Ross | Northcote |
| 1931 | Bill Koop | Prahran |
| 1930 | Edward Hyde | Port Melbourne |
| 1929 | Ted Bourke | Sandringham |
| 1928 | Frank Smith | Prahran |
| 1927 | Ernie Martin | Coburg |
| 1926 | William "Bluey" Summers | Preston |
| 1925 | Tommy Downs | Northcote |
| 1924 | Bob Johnson | Northcote |
| 1923 | Con McCarthy | Footscray |
* Awarded under V.F.A. Medal voting rules.
- V.F.A. Medal
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Des Fothergill | Williamstown |
| 1940 | Jack Davis | Brighton |
| 1939 | Arthur Cutting | Williamstown |
| 1938 | Arthur Cutting | Williamstown |
| 1937 | Neville Huggins Jack Lowry |
Williamstown Prahran |
| 1936 | Neville Huggins | Williamstown |
| 1935 | Fred Brooks Jim Dowling |
Williamstown Prahran |
| 1934 | Jim Dowling | Brunswick |
| 1933 | Charlie Stanbridge Dave Withers |
Williamstown Oakleigh |
J. Field Medal
edit| J. Field Medal | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The fairest and best player in the VFA Second Division |
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | VFA |
| First awarded | 1961 |
| Last awarded | 1988 |
From 1961 until 1988, the J. Field Medal was awarded to the best and fairest in the Association's second division. The award was originally known simply as the Division 2 Best and Fairest until 1968, then was named after former secretary Jack Field in 1969.[26]
The Field Medal voting system was identical to the Liston Trophy voting in all years except 1981, when Division 1 had switched to a two-umpire system but Division 2 was still using a single umpire; in that year, the Field Trophy voting system was unchanged from 1980. As for the Liston Trophy, a countback existed until 1988 to break ties, and retrospective Field Medals were later awarded to players who had lost on this countback.
J. Field Medal
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Pat Fitzgerald[27] | Sunshine |
| 1962 | Garry Butler[28] | Prahran |
| 1963 | Dick Perry[29] | Geelong West |
| 1964 | Shaun Crosbie[30] | Sunshine |
| 1965 | John Bradbury[31] | Mordialloc |
| 1966 | Ian Williams[32] | Geelong West |
| 1967 | Larry Rowe[33] Colin Sleep† |
Caulfield Northcote |
| 1968 | Ian Nankervis[34] | Williamstown |
| 1969 | Jim Sullivan[26] | Coburg |
| 1970 | Greg Smith[35] | Mordialloc |
| 1971 | Rodney Evans[36] | Camberwell |
| 1972 | Wayne Schimmelbusch[37] | Brunswick |
| 1973 | Geoff Bryant[38] | Box Hill |
| 1974 | Ron Allen[39] | Waverley |
| 1975 | Geoff Bryant[40] | Box Hill |
| 1976 | Colin Boyd[41] | Williamstown |
| 1977 | Derek King[42] | Oakleigh |
| 1978 | Lance Styles[43] | Waverley |
| 1979 | Jeff Edwards[44] | Northcote |
| 1980 | Kevin Sait[8] | Yarraville |
| 1981 | Brian Matthey[45] | Oakleigh |
| 1982 | Mark Williams[10] Russ Hodges† |
Sunshine Kilsyth |
| 1983 | Terry Walsh[46] | Mordialloc |
| 1984 | Peter Nicholson[47] David Callander† |
Box Hill Brunswick |
| 1985 | Darren Hall[48] | Dandenong |
| 1986 | Darren Hall[49] | Dandenong |
| 1987 | Peter Rogerson[50] | Waverley |
| 1988 | Stephen Sells[11] | Werribee |
References
edit- ^ Fiddian, Marc (2004), The VFA: a history of the Victorian Football Association, 1877–1995, p. 29
- ^ Percy Taylor (16 September 1940). "Exciting V.F.A. semi-final". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 11.
- ^ "Wind spoils game". Williamstown Chronicle. Williamstown, VIC. 29 June 1945. p. 2.
- ^ "Goodes to miss Roosters' pivotal clash with Williamstown". The Courier. Ballarat, VIC. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ "Notes". Record. Emerald Hill, VIC. 12 July 1924. p. 2.
- ^ "C. Stanbridge – best and fairest in Association". Sporting Globe. Melbourne. 16 September 1933. p. 3.
- ^ "Association "best and fairest" – two players equal". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 September 1933. p. 14.
- ^ a b "Port ruckman wins J. J. Liston Trophy". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 11 September 1952. p. 24.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (27 August 1981). "Aanensen wins his second Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 28.
- ^ a b Marc Fiddian (26 August 1982). "Austen wins Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 30.
- ^ a b Linda Pearce (25 August 1988). "Mates tie Liston". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 74.
- ^ Amanda Buivids (21 September 1989). "Champs rewarded at last". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 83.
- ^ "DOMination: Brew runs away with J.J. Liston Trophy; Carbone wins Lambert–Pearce Medal". afl.com.au. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Keating, Mitch (17 September 2024). "2024 VFL Awards: J.J. Liston Trophy, Lambert–Pearce Medal, Fothergill–Round–Mitchell Medal, Team of the Year and more". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Lyons Makes History After Being Crowned the VFL's Best for 2023". Brisbane Lions. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "2022 VFL and VFLW Awards: Gribble and Nanscawen go back-to-back". afl.com.au. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ Rhodes, Brendan (1 September 2021). "VFL season called off, VFLW Grand Final a League priority". afl.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Paul Amy (10 September 2019). "Werribee midfielder Tom Gribble claims VFL Liston Trophy with runaway victory". Wyndham Leader. Werribee, VIC. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ Prime, Toby (11 September 2017). "Jacob Townsend takes out J.J. Liston Trophy as VFL's best and fairest player". Herald Sun.
- ^ Waterworth, Ben (13 September 2016). "Michael Gibbons gives AFL chances big boost by winning VFL JJ Liston Trophy". Fox Sports.
- ^ "Rippon claims JJ Liston Trophy". The Courier. Ballarat, VIC. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ "Woodward wins J.J. Liston Trophy". VFL. 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Three-way tie for Liston Trophy – VFL – GameDay".
- ^ Diamond, Brett (13 September 2011). "Valenti seizes second Liston". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
- ^ Mark Towson Shane Valenti takes out Liston Trophy, Retrieved September 12th, 2010.
- ^ a b Noel Pascoe (21 August 1969). "Sullivan top in three divisions". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 59.
- ^ "VFA medal to P. Fitzgerald". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 17 August 1961. p. 42.
- ^ "Prahran rover best player". The Age. Melbourne. 16 August 1962. p. 24.
- ^ "BIG day for little man.". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 22 August 1963. p. 52.
- ^ Scot Palmer (20 August 1964). "Best & fairest". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 56.
- ^ "John was best". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 19 August 1965. p. 52.
- ^ "Geelong West player wins VFA award". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 18 August 1966. p. 54.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (17 August 1967). "Rowe wins award on countback". The Age. Melbourne. p. 21.
- ^ Noel Pascoe (8 August 1968). "Nankervis scored". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. p. 67.
- ^ "VFA best". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. 13 August 1970. p. 58.
- ^ Terry O'Halloran (19 August 1971). "Trophy to Rod Evans". The Age. Melbourne. p. 24.
- ^ "Award to Brunswick". The Age. Melbourne. 17 August 1972. p. 28.
- ^ John Holland (16 August 1973). "Bruant takes VFA award". The Age. Melbourne. p. 31.
- ^ "Ron Allen wins Field Medal". The Age. Melbourne. 29 August 1974. p. 25.
- ^ Ken Piesse (28 August 1975). "King Derek". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 28, 26.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (26 August 1976). "Hibbert wins Liston". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 32, 36.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (1 September 1977). "Bill runs away with Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 26.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (31 August 1978). "Trevor, Barry tie for Liston Trophy". The Age. Melbourne. p. 30.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (30 August 1979). "Aanensen's Liston ends Port drought". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 32, 29.
- ^ Marc Fiddian (27 August 1981). "Aanensen wins his second Liston". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 28, 27.
- ^ Gerry Carmen (25 August 1983). "Swan wins Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 28.
- ^ Dennis Jose (30 August 1984). "Geddes walks away with Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 24.
- ^ Brendan Moloney (29 August 1985). "MacLeod romps away with Liston". The Age. Melbourne. p. 29.
- ^ Hugo Kelly (28 August 1986). "Brunswick's West wins Liston in last-vote thriller". The Age. Melbourne. p. 28.
- ^ Paul Cunningham (27 August 1987). "Triumph second the Round". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne. pp. 87–88.