Earlier this year, I decided on a little project to compile media award winners over the years.
My intent was to accurately capture the players across each season as the best in the game, instead of just relying on the Brownlow/MVP/Coaches Association votes as the guide. I thought it would offer something a little different, and perhaps skew the opinion that the best in the game is a midfielder.
Anyway, much to my chagrin, I found many of these media awards mean bugger all… even to the organisations that provide them.
Can we find a list of winners of the ABC’s Footballer of the Year?
Nup. No one knows – not even the people who work in the footy department at the ABC.
3AW?
Well, they really tried, and a couple of people helped me to attempt to find a complete list. Again, they couldn’t do it.
Of course, it didn’t bode well for awards from media that no longer exists…
After a couple of days of frustration, I put it on the backburner, and had a bit of a whine to my fellow Mongrels about it. One of them mentioned that it is a good thing that all our awards and records were easily accessible, and it was right around that point that I went quiet, and slunk off to make sure this was the case.
And wouldn’t you know it – it wasn’t the case, at all! I was being a massive hypocrite!
All of a sudden, I started to feel for the people at 3AW and the ABC – people who had been at the place a couple of years, and I was expecting them to know who won their organisation’s awards 15 years ago. If I wasn’t doing it for my own joint, why would they do it at a place they hadn’t been a part of when the awards were handed out?
And so, in order to ensure ours are never lost to the changing of staff, perhaps a change of ownership, or the work experience kid taking on some responsibility and cocking everything up, I thought I’d list them all in one place and just add to them over time.
So, without further ado, here is the wrap up of the Mongrel Punt Awards from 2018-Present.
Mongrel of the Year – Presented to the best player of the year, as voted on by Mongrel Staff
2018 – Max Gawn
2019 – Patrick Dangerfield
2020 – Lachie Neale
2021 – Ollie Wines
2022 – Lachie Neale
2023 – Marcus Bontempelli
2024 – Isaac Heeney/Marcus Bontempelli
2025 – Jordan Dawson
THOUGHTS – Midfield dominated, but I’m okay with it at the moment, given we haven’t really seen a dominant forward or defensive performance, recently. I’d like to see a little more variation, but that is reliant on a player in a different position having an exceptional year.
Mongrel Player of the Finals – pretty self-explanatory. Highest amount of player ratings in the finals series.
2018 – Steele Sidebottom
2019 – Tim Taranto
2020 – Dustin Martin
2021 – Christian Petracca
2022 – Patrick Dangerfield
2023 – Joe Daniher
2024 – Will Ashcroft
2025 – Harris Andrews
THOUGHTS – Pleased with this. The “player ratings” system we use has seen a forward and a defender actually rewarded, and in 2024, Brandon Starcevich came second to Ashcroft, and this season, the Chief took control, pipping Ashcroft for the number one spot.
Robert Flower Wingman of the Year Award – weekly wingman tallies combine to find the best wingman of the year
2020 – Sam Menegola
2021 – Paul Seedsman
2022 – Karl Amon
2023 – Josh Daicos
2024 – Errol Gulden
2025 – Jarrod Berry
THOUGHTS – Love this mix. Love having Robbie Flower associated with the award, and am very grateful to the Flower family for allowing us to honour him.
Great mix of wingmen. Sad to see Seedsman no longer playing, as the year he won this award was the final year of his career.
WINGMAN OF THE FINALS
2025 – Ollie Dempsey
THOUGHTS – Used the same formula as the regular Wingman of the Year Award. Dempsey inched past Jarrod Berry to take it, with Berry injured for the Grand Final – a reversal of their positions in the Robbie Flower Award during the year.
Defensive Player of the Year – Formula designed to assess and reward all defensive roles
2020 – Luke Ryan
2021 – Jacob Weitering
2022 – James Sicily
2023 – Harris Andrews
2024 – Sam Collins/Lachie Whitfield
2025 – Harris Andrews
THOUGHTS – Might be about time we approach a legend to lend his name to this award.
The winners cover just about every role in defence, which is gratifying, as that is the way the formula is designed. This year, we had our first dual winner, with the Big Daddy of the Brisbane defence taking all before him. The first bloke to do it twice!
Young Defender of the Year – All defenders aged 22 and under and rated out of ten each week. The winner is the player with the highest total after the final home and away game.
2024 – Trent Rivers (Melbourne)
2025 – Jake Bowey (Melbourne)
THOUGHTS – Suggested by a reader, this was incorporated into our DPOY updates throughout the 2024 season. I was actually shocked that the Dees had so many high-quality young defenders, with three of the top ten in 2024 (Blake Howes and Judd McVee also scored well) and another winner in 2025. No Big Wang, although he was leading in 2025, but played the last two months in the midfield, reducing his total.
Defensive Player of the Finals
2025 – Harris Andrews
THOUGHTS First year in with this one, using a similar formula to the regular DPOY award. No contest in 2025… Harris Andrews ruled the roost.
Mongrel Rising Star – as voted by Mongrel Writers
2018 – Tom Doedee
2019 – Connor Rozee
2020 – Caleb Serong
2021 – Tom Green
2022 – Nick Daicos
2023 – Harry Sheezel
2024 – Sam Darcy
2025 – Murphy Reid
THOUGHTS – A bit of a difference to the Ron Evans Medal, which I’m pleased with. Some are ageing well. Others… well, we’ll see, won’t we?
Recruit of the Year – Players awarded a weekly score. Highest total at end of H&A season wins
2022 – Will Brodie
2023 – Tim Taranto
2024 – Brodie Grundy
2025 – Bailey Smith
THOUGHTS – Only in year four, and hasn’t our inaugural winner gone onto bigger and better things?
Hmmm, yes… anyway, I feel pretty comfortable with the other three. Smith had a blinder in 2025.
X-Factor Non-Key Forward of the Year – formula to reward small forwards and goal-kicking mids
2018 – Luke Breust
2019 – Charlie Cameron
2020 – Liam Ryan
2021 – Charlie Cameron
2022 – Charlie Cameron
2023 – Toby Greene
2024 – Dylan Moore
2025 – Jamie Elliott
THOUGHTS – Sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate between a key forward and a small who plays like one. It is important, in those circumstances, to look at those playing around him. Elliott had McStay, Mihocek, and Membrey all as marking targets. he just happens to be a great little man amongst decent key forwards.
Road Warrior Champions – Team with the best road record each season
2021 – Sydney
2022 – Fremantle
2023 – GWS
2024 – Sydney
2025 – Brisbane
THOUGHTS – I do like this, as it is more a bit of fun. Loved at the Freo 2022 team… reminded me a little of Freo 2013, but not as aggro.
Brisbane’s away form in 2025 has been incredible, by the way.
RUCKMAN OF THE YEAR
2018 – Max Gawn
2019 – Brodie Grundy
2020 – Nic Naitanui
2021 – Max Gawn
2022 -Max Gawn
2023 – Tim English
2024 – Max Gawn
2025 – Max Gawn
THOUGHTS – I’d love to name this after Gary Dempsey. If anyone has some contact details for him, please reach out.
Or maybe it’ll just be the Max Gawn award? He does seem to own it.
And that’s it. Now I have all these in the same place, and I can always find them. Nice work, HB.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. It is a labour of love for me, and having you guys as members of the site basically keeps me going. So sincerely… thank you – HB
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