Coleman Medal Explained

Coleman Medal
League:	Australian Football League
Givenfor:	Most goals in the home-and-away season
Mostwins:	Dick Lee (7)
Mostrecent:	Charlie Curnow (2)

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]

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.^[6] Carlton's Charlie Curnow is the most recent recipient, kicking 78 goals in 2023.

History

The award was first presented in 1981 to Richmond's Michael Roach.^[7] At the time, the competition was known as the Victorian Football League (VFL); it would become the AFL in 1990.^[8] 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;^[9] 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. Medals were presented to winners or their surviving relatives in a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall in July 2004.^[10] Jack Collins, who had been a leading advocate for naming the award after Coleman^[11] and honouring leading goalkickers prior to 1981,^[12] was the only player to receive both a Coleman and a Leading Goalkicker Medal.^[13] 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.^[14]

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.

Recipients

Note: Bold text denotes player currently plays in the AFL

Recipient! scope="col"

Year	Club	Goals
			22
			31
(2)			31
			24
			34
			30
(2)			33
			39
			38
			45
			45
(2)			50
(3)			55
			51
			46
(2)			56
			53
(4)			57
			65
(5)			46
(6)			50
			35
(7)			47
			62
			61
			54
			64
			75
			70
			78
(2)			88
(3)			78
(4)			118
(5)			105
			72
			109
(6)			108
			138
(2)			97
			101
			64
			102
(2)			98
			92
			88
			67
			62
(2)			87
(3)			67
			63
(4)			97
(2)			86
			85
(2)			112
(3)			75
(4)			103
(5)			96
			73
			77
			56
(2)			74
			67
			69
(2)			67
			54
			62
			69
(2)			68
(3)			56
			73
(2)			79
			125
(3)			122
(2)			146
(3)			140
			130
(2)			84
(4)			91
			67
			99
(4)			105
			118
(2)			91
			107
(2)			86
			94
			106
(2)			102
			93
			100
			117
			124
(2)			128
			98
(2)			118
(3)			139
			124
(2)			113
(3)			118
(3)			114
			81
(4)			107
			88
			94
(2)			96
			75
(3)			87
			90
(2)			74
			84
			77
			102
(2)			86
			78
(2)			71
(2)			65
			68
(3)			67
			75
(2)			80
(4)			69
(3)			65
			67
			42
			58
			64
(2)			78

Multiple recipients

Table of multiple recipients

Player	Wins	Club(s)	Years
	7		1907, 1908, 1909, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1919
	6		1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1933
	5		1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953
	4		1943, 1944, 1945, 1947
		/	1962, 1967, 1969, 1974
			1968, 1970, 1971, 1977
		/	1987, 1991, 1996, 1998
		/	2008, 2011, 2014, 2017
	3		1963, 1964, 1965
			1988, 1989, 1992
			1993, 1994, 1995
			2000, 2001, 2003
			2010, 2012, 2018
	2		1897, 1899
		/	1900, 1903
			1911, 1912
			1934, 1935
			1938, 1939
		/	1942, 1948
			1954, 1957
			1959, 1960
			1972, 1973
			1978, 1979
			1980, 1981
			1983, 1984
			2004, 2005
			2006, 2009
			2015, 2016
			2022, 2023

Club totals

†

Club no longer participates in the AFL
scope=row style="width:3em"	LG	Number of Leading Goalkicker Medals (1897–1954)
scope=row style="width:3em"	C'man	Number of Coleman Medals (1955–present)

Table of club totals

scope=col rowspan=2	Club	Medals			scope=col rowspan=2	Years
scope=col	LG	scope=col	C'man	scope=col	Total
scope=row		19	4	23	1898, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1958, 1972, 1973, 1986
scope=row		8	9	17	1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1921, 1925, 1932, 1948, 1955, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1976, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2020
scope=row		8	6	14	1900, 1901, 1923, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1960, 1966, 2000, 2001, 2003
scope=row		0	14	14	1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2008, 2011, 2013
scope=row		4	6	10	1906, 1918, 1922, 1931, 1961, 2006, 2009, 2021, 2022, 2023
scope=row		8	1	9	1897, 1904, 1911, 1912, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 2002
	3	5	8	1920, 1937, 1940, 1980, 1981, 2010, 2012, 2018
scope=row		3	4	7	1934, 1935, 1942, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2017
scope=row		2	5	7	1902, 1936, 1956, 1987, 1991, 2004, 2005
scope=row		1	4	5	1954, 1957, 1978, 1979, 1985
scope=row style="background:#CEE0F2"	^†	2	2	4	1915, 1924, 1983, 1984
scope=row		1	3	4	1941, 1974, 1982, 1990
scope=row		—	3	3	1999, 2015, 2016
scope=row		—	1	1	1997
scope=row		—	1	1	2007
scope=row		—	1	1	2019
scope=row style="background:#CEE0F2"	^†	1	—	1	1913
scope=row		—	0	0	—
scope=row		—	0	0	—
scope=row		—	0	0	—
scope=row style="background:#CEE0F2"	^†	—	—	—	—

See also

• AFL Women's leading goalkicker
• Ken Farmer Medal – equivalent award in the South Australian National Football League
• Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal – equivalent award in the Victorian Football League
• Bernie Naylor Medal – equivalent award in the West Australian Football League

Notes and References

1. Web site: Coleman Medal . . . 30 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200130093616/https://www.afl.com.au/stats/leaders-awards/coleman-medal . 30 January 2020 . live .
2. News: Quinlan's goals award . 31 January 2020 . . . 18 September 1983 . . 4 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200204142451/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116407297 . live .
3. News: PM backs VFL: Government to be ignored . 31 January 2020 . The Canberra Times . John Fairfax and Sons . 26 September 1982 . Trove . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907083959/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116472265 . 7 September 2018 . live .
4. News: Brown's All Australian honours . 31 January 2020 . lions.com.au . Telstra Media . 18 September 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200131083310/https://www.lions.com.au/news/30436/brown-s-all-australian-honours . 31 January 2020 . live .
5. News: AFL finals: Leigh Matthews to present Jock McHale medal . 31 January 2020 . . . 31 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161105145805/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/leigh-matthews-given-afl-finals-honour/7802542 . 5 November 2016 . live .
6. 6 October 2017 . Skilton Medal: Coleman presentation . Video . 31 January 2020 . 0.58 . Telstra Media . 4 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200204142707/https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/video/379468/skilton-medal-coleman-presentation?videoId=379468&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1507285741001 . live .
7. News: McClure . Geoff . Sporting Life – Call for the champs . 31 January 2020 . . . 12 August 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200131083309/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/sporting-life-20020812-gduhhp.html . 31 January 2020 . live .
8. Web site: Chronology . AFL.com.au . Telstra Media . 31 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200131083307/https://www.afl.com.au/about-afl/chronology . 31 January 2020 . live .
9. News: Gould . Russell . Old champs in from the cold . . . 14 September 2001 . 116 . THE AFL is set to reward more than 90 past champions with retrospective medals for leading the goalkicking ... . EBSCO.
10. News: Oakes . Dan . A night of tribute to the rich history of the game . The Age . Fairfax Media . 27 July 2004 . 12 . [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. . EBSCO.
11. News: Dowsley . Anthony . Auction of Western Bulldogs star Jack Collins' medals causes family feud . 27 January 2020 . Herald Sun . News Limited . 29 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200127152252/https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/auction-of-western-bulldogs-star-jack-collins-medals-causes-family-feud/news-story/a8b06c9b473853240b888f7d014a5e90%3Fsv%3Df671f5214c0831307de1fa9b7c23a00 . 27 January 2020 . live .
12. News: Palmer . Scot . Medals for goal greats . . News Limited . 27 May 2001 . 118 . Former Footscray champion Jack Collins ... supports the move. . EBSCO.
13. Jack of all trades . 30 July 2004 . 31 January 2020 . Hobbs . Greg . Lovett . Michael . . Melbourne . . 93 . 18 . 70 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20200204142125/https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE9113652&file=FL17798736&mode=browse . 4 February 2020 . live.
14. News: Palmer . Scot . Dogs star's pain . Herald Sun . News Limited . 16 September 2001 . 50 . [Collins] has ... written a ... complaint to the AFL Commission ... Jack will receive what he feels is an inferior ... medal. . EBSCO.