AFL

Brisbane has staged a remarkable late comeback to become the first club to win six AFL premierships this century, defeating Fremantle by 7 points at the MCG.

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After a tight opening scores were level at halftime for the second year in row. Fremantle slipped away to take a 10-point lead into the final break before the Lions surged yet again in the fourth quarter in a tense and dramatic ending in front of 100,023 fans.

Read on to see who won the Norm Smith Medal.

Who won the 2026 Norm Smith Medal

Fremantle midfielder Shai Bolton has won the Norm Smith Medal for 2026 in a losing side — the first time since Chris Judd in 2005 when West Coast lost to Sydney.

Brisbane champion Will Ashcroft finished with a match-high 31 disposals but it wasn’t enough to win a third straight individual medal on the game’s biggest stage. Lions veteran Dayne Zorko was also strong with 28 disposals.

Shai Bolton 2026 Grand Final stats

Dockers players and fans will be devastated after losing the flag in the dying minutes of the premiership decider, but at least they have one piece of silverware to celebrate. Bolton finished the grand final with 26 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles, 2 clearances and 1 goal assist.

2026 Norm Smith Medal voting breakdown

Shai Bolton (Fremantle) – 10 votes (3,3,2,1,1)
Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions) – 6 votes (3,3)
Will Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions) – 6 votes (3,2,1)
Caleb Serong (Fremantle) – 4 votes (2,2)
Hayden Young (Fremantle) – 3 votes (2,1)
Charlie Cameron (Brisbane Lions) – 1 vote (1)

2026 Norm Smith Medal panel

This year, two-time winner Andrew McLeod chaired a panel made up of 4-time premiership player Shaun Burgoyne, 2006 Norm Smith Medalist Chris Judd, 3-time premiership captain Andrew Voss and Lauren Wood from theHerald Sun. 

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The final votes from the panel were as follows:

Andrew McLeod (Chair)
3. Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions)
2. Hayden Young (Fremantle)
1. Shai Bolton (Fremantle)

Shaun Burgoyne
3. Dayne Zorko (Brisbane Lions)
2. Shai Bolton (Fremantle)
1. Hayden Young (Fremantle)

Chris Judd
3. Shai Bolton (Fremantle)
2. Will Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions)
1. Charlie Cameron (Brisbane Lions)

Michael Voss
3. Shai Bolton (Fremantle)
2. Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
1. Will Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions)

Lauren Wood
3. Will Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions)
2. Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
1. Shai Bolton (Fremantle)

Norm Smith Medal voting system

The five panellists awarded votes on a 3-2-1 system to the players they deem best on field.

Of those five, one was designated as panel chair, whose votes decide the winner if there’s a tie after two rounds of countbacks.

What happens if there’s a tie?

If two players are tied for votes, a countback occurs.

The player with the higher number of three-votes will win. If that’s also tied then:

The player with the higher number of two-votes will win. If that’s tied then:

The votes of the chairperson will determine the winner.

Who presented the Norm Smith Medal in 2026?

Three-time premiership player Paul Chapman, who won the Norm Smith Medal with Geelong in 2009, was given the honour of presenting the 2026 winner with his medal.

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Past Norm Smith Medal winners