The Phelan Medal is an annual award given in the Sydney AFL. It is awarded to best and fairest player of the Premier Division competition each year and is named after former NSW League official James (Jim) E. Phelan (1860–1939). It is seen to be the Sydney AFL equivalent to the Brownlow Medal.

The best and fairest player in the Sydney League was first presented an unnamed award in 1926. In 1932, Mr Aub D.S. Provan, the NSW Australian National Football League president donated a trophy titled the "Provan Trophy" to the winner.[1] The name was changed to the Phelan Medal in 1937.[2]

Due to the cancellation of the 2021 AFL Sydney season due to the COVID-19 outbreak across Greater Sydney, the medal was not awarded in 2021.[3]

Phelan Medallists

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Year Winner Club Votes
1926 Bobby Powers Sydney 0
1927 Gordon Knott Western Suburbs 0
1928 Billy McKoy (1) Sydney 0
1929 Billy McKoy (2) Sydney 0
1930 David Elliman North Shore 0
1931 George Jenner St George 0
1932 Len Harris St George 0
1933 Jack Williamson (1) Eastern Suburbs 0
1934 Frank Smith South Sydney 0
1935 Jack Williamson (2) Eastern Suburbs 0
1936 Reg Garvin Newtown 0
1937 Jack Williamson (3) Eastern Suburbs 0
1938 Jack Williamson (4) Eastern Suburbs 0
1939 Jack Guthrie North Shore 23
1940 Cliff Barnsley (1) Sydney 37
1941 Cliff Barnsley (2) Sydney 27
1942

Not Awarded

1943
1944
1945
1946 Billy Cottis Newtown 5
1947 Ken Champion (1) North Shore 0
1948 Ken Champion (2) Western Suburbs 21
1949 Ken Gilbert (1) Illawarra 0
1950 Ken Gilbert (2) Illawarra 0
1951 John Hardy North Shore 34
1952 Frank Gascoigne South Sydney 23
1953 Geoff Davidson Sydney University 28
1954 Wally Bryce (1) Liverpool 19
1955 Wally Bryce (2) Liverpool 20
1956 Ray Moore Balmain 0
1957 Colin Waller Liverpool 17
1958 Kevin Batchelor South Sydney 0
1959 Ralph Turner (1) South Sydney 37
1960 Tony Whish-Wilson Bankstown 20
1961 Ralph Turner (2) Sydney Naval 24
1962 Arthur Crisp North Shore 3
1963 Ray Sharrock Western Suburbs 0
1964 Ray Gwilliam South Sydney 24
1965 Noel Reading St George 15
1966 Norm Tuxford Sydney Naval 20
1967 Peter Body Sydney Naval 21
1968 Graham Hodge Southern Districts 15
1969 Brian Tyler (1) Eastern Suburbs 22
1970 Bob Mcdonald Balmain 21
1971 Noel Stewart Southern Districts 22
1972 Paul Bouchier Newtown 23
1973 George Allen (1) Western Suburbs 22
1974 Brian Tyler (2) South Sydney 20
1975 George Allen (2) Western Suburbs 30
1976 Max Hodgson Balmain 29
1977 Dale Dalton St George 21
1978 Jack McCormick Southern Districts 26
1979 Rob Claridge East Sydney 21
1980 John Pilkington (1) Newtown 20
1981 Laurie Axford East Sydney 23
1982 John Pilkington (2) Newtown 19
1983 Michael Toy Pennant Hills 16
Rod Podbury (1) Bankstown
1984 Graham Jones (1) Western Suburbs 15
1985 Frank Gleeson Balmain 24
1986 Rod Podbury (2) Campbelltown 16
1987 Rod Podbury (3) Campbelltown 18
1988 Garry Spillane Pennant Hills 21
1989 Michael Porta Holroyd-Parramatta 19
1990 Michael Davis Sydney University 17
Rod Podbury (4) Campbelltown
1991 David West St George 22
1992 Darren Oates St George 19
Lee Campbell Campbelltown
1993 Tony Quinn St George 20
1994 Chris O'Dwyer East Sydney 28
1995 Graham Jones (2) Baulkham Hills 22
1996 Joe Cormack Western Suburbs 21
1997 Simon Wilson St George 16
1998 Jarrod Crosby Baulkham Hills 22
1999 Trevor Burnett Campbelltown 34
2000 Mark Mackenzie Balmain 19
2001 Jason McPherson UNSW-ES 16
2002 Troy Luff (1) Balmain 20
2003 Jason Turner Campbelltown 15
2004 Stephen Pech UNSW-ES 19
2005 Dean Davies North Shore 22
2006 Troy Luff (2) UNSW-ES 21
2007 Charlie Richardson Pennant Hills 16
2008 Matt Carey Pennant Hills 17
2009 Brydon Coles Sydney University 19
2010 Alex Lee Sydney University 19
2011 Kieran Wright Pennant Hills 20
2012 Dane Rampe UNSW-ES 26
2013 Tyrone Armitage Manly Warringah 23
2014 Alex Goodall Pennant Hills 28
2015 Connor Pettersson Manly Warringah 24
2016 Jack Dimery East Coast Eagles 17
2017 Shaun Crane (1) North Shore 15
2018 Shaun Crane (2) North Shore 29
2019 Ranga Ediriwickrama Pennant Hills 16
2020 Jake Bartholomeaus Sydney University 16
2021 Not Awarded[4]
2022 Noah Casalini St George 11
Mitchell Conn UNSW-ES
Jake Veale North Shore
Stephen Wray Pennant Hills
2023 Harry Maguire Pennant Hills 18
Ned Campbell (1) North Shore
Kale Gabila Manly Warringah
2024 Ned Campbell (2) North Shore 19

Multiple winners

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The following players have won the Phelan Medal multiple times.

Medals Player Team Seasons
4 Jack Williamson Eastern Suburbs 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938
Rod Podbury Bankstown/Campbelltown 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990
2 Billy McKoy Sydney 1928, 1929
Cliff Barnsley Sydney 1940, 1941
Ken Champion North Shore/Western Suburbs 1947, 1948
Wally Bryce Liverpool 1954, 1955
Ralph Turner South Sydney/Sydney Naval 1959, 1961
Brian Tyler Eastern Suburbs/South Sydney 1969, 1974
George Allen Western Suburbs 1973, 1975
John Pilkington Newtown 1980, 1982
Graham Jones Western Suburbs/Baulkham Hills 1984, 1995
Troy Luff Balmain /UNSW-ES 2002, 2006
Shaun Crane North Shore 2017, 2018
Ned Campbell North Shore 2023, 2024

Phelan Medal wins by club

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Club Total Wins Years
Balmain 6 1956, 1970, 1976, 1985, 2000, 2002
Bankstown 2 1960, 1983
Baulkham Hills/East Coast Eagles 3 1995, 1998, 2016
Campbelltown 6 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2003
East Sydney/Eastern Suburbs/UNSW-ES 13 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1969, 1979, 1981, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2022
Holroyd-Parramatta 1 1989
Illawarra 2 1949, 1950
Liverpool/Southern Districts 6 1954, 1955, 1957, 1968, 1971, 1978
Manly Warringah 3 2013, 2015, 2023
Newtown 5 1936, 1946, 1972, 1980, 1982
North Shore 11 1930, 1939, 1947, 1951, 1962, 2005, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
Pennant Hills 9 1983, 1988, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023
South Sydney 6 1934, 1952, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1974
St George 9 1931, 1932, 1965, 1977, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2022
Sydney 5 1926, 1928, 1929, 1940, 1941
Sydney Naval 3 1961, 1966, 1967
Sydney University 5 1953, 1990, 2009, 2010, 2020
Western Suburbs/Inner-West 7 1927, 1948, 1963, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1996

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "AUSTRALIAN RULES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 21 March 1933. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  2. ^ "PhelanSnow Medal History - AFL Sydney".
  3. ^ "2021 AFL Sydney community football season cancelled". AFL Sydney. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  4. ^ "2021 AFL Sydney community football season cancelled". AFL Sydney. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
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