The AFL Players’ Association is set to award its annual Madden Medal this Friday, with ten recently retired AFL stars nominated for the honour.
In what could be the most impressive collection of retirees from a single season, the list of 2014 nominees includes past captains, best and fairest winners, All-Australians, Premiership players, Players’ Association delegates and an AFL Players’ President.
Ben Rutten (Adelaide), Jonathan Brown (Brisbane), Luke Ball (Collingwood), Nick Maxwell (Collingwood), Dom Cassisi (Port Adelaide), Daniel Jackson (Richmond), Lenny Hayes (St Kilda), Dean Cox (West Coast), Darren Glass (West Coast), and Daniel Giansiracusa (Western Bulldogs) are all in contention for the Madden Medal, which recognises the retiring player who has contributed the most to the game and the broader community.
“Not many would be aware of how much players contribute to the community, so it’s important we highlight and celebrate these achievements.” – Paul Marsh
Players’ Association CEO Paul Marsh said the award recognises the investment players make in the game, not just on the field but off it, along with the steps they have taken to develop themselves professionally and personally.
“The Madden Medal is an important opportunity to recognise the contribution and achievement of our recently retired players.
“Each have had sensational playing careers, however we don’t talk enough about how much effort is involved in fulfilling an AFL career. Not many would be aware of how much players contribute to the community, so it’s important we highlight and celebrate these achievements.”
The key criteria that are taken into consideration in determining the Madden Medalist are football achievement, personal development and community spirit and off-field engagement.
The award, named in honour of former champions Simon and Justin Madden, was first presented in 2007 and has been won by Glenn Archer (2007), Robert Harvey (2008), Michael O’Loughlin (2009), Brett Kirk (2010), Cameron Ling (2011), Luke Power (2012) and Jude Bolton (2013).
The winner will be decided by the board of the AFL Players’ Association and previous winners of the award and will be announced on Friday 3rd October at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.
Read about last year’s Madden Medalist here.