The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named after 1950 winner Charlie Sutton, who was the Bulldogs' 1954 premiership captain-coach. There were many previous names for the medal, which was originally known as the McCarthy Trophy from 1927 to 1939, named after Con McCarthy, who played a key part in getting the club entry into the Victorian Football League. It was also called the Con Weickhardt trophy (also known as the Con Curtain trophy) from 1940 to 1954. It was named after the man who chaired the club for 4 years. It was renamed to its current name in 1955. The inaugural winner for the award was Ivan McAlpine in 1927.
The voting system as of the 2019 AFL season, consists of five members of the Western Bulldogs match committee awarding a score from zero to five for each player after every game. The maximum score that can be obtained after one game is 25. Five players have won the award while also winning the Brownlow Medal, the best and fairest award for the Australian Football League. Those players were Norman Ware (1941), John Schultz (1960), Gary Dempsey (1975), Kelvin Templeton (1980) and Scott Wynd (1992). Scott West and Marcus Bontempelli jointly hold the record for most Charles Sutton Medals at the club, winning the accolade seven times each; 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005 for West and 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2026 for Bontempelli. Gary Dempsey is in second with a total of six. Dempsey also holds the record for most Charles Sutton Medals won consecutively, his streak running from 1973 to 1977, a total of five years.
Recipients ^Denotes current player+Player won Brownlow Medal in same season
Season Recipient(s)Ref. 1927 1928 1929 1930 (2) 1931 1932 (3) 1933 1934 1935 1936 (2) 1937 (2) 1938 (3) 1939 1940 (4) 1941 + (5) 1942 1943 1944 (2) 1945 (2) 1946 1947 (2) 1948 (3) 1949 1950 1951 1952 (2) 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 (2) 1958 (3) 1959 (4) 1960 + 1961 (5) 1962 (2) 1963 1964 (3) 1965 (4) 1966 (5) 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 (2) 1972 1973 (2) 1974 (3) 1975 + (4) 1976 (5) 1977 (6) 1978 1979 1980 + (2) 1981 (2) 1982 (3) 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 (2) 1990 1991 1992 + 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 (2) 1998 (3) 1999 2000 (4) 2001 2002 (2) 2003 (5) 2004 (6) 2005 (7) 2006 (3) 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 (2) 2012 (3) 2013 (2) 2014 ^ 2015 2016 ^ 2017 ^ (2) 2018 2019 ^ (3) 2020 2021 ^ (4) 2022 2023 ^ (5) 2024 ^ (6) 2025 2026 ^ (7)
Multiple winners ^Denotes current player
Player Medals Seasons 7 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 ^ 7 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2026 6 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 5 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 5 1934, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941 5 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961 3 2009, 2011, 2012 3 1979, 1981, 1982 3 1939, 1945, 1948 3 1999, 2002, 2006 3 1927, 1930, 1932 2 1951, 1952 2 1994, 1996 2 2010, 2013 2 1933, 1936 2 1941, 1944 2 1946, 1947 2 1978, 1980 2 1968, 1971 2 1988, 1989
References General
Specific