I can’t comment on what it was called beforehand but as a st.kilda supporter I feel it is our honour as a club to name it after the person I believe embodies everything what it is to be a legend of a club.
Opinion Is it time for some clubs to re-name their Best & Fairest awards?
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I can’t comment on what it was called beforehand but as a st.kilda supporter I feel it is our honour as a club to name it after the person I believe embodies everything what it is to be a legend of a club.
- May 23, 2016
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The St Kilda best & fairest isn't named after Trevor Barker because of his career stats, although those are pretty good. Trevor embodied St Kilda, his passion, his loyalty, his attitude, his overcoming adversity. It doesn't matter that he retired decades ago and died before most, if not all, of our current players were born, there never will be another like him and for all intents and purposes he is our club.
We actually do have awards named after Robert Harvey (best clubman) and Lenny Hayes (best team mate) so we are honoring our more recent stars, but the Best and Fairest will never be renamed. Tradition is important to a club as old as ours, and you can't just wipe it away.
We actually do have awards named after Robert Harvey (best clubman) and Lenny Hayes (best team mate) so we are honoring our more recent stars, but the Best and Fairest will never be renamed. Tradition is important to a club as old as ours, and you can't just wipe it away.
- May 23, 2016
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It was just the Best and Fairest since it was first awarded in 1914. It was renamed after Trevor Barker after he passed away prematurely from cancer in 1996.
The history of the St Kilda Best and Fairest (saints.com.au)
- May 23, 2016
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Not a single clubs B&F is named after a VFA player, with the possible exception of Syd Barker at North Melbourne.
If you don't know the history of the best players in the competition just because they played a long time before you were born, that's on you. Educate yourself, don't expect clubs to disrespect their histories because of your lack of knowledge.
Highwayleopard
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There's some newspaper clippings from 46 calling it the 'C T Suhr Memorial' trophy, with a runner up trophy called the 'Stuart King' memorial. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22387675 I find it it fascinating the drop off of names since then and the Trevor Barker medal, really.
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- #156
Both North Melbourne and Collingwoods B&F has links back the the VFA.
Syd Barker played much of his career in the VFA and the Copeland trophy is named after Ern Copeland who was the secretary at the club in 1895 when they were still a part of the VFA.
Also, if you actually read the thread no where have I asked or “expected” that clubs should change. The question was asked for opinions on IF they should and IF they were re named, who would be suitable to hold the honour.
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- #157
That’s an excellent find that article.
It’s odd that there doesn’t seem to be any mention anywhere outside of that and or any info even on who C T Suhr was.
Odd that if their B&F was name in his memory that it’s almost like it’s been removed from their history?
The Crichton Medal is the only legacy left of Wally Crichton. The other legacy he had was the Crichton Stand in the outer at Windy Hill where the bowls club now is.
I think topics like this are important because any time footy history is talked about, it is important.
I think topics like this are important because any time footy history is talked about, it is important.
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- #159
Having looked into Wally after not ever knowing too much about who he was, I see he got involved in the administration side of the club after loosing his leg in the Great War.
Do we know what Wally was like as a player beforehand or if he would have made a name for himself in his own right as a player if not for loosing his leg?
- Aug 17, 2006
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Decent call, never really thought about that. Not far off, I reckon, no club B&F is as immediately identifiable by one name as the Copeland and I'm not really sure why or when it happened. I reckon I probably wouldn't have had any idea what it was called 10-15 years ago, so I guess say what you want about Eddie, he can market the Pies. Maybe the Skilton is the next closest... and that'd probably a byproduct of Bob Skilton having a mortgage on the award when he played.
But in short, Gold Coast and (probably) GWS will change over the next 10 years organically. The others, no. Not unless there's some kind of Joe Paterno disgrace attached to the person it's currently named after. If a B&F was named after Tom Wills maybe the ABC report today would be enough to (eventually) do it.
It's the older histories going back to the 1920s and 30s that need to be remembered. Most football clubs have been around for over 100 years, and even some of the recent new franchises (eg Adelaide, Fremantle) have some connections with clubs, players, administrators and fans going back to past eras.
Your right about 2 things... 1/ you're looking from the outside and 2/ you don't know the full story.
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- #163
It’s not to hard to imagine that clubs change over the years and decades.
Just look at the history of the Bulldogs B&F.
“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 renamed to its current name in 1955“.
So it went from the McCarthy trophy, to the Con Weickhardt trophy, to the Charlie Sutton medal all in the space of 30 years.
In 2004, Carlton changed the name of their B&F from a club administrator to John Nicholls.
There seems to be some very limited info that the Saints B&F was previously the Suhr trophy before the 90s.
There is references to the Geelong B&F previously being named the Theo Lewis Cup before the Carji Greeves medal too.
If it was acceptable to change the names of the awards for some clubs then, why is it to hard to imagine it could again?
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- May 23, 2016
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Which is why I said "the possible exception of". And Copeland was an administrator, not a player. And, while he did begin his career at Collingwood in 1895, the VFL started up after the 1896 season, and he was at Collingwood for almost 30 years. Either way, the reason the trophy is named after him is because he donated it to the club. In 1932, long after the Magpies short VFA stay.
I actually did read the thread, and my comment stands. None of the 12 clubs that originated in Victoria are going to change the name of their B&F because the players or administrators they are named in honor of retired a long time ago. For a supporter of a club that loves to brag about it's history, it seems disrespectful to even ask this question.
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- #165
If that was the case, why then have multiple Victorian clubs already changed the names of their awards in the past?
If they have done it before, there is no reason they won’t again. Might not be today but in another 50 years when connections to those players is lost, wouldn’t be surprised to see clubs change.
At the moment many feel such a strong connection to those the awards are named after as they may have watched them growing up and idolised them. However supporters in 50 years won’t have that connection and yes it’s history, but history also shows they will change at times.
I think it is naive to assume they will never change again when history says otherwise.
- May 23, 2016
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Literally the only thing I can find that says this is a tiny article in a 1946 copy of The Argus that notes that Keith Rosewarne won the C.T. Suhr Memorial Best and Fairest. They also mentioned a name for the Runners Up trophy, also In Memoriam for someone. This appears nowhere in the clubs official history, and they specifically state the club Best and Fairest was unnamed until after 1996.
It could easily be suggested that that particular award was named in honor of C.T Suhr (a person who I have literally no information on otherwise), possibly due to a donation of money or the trophy itself from his or her will, which wasn't uncommon at that time.
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- May 23, 2016
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The only award that has changed from one name to another in the last 75 years is Carltons, and the reasoning given is sound, that a club champion player is a better representation of a best and fairest medal than an administrator. I can't see them changing the name to the Chris Judd trophy in 50 years based on the same reasoning.
You are starting here that many people grew up watching and admiring the current honorees, but in other posts have said the players are from an era too far back in history and nobody remembers them. So which is it?
By this reasoning, the Brownlow should be renamed as well, because the man himself played in an era before most current players grandfathers were born.
This seems like such a pointless thing to get riled up over, to be honest. There are far more immediate things going on in football to concern ourselves with
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- #168
The only additional info I have found on a C T Suhr is a Charles Suhr who played a game for the Saints (and Melbourne) in 1911. Seems records of him essentially don’t exist but there was a page that mentioned he was a club president at some stage? However no further details on who he was or how long he was involved with the club. He was born in 1885 so could have been involved with the club somewhere right in the early days before records were kept.
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- #169
Many others in this thread have raised they would be happy for the Brownlow to be renamed due to the game having evolved so much. So by that logic as well, others also agree names and awards change throughout time.
The Western Bulldogs also changed their B&F 3 times over a 30 years period before settling on the Charlie Sutton medal. Just saying, it has happened.
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- #170
In some instances yes, some of the players being honoured are well before any of our times now, such as Greeves in the 20s, Syd Baker 1900s.
Then in another 30-50 years, the likes of Jack Dyer, Skilton, Sutton and co would have played the game over 100 years ago. Those are the types that currently some people remember fondly watching as kids and have that extra connection to and memories. Those connections will likely be lost over the next number of decades. Just as nobody now sits around saying how great it was to watch Greeves and Baker, as it was well before any of our time.
It doesn’t change the influence those guys had or their achievements, however those connections from fans to player will be lost over time.
- Mar 2, 2015
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Agree with all of this, apart from the bit about the "terrible" GWS song.
The Giants have one of the best songs. Much better than Melbourne's song.
GWS naming their B&F the Kevin Sheedy medal is bizarre. He coached them for 2 seasons for 3 wins total.
How about wait a bit and name a medal for someone with some achievements at the club?
How about wait a bit and name a medal for someone with some achievements at the club?
Would that change what he contributed to the club?
Stan_Darsh72
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It was the AFL giving Sheedy a named award imo
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- #175
No it doesn’t, it just a genuine question.
He obviously contributed a lot to the club from the position he was in as an administrator.
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