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Which Was The Best Norm Smith Performance?

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I literally said I wouldn't argue Shuey's was the best. Probably not close. But it was statically the best, and an immense game nonetheless.
This one is an interesting. Some of the others we are highlighting like Bartlett, Matera, Ablett, Martin 2020, etc. apart from being the clear best player, they have highlight reels to match which are timeless.

Shuey was the best on ground to most but the spectacular highlight reels belong more to others that day.
 
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None of my top 3 grand final performances won the Norm Smith.

Jarman 97
Stewwy Dew 08
Goddard 10
Darren Jarman in 1997 kicked 6 goals. He kicked 5 in the final quarter too.


Darren Jarman again kicked 5 goals in 1998. I thought he was best on ground or close to it
 
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I’d go Dusty 2020, then Ablett 89, then Matera 92.

Outside the strict criteria of Norm Smith winners, for best/most influential quarter in a GF I’ve got Dew Q3 08 just shading Jarman Q4 97.

And as others have basically said, special mention for Brendon Goddard’s overall performance in 09 version 1.
The weird thing about Dustin Martins performance in grand finals is that his 2019 grand final is underrated.


I mean yes Dustin Martin kicked 4 goals and got 21 disposals in the 2020 grand final. Its talked about as the situation is different. The game was still on the balance at half time and 3 quarter time.

Dustin Martin got 4 goals and 22 disposals in the 2019 grand final.

Why isn't this talked about as much? It was the situation at the time.

Richmond lead 7.5.47 to GWS 1.6 at half time. Then 12.9.81 to GWS 2.7.19 at 3 quarter time.

The game wasn't on the line. If the game wasn't done at half time, it was done by 3 quarter time
 
Except Matera literally kicked the goals which brought his side back into the contest during the third quarter.

Richmond started off the second half with goals to Riewoldt, Castagna, Lambert to bridge the margin to 3 points.
Martin put you in front before a bevvy of goals from his teammates ensured the flood gates had well and truly opened.

Martin was excellent no doubt but Matera's performance was much better.
Matera had 18 touches that game. He kicked his second goal in the third quarter, then Sumich kicked the next to put the Eagles in front - Eagles were all over them by this stage. Then all of Matera's remaining goals were after the Eagles had hit the front.

Martin kicked a goal to keep Richmond in the game before half-time, bringing the margin from 21 to 15, after Cats had kicked the previous 5 x goals. Then Martin kicked his second goal in the third quarter with Richmond still behind to put them in front.

So both Matera and Martin kicked 2-goals with their team behind.

Martin kicked 4-goals...next best on ground was 2. He had 9 x score involvements...next best was 6. There are less stats available from 1992, but I was pretty surprised to see Matera had only 18 disposals.
 
lol it was a comment about the parallels in how the matches progressed, bookmarked by a highly influential individual performance

I am happy to concede Matera had a better game, but your response is clearly taking an opportunity to denigrate Martin's influence

1. Martin kicked the freak goal that kept us alive
2. Martin delivered the ball to Riewoldt who got the ball rolling in Q3
3. Martin kicked the goal that put us in front
4. Martin kicked the goal that put the game to bed
5. Martin kicked the goal to embarrass his peer Danger
Freak goal to keep you alive?? Are you referring to giving a don’t argue to Jake kolo then a snap 12m out infront? Lol.

One of his 4 goals was also in junk time in the last few minutes.

It was a good game, but not up there with ones for the ages. I would argue Stevie J played a better grand final in 07, jarman easily better and more influential against the saints, ablett senior another stratosphere In 89 + plenty of other better performances. Also matera easily better
 
The first one that comes to mind is Matera 92. Too young to see Ablett 89.

Thoughts Matera92?

One from (maybe) left field was Clark Keating 2001. Didn't they do the votes before the match had actually finished back then?

There are two kinds of people in this world.

Those who say it's Peter Matera, and liars.
 

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Matera had 18 touches that game. He kicked his second goal in the third quarter, then Sumich kicked the next to put the Eagles in front - Eagles were all over them by this stage. Then all of Matera's remaining goals were after the Eagles had hit the front.

Martin kicked a goal to keep Richmond in the game before half-time, bringing the margin from 21 to 15, after Cats had kicked the previous 5 x goals. Then Martin kicked his second goal in the third quarter with Richmond still behind to put them in front.

So both Matera and Martin kicked 2-goals with their team behind.

Martin kicked 4-goals...next best on ground was 2. He had 9 x score involvements...next best was 6. There are less stats available from 1992, but I was pretty surprised to see Matera had only 18 disposals.
Wrong. Matera put the eagles in front with his 3rd goal. He, sumich and Evans had 2 each in the first half.
 
Leets from Richmond Reserves kicked 8 final quarter goals in the 50's to drag his team over the line. Finished the day with a lazy 12.4.

The More Smith medal.
 
Brett Heady 28 game high possessions in the 92 grand final mostly off half back I think. Very handy from Prince Charles.
 
The midfield did this and also bachar houli off the HB flank went another gear. Dusty was more the cherry ontop in it all
In 2020? Houli did his calf in the second quarter and only had 11 disposals cause he couldn't move.

If you're thinking 2017 then yeah Houli was fantastic. Only thing keeping him from the Norm was kicking 1.2
 

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1997 Darren Jarman went absolutely berserk in the 4th and so did I.

Houli was also robbed of the medal in the 2017GF. He destroyed us!

Voss was unlucky in 2002.

Best performances for players who won the medal.
Bruce Doull 1981
Peter Matera 1992
McLeod 1997
Hodge 2014
Martin 2019
Martin 2020
Ashcroft 2025
 
I am too young to remember much from the mid 2000's or earlier.

Dusty 2020 for me. 4 goals in shortened quarters and with some absurd statistic that he only took possession of the ball for about 3 seconds for all 4 goals kicked.
 
It would be hard to top, although Bartlett had a great 1980 final series in 3 games kicked 6, 8, and 7 (Norm Smith).
Ablett kicked 3, 7, 8, 9 (Norm Smith) in his 4 finals that year.

For those that saw them both as a sequence of 3 successive finals games was Bartlett's 21 goals in 3 games in 1980 better than Ablett's 24 goals in 3 games (not inc. the first qualifying final) in 1989?

Both remarkable as non key forwards for a majority of those games. Ablett basically played like a key forward in the Grand Final but certainly in the Preliminary Final he played more up ground.

He sort of drifted around. He happened to kick a few leading out of the square in the Grand final but although it's a while ago now, having seen it live Brownless was definitely full forward most of the day.

I can remember Bartlett's 1980 finals series (just), but I can't believe anyone has ever played three finals in a row like Ablett's did in 1989. The Prelim gets spoken about a lot - quite rightly - but his game against Melbourne the week before was only a whisker behind it. 24 touches, 14 marks, 7 goals 7, he absolutely murdered them. They remain the three best finals I've ever seen by a Geelong player.
 
Andrew Embley's 9 goal effort in 2006 not worthy of a mention?
 

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Which Was The Best Norm Smith Performance?

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