Given that it is awarded to the player that performs best at the most important stage of the season, the Norm Smith Medal is one of the most prestigious awards in the AFL.
Although some Grand Finals in recent memory have been lopsided and some have been absolute classics, the one constant is that the Norm Smith Medallist has churned out a hell of a game.
It's what makes this list hard as all past champions have produced all-time performances but we've tried to narrow it down to find the best Norm Smith performance of the past decade.
1. Christian Petracca [2021]
It would be hard to top 'Dusty's 2020 performance in the big dance, but Petracca put in a performance for the ages.
The 'Trac' went into beast mode during the 2021 Grand Final, collecting a whopping 39 disposals [25 contested] to go with two goals, 15 score involvements, nine clearances and 11 inside 50's.
His 39 disposals were an equal record with Simon Black in 2003, and helped break the 57-year drought for the Melbourne faithful.
You know you've dominated when your teammate Bayley Fritsch kicks six goals for the first time in a decider since 1997 and doesn't receive three best on ground votes from any of the judges.
Petracca's first goal was Dusty-like and his second major was Daicos-like that bookended an all-time performance that will etch his name in both Melbourne's and the AFL's folklore forever.

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