Ranking the best Norm Smith performances of the past decade

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. Brian Lake [2013] It is a rarity to see a key defender win a Norm Smith Medal, but Brian Lake bucked the trend in 2013 when Hawthorn prevailed over the Fremantle Dockers. Lake finished with 22 disposals, 10 marks and five rebound 50's in a classy display that helped the Hawks get over the line. Jordan Lewis and Grant Birchall were also strong candidates for the medal with 26 touches each, but Lake made a big impact down back and deserved his recognition. [caption id="attachment_18455" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Brian Lake of the Hawks celebrates with the Premeirship Cup during the 2014 AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 27, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)[/caption] Jason Johannisen [2016] Johannisen was classy off half-back in the Dogs' drought-breaking premiership in 2016 over the Sydney Swans, with the South African-born backman tallying 33 disposals, seven marks, nine inside 50's and seven rebound 50's across the afternoon. The dashing defender produced a lot of drive down the ground and was very influential in the final result. Many believe Tom Boyd deserved the Norm Smith for his three-goal effort which is why Johannisen is towards the bottom of the list, however, his performance never lacked pep. [caption id="attachment_7875" align="alignnone" width="2048"] MELBOURNE, VICTORIA - OCTOBER 01: Jason Johannisen of the Bulldogs holds his Norm Smith and Premiership medals after the 2016 AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 1, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Media/Getty Images)[/caption] Cyril Rioli [2015] Cyril Rioli was one of the most exciting players the game has ever seen, and all of his prowess was on display in 2015 when the Hawks thrashed the Eagles by 45 points. Rioli produced 18 disposals, two goals, 12 marks and four goal assists throughout the rout. The Hawks' answer to the little master was a player that didn't need a lot of disposals to make an impact, as when you look at the stats sheet, there were seven Hawthorn players that had 25 or more disposals on the day, yet Rioli was still a deserving winner. [caption id="attachment_35355" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, VICTORIA - OCTOBER 03: Cyril Rioli of the Hawks poses with his premiership and Norm Smith Medal during the 2015 AFL Grand Final match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the West Coast Eagles at Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 3, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/AFL Media/Getty Images)[/caption] Ryan O'Keefe [2012] Ryan O'Keefe was a great player his entire career and he showed it on Grand Final day in 2012 with 28 disposals, 7 clearances and a whopping 15 tackles. The blonde Swan was a player that could play in all parts of the ground due to his supreme fitness and thoroughly deserved the Norm Smith in what was a great game that saw Sydney defeating Hawthorn by 10 points. http://gty.im/153026014 Dustin Martin [2017] The first of three Norm Smiths for 'Dusty' came in 2017 during the Tigers' drought-breaking premiership over the Adelaide Crows. The bull midfielder collected 29 disposals, two goals and six clearances in what was a dominant display both in the middle and up forward. Many believe Bachar Houli was stiff not to win the award, but the tattooed Martin has since proven the judges definitely had it right. [caption id="attachment_27941" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 30: James Hird presents the Norm Smith Medal to Dustin Martin of the Tigers during the 2017 Toyota AFL Grand Final match between the Adelaide Crows and the Richmond Tigers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)[/caption] Dustin Martin [2019] "Dusty" did it again in 2019 as the Tigers demolished the Giants by 89 points in another dominant display that saw him kick an impressive four goals to go along with 22 disposals. There was no debate as to who should've got the Norm Smith this time around, as Martin was so damaging with his ability to hit the scoreboard and there was nothing the Giants could do to stop the onslaught. An all-time great performance from an all-time great player. [caption id="attachment_35421" align="alignnone" width="1024"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Dustin Martin of the Tigers celebrates victory with the Premiership Trophy and fans during the 2019 AFL Grand Final match between the Richmond Tigers and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 28, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )[/caption] Luke Hodge [2014] The inspirational skipper was instrumental in the Hawks three-peat era, and he was at his damaging best on this day with 35 disposals and a pair of goals. Hodge led from the front from the very start, as the Hawks got payback on the Swans from 2012 and defeated them by 63 points. You won't find too many more complete games than the one Hodge produced on this day. [caption id="attachment_3306" align="alignnone" width="594"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Luke Hodge of the Hawks kisses the Premeirship Cup during the 2014 AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Hawks at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 27, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)[/caption] Luke Shuey [2018] The West Coast skipper was inspirational in their five point thrilling win over Collingwood in the 2018 Grand Final. Shuey did it all on the big stage collecting 34 disposals, one goal, eight tackles, eight inside 50's and nine clearances. There was no doubt on who the best player on the ground was, as he probably would've won the medal even if they had have lost. A classic performance in what was one of the best grand finals the game has seen. http://gty.im/1043271958 Dustin Martin [2020] Even before the latest of his 'Norms', 'Dusty' was already an all-time great, however, this performance put him into unchartered territory. The Tigers legend would become the only player to ever win three Norm Smith medals in history with a four goal and 21 disposal effort to defeat Geelong by 31 points. 'Dusty' willed his team to victory after kicking a crucial goal before half-time to cut the deficit to 15 points, before delivering three second half goals to send Dusty into legend status and seal Richmond's dynasty. http://gty.im/1229266787 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. [caption id="attachment_91473" align="alignnone" width="2306"] PERTH, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Christian Petracca of the Demons celebrates a goal during the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on September 25, 2021 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)[/caption]

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	ADEL	23	18	5	72	139.3
2	GEEL	23	17	6	68	141.5
3	BL	23	16	6	66	114.2
4	COLL	23	16	7	64	122.4
5	GWS	23	16	7	64	115.3
6	FRE	23	16	7	64	109
7	GC	23	15	8	60	124.9
8	HAW	23	15	8	60	120.9

Ranking the best Norm Smith performances of the past decade

We rank the late season specialists from the past 10 seasons.

6.
Dustin Martin [2017]

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6. Dustin Martin [2017]