Showdown Medal


The Showdown Medal is the medal awarded to the player adjudged best on ground in the Showdown AFL match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. It is thus similar to the Glendinning–Allan Medal awarded in Western Derby games. However, no medal is awarded if the teams meet in a final, as they did in 2005.
The Showdown Medal was first presented in Showdown VII, Round 7, 2000, although in 2025 retrospective Showdown Medals were awarded by the clubs to players adjudged best on ground in the six Showdowns before the first medal was awarded. It also was formerly known as the "West End Medal", but is currently sponsored by Balfours.
For Showdown 39 in Round 16, 2015, the Showdown Medal was named the Phillip Walsh Medal, after the late Adelaide coach Phil Walsh.

AFL

YearRoundWinner
19974 Darren Mead
199719 Brett James
19984 Adam Kingsley
199819
19996 Mark Bickley
199921
20007
200022
20013
200118
20025
200220
20035 '
200322
20047
200422
20053
200520
200520 '
20066
200621
20073
200718
20083
200816
20096
200917
20106
201017
20114
201119
20125
201215
20133
201319
20142
201415
20155
201516
20162
201622
20173
201720
20188
201820 '
20198
201916
20202
20218
202121
20223
202223
20233
202320
20248
202423
20259 '
202520

Italics denotes winner was on the losing team.

Retrospective best on ground

As the Showdown Medal was only introduced in 2000, six Showdowns were played without a medal being awarded. In 2019, Michelangelo Rucci, football writer for The Adelaide Advertiser, advocated for a combination of Brownlow Medal, Club Champion voting, and Media votes to determine the selection for retroactively awarded Showdown Medals. This potential for retrospective Showdown Medals being awarded was enhanced by the Western Derby allocating retrospective medals in 2018. Another Showdown where a medal was not awarded to the player adjudged best afield was the 2005 Semi-Final. The official Adelaide website, afc.com.au, lists Simon Goodwin as their best player in the 2005 Showdown Final with 3 goals and 22 disposals at 91% disposal efficiency to his name.
MatchYearCombinedWinning clubBrownlowClub B&FMerv Agars Medal
11997 Port Adelaide
2: Shayne Breuer
1: Brendon Lade

2: Stephen Paxman
1: Stephen Daniels
3: Shane Bond
2: Brayden Lyle
21997 Adelaide3: Gavin Wanganeen
2: Brendon Lade
1: Matthew Connell

2: Darren Jarman
1: Kym Koster

2: Stephen Daniels
1: Darren Jarman
31998 Port Adelaide3: Nathan Bassett
2: Josh Francou
1: Matthew Primus

2: Matthew Primus
1: Fabian Francis

2: Matthew Primus
1: Fabian Francis
41998 Adelaide
2: Peter Vardy
1: Darren Jarman

2: Peter Vardy
1: Ben Hart

2: Peter Vardy
1: Ben Hart
51999 Adelaide3: Kane Johnson
1: David Gallagher
3: Matthew Robran
1: Ben Hart

2: Matthew Robran
1: Ben Hart
61999 Port Adelaide3: Brendon Lade
1: Gavin Wanganeen

3: Brendon Lade
3: Gavin Wanganeen

2: Gavin Wanganeen
1: Brendon Lade

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