Ross Glendinning Medal
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The Ross Glendinning Medal is awarded to the player judged best on ground in the Western Derby football match played between Fremantle Football Club and the West Coast Eagles.
It is named after and awarded by WA Football legend Ross Glendinning, who was the inaugural captain of the West Coast Eagles and is a former Fremantle chairman of selectors. It is voted by Glendinning and a selection of media representatives.
| Round | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| R4 | 2001 | Drew Banfield (WCE) |
| R19 | 2001 | Glen Jakovich (WCE) |
| R1 | 2002 | Chad Fletcher (WCE) |
| R16 | 2002 | Paul Hasleby (Fre) |
| R5 | 2003 | Michael Gardiner (WCE) |
| R22 | 2003 | Paul Hasleby (Fre) |
| R6 | 2004 | Paul Hasleby (Fre) |
| R21 | 2004 | Chad Fletcher (WCE) |
| R3 | 2005 | Chris Judd (WCE) |
| R20 | 2005 | Chris Judd (WCE) |
| R6 | 2006 | Chris Judd (WCE) |
| R21 | 2006 | Peter Bell (Fre) |
[edit] Controversies
- In the round 5, 2003 derby, the five media selectors chose Ashley Sampi as the preferred recipient. Glendinning overruled them and awarded the medal to Michael Gardiner.
- In the round 3 and round 22 derbies of 2005, Chris Judd was controversially selected as the winner despite Daniel Kerr being regarded by many to the 'Best On Ground' in both matches, including by the umpires who awarded three Brownlow Medal votes to Kerr in both games.
- In the round 6, 2006 derby, Fremantle won a hard fought match where the lead changed hands 12 times and the margin between the two teams was never more than a couple of kicks. On announcing Chris Judd as the winner, the highly charged Fremantle crowd booed loudly, disappointed that a Fremantle's Josh Carr or Michael Johnson wasn't awarded the medal, resulting in widespread condemnation from the media and from both coaches. This prompted Glendinning, who presented the award, to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, that's a little unsavoury". Although Glendinning bore the brunt of the initial criticism, it was later revealed that he was the only judge to have selected Carr as the best on ground, with the other voters all selecting Judd. In the 2006 Brownlow Medal voting, the umpires awarded three votes to Judd, two votes to Michael Johnson and one vote to Josh Carr.
