History

The Carji Greeves Medal is awarded to the Geelong player adjudged Best and Fairest each season, highlighting the outstanding players for the Club every year. 

The medal is named after Geelong legend, Edward ‘Carji’ Greeves who won the inaugural Brownlow Medal back in 1924. 

Tom Stewart is the defending champion after taking out the 2023 Carji Greeves Medal, his second Best and Fairest award in the past three years.

The Cats currently have six active players who have won the medal including captain Patrick Dangerfield, retiring great Tom Hawkins and utility Mark Blicavs.  

How the Voting Works

After each game, the senior and assistant coaches review and rate each players performance out of 10. Votes are polled in games where a players performance has been deemed of a high quality by the coaching group. All matches are counted towards their final total. 

Last Time

Tom Stewart claimed his second Carji Greeves Medal in 2023, finishing on 135 votes to finish 30 votes clear on top of the leaderboard after a stellar campaign.

Stewart polled votes in 20 of his 22 matches, while being judged the Cats best player on eight occasions in a season where he averaged 23 disposals and eight marks per game.

Tom Atkins impressive season saw him finish in second place, polling 105 votes after averaging 19 disposals and eight tackles per game to lead the way through the midfield.

Gryan Miers rounded out the podium in third place after polling 93 votes across the 2023 season, while Zach Guthrie recorded a career best fourth place finish.

Brownlow Form

Jeremy Cameron led the way for Geelong on Brownlow night in 2024, finishing with a team high 16 votes for the season which included five best on ground performances.

The spearhead had a number of dominant games throughout the season, booting four goals or more in six different matches which saw him poll well in the Brownlow Medal.

Tom Stewart finished second for the Cats with 12 votes in 2024, polling in five different games including a strong stretch from round 16 through to round 21.

Max Holmes’ brilliant season was also recognised as he polled in six matches to finish with 10 votes, while Tanner Bruhn was a surprise packet ending Brownlow night with seven votes.

The Contenders

On the back of another strong season, expect to see Jeremy Cameron poll strongly in the Carji Greeves Medal on Thursday night.

The Cats spearhead led the team with 64 goals for the season, while also finishing in the top five at the Club for inside 50’s and goal assists.

Cameron produced very similar statistics this year to his 2022 campaign, which saw him claim his first Carji Greeves Medal in a Premiership year.

Another player who will attract a lot of attention is Max Holmes, who played all 25 games in a sensational breakout season across half back and through the midfield.

Holmes led the Cats in disposals, inside 50’s and contested possessions while also ranking among Geelong’s best for clearances and marks in a brilliant 2024 campaign.

Defending champion Tom Stewart bookended his year with a terrific start and a strong finish, expect to see the Cats star poll strongly once again on Thursday night.

Others who could challenge for the top spot include Gryan Miers, Zach Guthrie and Jack Henry who all had exceptional seasons.

Set to Rise

Max Holmes is the obvious candidate set for a big leap up the leaderboard, expected to be a Carji Greeves Medal contender in 2024 after not finishing in the top 10 last year.

Following his AFL Rising Star award, expect Ollie Dempsey to poll well in the Cats Best and Fairest after an extraordinary breakout season.

Tanner Bruhn is another to watch on Thursday night, finishing fourth for Geelong on Brownlow night and could register his first Carji Greeves Medal top 10 finish in 2024.

Other players that could crack the top 10 after missing in 2023 include Jack Henry, Jack Bowes and Tyson Stengle.