The second placegetter in the Club’s Best and Fairest vote count will now be named the Doug Hawkins Medallist in recognition of the 350 game great and Bulldogs Team of the Century Vice Captain.
A local from the western suburbs, Hawkins retired as one of the finest wingmen the game has ever seen — earning him an induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
The third placegetter will be known as the Gary Dempsey Medallist in honour of six-time Club champion and Bulldogs Team of the Century Ruckman.
Dempsey represented Victoria 22 times in his 329 game career and incredibly still holds the record for the most Brownlow votes received in a career by an individual by the substantial margin of 31 votes.
The award for the Most Improved Player honours former Brownlow medallist Tony Liberatore.
Liberatore remarkably won the Morrish, Gardiner and Brownlow medals for the Best and Fairest player in the VFL under 19’s, VFL Reserves and AFL competitions respectively.
The Best First Year player will receive the award named after former Club Captain and recently retired great, Chris Grant.
One of the Club’s favourite sons, Grant earned three all-Australian selections, two Charles Sutton Medals and was named at Half Forward in the Bulldogs Team of the Century in a stellar 341 game career.
The player deemed most recognisable for their work in the community will be presented with the John Schultz Community Award in acknowledgement of the1960 Brownlow Medallist.
Known as ‘gentleman John,’ Schultz was Club Champion on five occasions in the 1960’s and played 169 consecutive games in his 188 game career.
Renamed Club Awards:
- Best & Fairest second placegetter now receives the Doug Hawkins Medal
- best & Fairest third placegetter now receives the Gary Dempsey Medal
- Best First Year Player now receives the Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award
- Most Promising Player now receives the Tony Liberatore Most Improved Player Award
- Western Bulldogs Community Award is now the John Schultz Community Award
We'll be hosting a live web chat from the Peninsula Room and posting news stories and highlights videos of the award winners as they're announced.
You can also join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SuttonMedal or by following the Bulldogs here.
To go to the Charles Sutton Medal Live Coverage page please click here.
