The Charles Sutton Medal is awarded yearly to the player judged as the best and fairest for the Bulldogs throughout the V/AFL Season.
The 2025 event will be live-streamed for fans and members via the Club website and official mobile app on Wednesday 1 October.
Ahead of tomorrow night's event, we've taken a closer look at some of the past winners of the Kennel's most prestigious honour.
A giant of the game
Little more can be said about the career of Gary Dempsey; however, the legendary ruck achieved something during his time at the Kennel that hasn’t been matched since.
Of his six Charles Sutton Medals, five of them were awarded in a row (1973-1977), the equal-most consecutive Club best and fairest wins in VFL/AFL history.
South Melbourne legend Bob Skilton is the only other player in league history to achieve this feat, becoming the first to do so between 1961-1965.
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Sharing the spoils
In the 98 years that the Club has recognised a yearly VFL/AFL best and fairest, only twice has a count resulted in joint winners.
The first of these occurred in 1941, when Arthur Olliver and Norm Ware both tied first for the then-named Con Curtain Trophy. It would be another 55 years until this reoccurred, with Chris Grant and Jose Romero deemed joint winners in 1996.
Most joint best-and-fairest wins per Club (as of September 30, 2025)
Club |
Seasons with Joint Winners |
Most Recent |
|
North Melbourne |
6 |
2025 |
|
Geelong |
5 |
2022 |
|
Brisbane |
3 |
2015 |
|
Carlton |
3 |
2000 |
|
Collingwood |
2 |
2018 |
|
Hawthorn |
2 |
2000 |
|
St Kilda |
2 |
2005 |
|
Western Bulldogs |
2 |
1996 |
|
Adelaide |
1 |
2024 |
|
Essendon |
1 |
2003 |
|
GWS |
1 |
2020 |
|
Melbourne |
1 |
2019 |
|
Port Adelaide |
1 |
2011 |
|
Richmond |
1 |
1951 |
|
Fremantle |
0 |
- |
|
Gold Coast |
0 |
- |
Lucky number 7 (or 4)
Since the first Club best and fairest was awarded, two guernsey numbers have seen greater success than the rest.
Bulldogs that have worn either 7 or 4 on their backs have finished first in the Charles Sutton Medal count 29 per cent of the time; Club legend Scott West and current skipper Marcus Bontempelli account for the most in each guernsey, respectively.
Most Bulldogs best and fairest wins, by guernsey number
Guernsey # |
Total Wins |
Player/s |
|
7 |
14 |
Scott West (7), Harry Hickey (2), Alby Morrison (2), Doug Hawkins, Lachie Hunter, Ivan McAlpine |
|
4 |
14 |
Marcus Bontempelli (6), Norm Ware (5), Daniel Cross, Brad Hardie, Peter Welsh |
|
3 |
10 |
Ted Whitten (5), Chris Grant (2), Arthur Olliver (2), Allan Collins |
|
5 |
6 |
Matthew Boyd (3), Josh Dunkley, Peter Box, George Bennett |
|
6 |
6 |
Brad Johnson (3), Charles Sutton, George Bisset, Bill Russ |
|
14 |
6 |
John Schultz (5), Luke Darcy |
|
16 |
6 |
Ryan Griffen (2), Terry Wallace (2), David Thorpe (2) |
|
24 |
6 |
Gary Dempsey (6) |
