ADELAIDE
Having claimed consecutive Norm Smith Medals in the Crows' back-to-back 1997 and 1998 premierships, Andrew McLeod is an obvious and worthy choice as the club's Grand Final hero. Sporting a shaved head, the 31 and 30-possession performances offered McLeod a rock solid foundation on which to build his glittering, 340-game career. But as memorable as McLeod's big-stage displays were, Darren Jarman's hauls of six goals in '97 and five in '98 were just as unforgettable. With his side up by just 10 points at the final break against the Saints, Jarman lifted spectacularly – booting five last-term goals to seal Adelaide's first flag. It was a final quarter any Crows fan will remember for Jarman's iconic clenched fist celebrations and Bruce McEvaney's call of his final major: "Jarman again, round the body – that'll do! That. Will. Do." - Harry Thring
BRISBANE LIONS
With three successive premierships from 2001-2003 there's quite a field to choose from, but it's hard to go past captain Michael Voss. You could make a good argument for 2003 Norm Smith medalist Simon Black, or even Shaun Hart, who won the same award in 2001. There was also Jason Akermanis' match sealing goal against Collingwood in 2002 and his five goals in 2003, but amongst it all, Voss stood tall. His deeds in the toughest of the three flags – the gritty nine-point win over the Magpies in 2002 – were arguably his greatest personal triumph. Voss' bone-rattling collision with Scott Burns, where he quickly regained his feet and fired a handpass to Black for a goal, will live long in the memories, as will a contested mark on centre wing late in the fourth quarter against Nathan Buckley. Voss controversially missed out on the Norm Smith that day, but he was a colossus, as he was for the entire golden era of Lions domination. - Michael Whiting
CARLTON
For a club steeped in winning culture, there are no shortages of fine performances on Grand Final day. Carlton has had four Norm Smith medallists in its history, accompanying the equal league-leading (with Essendon) 16 premierships. But it's hard to go past Wayne Harmes as the Blues' Grand Final hero, for his best afield display in the 1979 decider against arch-rival Collingwood. Not only did Harmes win the inaugural medal, he also produced a moment that would go down in football folklore. With the Blues trailing the Magpies late in the game, Harmes slid with his body outstretched to save the ball from going out of bounds, amazingly tapping the ball back into the goal square to teammate Ken Sheldon who booted the match-winning goal. Despite consistent protests from Collingwood players, coaches and officials (which continue to this day) that the ball was out of bounds, Harmes' heroics remain one of the most iconic images associated with Australian football. - Ben Guthrie
COLLINGWOOD
GAVIN Brown was a Collingwood hero before the 1990 Grand Final. The courageous wingman had been asked to play full-forward that season and excelled. He'd kicked five goals in the second semi-final to take his tally to 47 for the year. So when he was knocked out on the quarter-time siren – soon after kicking the Magpies' second goal – all hell broke loose. He sat on the bench in the second quarter attempting to remember where he was (these days he would probably be subbed out of the game under the concussion rule) as the Magpies opened up a 34-point lead. Collingwood coach Leigh Matthews told Brown's assailant, Essendon's Terry Daniher, that Brown would be back as the players left the ground at half-time but few in the crowd expected to see the 23-year-old return. When he did, early in the third quarter, a roar resonated around the MCG as he headed straight to Daniher. He chested his opponent and made his displeasure clear. Before the quarter was out, Brown had kicked his second, latching on to an errant handball from Essendon's Mark Thompson who was under pressure from Doug Barwick. The lead had stretched to 40 points and Collingwood was home. Brown had kicked 49 goals for the season, including 14 in the finals. Of the 22 heroes born that day among Magpie fans, Brown's courage stood out in the aftermath. - Peter Ryan
ESSENDON
Considering the Bombers' equal record of 16 premierships, there are plenty of Essendon legends who have produced memorable feats on Grand Final day, so to narrow it to one is a very difficult task. We have gone with Leon Baker in 1984. Throughout its storied and famous history, Essendon has never gone 20 years without a premiership. The closest they came was in 1984, having then most recently won the flag back in 1965. After a record 83-point drubbing in the 1983 Grand Final to the Hawks, the Bombers looked set to lose again at three-quarter time in '84. They trailed by 23 points at the last change before Baker ignited the Bombers as they booted nine final-quarter goals to win by 24 points and broke their premiership drought. Baker's famous blind turn, goal and then arms-in-the-air celebration early in the final term is burned into the minds of every Essendon fan of that generation, and it electrified the Bombers that day. He kicked another at the eight-minute mark to put the team in front for the first time, and finished with four goals from 20 disposals. Baker didn't win the Norm Smith Medal – that honour went to the rugged Billy Duckworth – but the silky half-forward was back the following year to kick two goals from 28 disposals as Essendon made it back-to-back premierships over Hawthorn. - Callum Twomey
FREMANTLE
A number of Dockers endured tough days in the 2013 Grand Final but a man who enhanced his reputation as a big game player, and nearly orchestrated a remarkable comeback, was David Mundy. If the Norm Smith Medal votes had been cast at three-quarter time, Mundy would have walked away with the medal. His work at the coalface extracting clearance after clearance in concert with Aaron Sandilands, particularly in the third term, was a key reason the Dockers cut a 23-point half-time deficit to just three points at the halfway mark of the third quarter. Mundy finished with 28 touches, 12 contested, seven clearances and eight tackles for the match. It was an outstanding performance in a losing side. - Alex Malcolm
GEELONG
Matthew Scarlett gets our vote as the Cats' greatest Grand Final hero for his toe-poke in the dying stages of the 2009 decider against St Kilda. The passage of play began when Harry Taylor marked a misdirected long kick from Saints midfielder Clint Jones. At that stage, scores were level. Taylor kicked short to Corey Enright, who found Steve Johnson on the wing. Johnson then saw Gary Ablett free in the middle of the ground, but his kick towards Ablett was high and slow and it allowed St Kilda defender Zac Dawson to spoil Ablett's attempt to mark. The ball fell at the feet of Justin Koschitzke, but just as the big Saint was bending over to pick it up, Scarlett arrived and wrote himself into the history books by soccering it off the ground and into the hands of Ablett. 'Little Gaz' roosted the Sherrin to a pack of players deep inside the Cats' 50m arc. It fell to the front of the pack and was sharked by Travis Varcoe, who dished off a handball to Paul Chapman. With the crowd roaring, Chapman snapped a brilliant goal and handed Geelong a six-point lead. The Cats eventually won by 12 points. - Adam McNicol
GOLD COAST
It's a little crystal-balling here, but with the Suns expected to challenge for premierships in the next three to five years, you'd think some players from their current list could fit the bill. Harley Bennell has a bit of Peter Matera about him, so it wouldn't surprise to see the West Australian tearing down the wing and through half-forward to split a Grand Final open in the coming years. - Michael Whiting
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
The forecasts are that the Giants have a premiership in their near future. You have to think in five, six or seven years time, when the core of the group has played 150 games plus, they will feature in the final game of the year. The man who could star is Devon Smith. You can see him gathering 25 touches, and bursting forward of centre to kick two massive goals on the run. - Alex Malcolm
HAWTHORN
Where to start? Brendan Edwards, Stuart Dew, Dermott Brereton, Gary Ayres, Jason Dunstall and even Brian Lake … any Hawthorn supporter worth their salt could recite the magnificent contributions of these Hawks on Grand Final day, but the ultimate brown-and-gold hero in a premiership decider is Bob Keddie. Hawthorn was down by 20 points against St Kilda at three-quarter time of the brutal 1971 Grand Final and looked gone for all money with no fit players on the bench and superstar full-forward Peter Hudson badly concussed and seeing double courtesy of a vicious hit by Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale. Keddie had always wanted to play full-forward for the Hawks and in the final quarter of the season he got to do so. It was an inspired piece of coaching from John Kennedy; Keddie kicked four goals as the Hawks kicked 7.3 to 3.0 to win their second premiership by seven points. The 'Keddie' name remains feted at Hawthorn to this day, while it still gives old-time St Kilda supporters the shakes. - Ashley BrowneMELBOURNE
Norm Smith towers over all other candidates for this mantle at Demonland, given his intimate involvement in 10 of Melbourne's 12 premierships in a golden 25-year period (1939-64). A brilliant, selfless full-forward, Smith led Melbourne's attack in four premierships (1939-40-41 and 1948). He bagged a game-high seven goals in the 1940 grand final against Richmond (just a fortnight after being knocked out by Tigers enforcer Jack Dyer in a second semi-final loss) and was arguably best-afield in both the 1948 drawn grand final and replay boilover against Essendon. Smith then embarked upon a phenomenal coaching career that netted six premierships in 10 seasons, including a record five flags in six years. Smith would emphasise to his charges: "You don't lose Grand Finals." He rarely did, losing just three (and drawing one) of the 14 he contested. Little wonder the medal for the player adjudged best afield in the grand final bears Smith's name. - Ben Collins
As both player and coach Norm Smith made Grand Finals his own. Picture: AFL Media
NORTH MELBOURNE
North's golden 1970s era was lined with Grand Final heroes. In 1977, Wayne Schimmelbusch was inspirational against Collingwood in the drawn Grand Final with gut running and defensive pressure that was ahead of its time. Mercurial forward Arnold Briedis was the hero in the Grand Final Replay with five goals, having also kicked a game-high five majors in North's 1975 victory over Hawthorn. But Glenn Archer stands above all others. The Shinboner of the Century's greatest moment came in the 1996 Grand Final. Given the unenviable task of blocking Tony Lockett's space, Archer backed back time and time again to mark in front of the rampaging Sydney Swans spearhead. The fearless defender was also a calming influence in the first half when the Swans very nearly jumped out to an uncomfortable five-goal lead. Deservedly crowned that year's Norm Smith medallist, Archer went on to be North's best player in its 1998 Grand Final loss to Adelaide and was among its best a year later in the premiership triumph over Carlton. - Nick Bowen
PORT ADELAIDE
The Power entered the 2004 Grand Final with a well-known but unwanted reputation; having just won their third-straight minor premiership but so far failing to capitalise, they were chokers. In stark contrast, their opponent in 2004 – the Brisbane Lions – was anything but. The Lions were seeking their fourth-straight flag and at half-time they were every chance to secure it. The tension in Port's coaching box was obvious, with Mark Williams screaming into the phone and, with just minutes remaining, his emotion boiled over. Byron Pickett was adjudged best afield, but the hero was Williams, who marched down onto the ground making a choking gesture - tugging at his tie as if it were a noose around his neck. The relief 'Choco' felt as the monkey jumped from his and the club's back proved too much to bottle and he cemented his place in Grand Final folklore with his "Allan Scott, you were wrong" jibe. - Harry Thring
Mark Williams' 2004 post-match celebrations are written in finals folklore. Picture: AFL Media
RICHMOND
It's hard to go past Kevin Bartlett as Richmond's Grand Final hero. 'KB' played in seven Grand Finals during his illustrious career with the Tigers, winning premierships in 1967, '69, '73, '74 and '80. Bartlett was a consistent performer on the biggest day of the season, and his most famous performance came in the 1980 decider against Collingwood. Playing deep in the forward line, he ran rings around the Magpies' defenders, booting seven goals and four behinds in a brilliant display. The Tigers' 81-point win was the biggest in a Grand Final to that point, a fact made all the more unbearable for the Collingwood faithful by the little, bald-headed master throwing his skinny arms in the air to celebrate each major score. - Adam McNicol
ST KILDA
Two dramatic behinds kicked 44 years apart are etched in the Saints' history alongside two equally deserving Grand Final heroes. The first, a wobbly punt by Barry Breen in 1966, put the Saints one point ahead against Collingwood with a minute remaining in one of the game's most famous Grand Finals. They held on to win by that solitary point and the triumph remains the club's only premiership. Breen was playing in just the 25th match of his 300-game career. St Kilda lost Grand Finals in 1971, 1997 and 2009 before the thrilling draw of 2010. With the Saints trailing Collingwood by one point late in the game, lionhearted midfielder Lenny Hayes booted the ball forward, but the bouncing Sherrin eluded teammate Stephen Milne to go through for a behind. Scores remained tied and Hayes (32 possessions and 12 tackles) was awarded the Norm Smith Medal after an immense fourth quarter. The Magpies won the replay seven days later. – Nathan Schmook
SYDNEY SWANS
There's Leo Barry's game saving mark in the 2005 triumph over West Coast, and the recently-retired Lewis Roberts-Thomson's effort against Michael Gardiner in the same game that could have claimed him the Norm Smith medal had it not been for Chris Judd, but it's Adam Goodes' performance in 2012 that gets him the nod. With his left knee heavily strapped after he tore his posterior cruciate ligament in the second quarter, Goodes went forward and played out the game in what must have been great discomfort. A torn PCL usually sidelines a player to up to six weeks, but Goodes stayed on the field despite what was surely a high degree of instability in his knee and played a crucial part in the result. He kept running, bumped Lance Franklin in the last quarter and kicked a goal deep in the term that moved the Swans clear by an unbeatable seven points. - Jennifer Phelan
WEST COAST
The Eagles have had some great days in Grand Finals and some mighty performances. They have four Norm Smith medallists from five Grand Finals. Dean Kemp (1994), Chris Judd (2005) and Andrew Embley (2006) were all magnificent. But there are Norm Smith Medal winning performances and then there is Peter Matera in 1992. This was one of the all-time great individual Grand Final performances and it rarely gets the credit it deserves. Matera kicked five goals from 18 touches. The goals were extraordinary and came at important times. The Eagles were goalless late in the opening term, trailing the Cats by 15 points. John Barnes slapped a ball clear in the centre square and Matera, defensive side of the pack, gathered at full speed, ran 15m and launched a drop punt from 60m for the Eagles' first goal of the match. Matera's second goal in the second term was even better. He was on all fours in a pack at half forward, ripped the ball from Russell Merriman's grasp, bounced to his feet, sprinted clear, shimmied past the lunging Mark Bairstow and drilled it from 52m on the run to keep the Eagles in touch. He kicked another from outside 50m on the run in the third term to put West Coast in front. He later kicked one on his non-preferred foot from 35m, having left Bairstow in his wake with a run that started at the centre circle. - Alex Malcolm
WESTERN BULLDOGS
For a club infamously known for losing preliminary finals, the Bulldog faithful would nominate all 20 players who formed the 1954 premiership team as heroes, as its the club's one and only flag in 89 years in the VFL/AFL. And it wasn't Bulldogs' icons Ted Whitten senior and captain Charlie Sutton who led the way in the 51-point win over Melbourne. Team of the century full forward, the late, great, Jack Collins kicked seven goals, while rover John Kerr was in everything, picking up 32 possessions. – Ryan Davidson
