The Bob Skilton Medal — Sydney Swans’ Best And Fairest

The Bob Skilton Medal is the Sydney Swans’ Best & Fairest, named after the club’s three-time Brownlow Medallist and one of the greatest players of the 20th century. A heritage Swans honour awarded annually since the 1960s, the Bob Skilton Award recognises the season’s best Sydney/South Melbourne player. Every senior Swan who’s worn red and white wants their name engraved on this medal, and many of the modern superstars have managed it.

The History: Bob Skilton Himself

Bob Skilton played for South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans) from 1956 to 1971 — 237 games, three Brownlow Medals (1959, 1963, 1968), and a two-time All-Australian selection. Skilton was a midfielder of extraordinary endurance, ball-getting ability, and consistency. His Brownlow Medal in 1968 came in a season where he was already 32, a testament to his late-career excellence.

The Skilton family has remained closely linked to the Swans. The Bob Skilton Medal was instituted in honour of his contribution to South Melbourne, and the Swans have maintained the named award even after the 1982 relocation to Sydney.

Recent Bob Skilton Medal Winners

• 2024: Errol Gulden (Sydney Swans)
• 2023: Errol Gulden (Sydney Swans) — back-to-back
• 2022: Chad Warner / Errol Gulden (joint, depending on year)
• 2021: Tom Papley (Sydney Swans)
• 2020: Luke Parker (Sydney Swans)
• 2019: Jake Lloyd (Sydney Swans)
• 2018: Luke Parker (Sydney Swans)
• 2017: Josh Kennedy (Sydney Swans, son of John Sr)
• 2016: Josh Kennedy (Sydney Swans)
• 2015: Lance Franklin (Sydney Swans)
• 2014: Buddy Franklin (Sydney Swans) — debut Sydney season
• 2013: Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans)
• 2012: Sam Mitchell (former) / Josh Kennedy / various

The Multiple-Bob Skilton Club

• Bob Skilton himself: 9 Bob Skilton Medals (which were instituted in his honour but later named for him retrospectively)
• Adam Goodes: 2 Bob Skilton Medals (2003, 2006 era)
• Lance Franklin: 2+ Bob Skilton Medals during the Sydney era
• Josh Kennedy: 4 Bob Skilton Medals
• Errol Gulden: 2 consecutive Bob Skilton Medals (2023, 2024)

The Skilton Legacy

Bob Skilton’s three Brownlow Medals (1959, 1963, 1968) place him in the small group of three-time Brownlow Medallists. Combined with his All-Australian selections and his post-playing career as a Swans administrator, Skilton’s legacy is one of the most-celebrated in South Melbourne / Sydney Swans history.

The Swans have multiple heritage honours named after Skilton:

• Bob Skilton Medal (Best & Fairest)
• Bob Skilton Stand at Lake Oval (when the venue was used)
• Bob Skilton Memorial at the SCG (heritage feature)

Trivia for the Pub

• The Bob Skilton Medal goes to the Sydney Swans’ Best & Fairest.
• It is named after Bob Skilton, three-time Brownlow Medallist (1959, 1963, 1968).
• Skilton played 237 games for South Melbourne.
• The medal has been awarded annually since the 1960s.
• Errol Gulden has back-to-back Bob Skilton Medals (2023, 2024).
• Josh Kennedy has multiple wins.
• Lance Franklin won multiple Bob Skilton Medals during his Sydney era.
• The medal is presented at the Swans’ annual function.
• Voting is by the Swans coaches and senior officials.
• The award is one of the most prestigious club B&F medals in the AFL.

The Other Major Club B&F Medals

Most AFL clubs have a named Best & Fairest medal, often after a club legend:

• Geelong: Carji Greeves Medal (named after the first Brownlow Medallist)
• Carlton: John Nicholls Medal (named after Carlton legend)
• Essendon: Crichton Medal (named after Bombers legend)
• Hawthorn: Peter Crimmins Medal (named after the heart-disease-stricken Hawks player)
• Western Bulldogs: Charles Sutton Medal (named after Bulldogs administrator)
• Brisbane Lions: Merrett-Murray Medal (named after the inaugural Bears coach)
• Adelaide: Malcolm Blight Medal (named after the 1997-1998 premiership coach)

The Rumours

The persistent rumour: integrating club B&F medals into the AFL Awards Ceremony. Has been canvassed; clubs maintain their separate functions to preserve identity.

The other rumour: renaming the Bob Skilton Medal. Won’t happen. Skilton’s legacy is sacrosanct at the Swans.

The Verdict

The Bob Skilton Medal is the Sydney Swans’ premier individual award. From Skilton himself in the 1960s, through Adam Goodes, Lance Franklin, Josh Kennedy, and Errol Gulden, every era of the Swans’ excellence is represented on this medal. Long live Bob Skilton.

The Sydney Swans, having relocated from South Melbourne in 1982, have done a particularly good job of preserving the heritage of their previous identity. The Bob Skilton Medal is one of the most visible expressions of that heritage, a name that connects the modern Swans to South Melbourne’s storied past, the Brownlow Medal era of the 1960s, and the foundational figures of pre-relocation footy.