AFL Goal Of The Year — Banana Goals And Boundary Snaps
The AFL Goal of the Year crowns the most spectacular goal of the season — the banana around the body, the snap from the boundary, the run-down-from-half-back that ends in a 50-metre torpedo. Eddie Betts owns about half the modern reel; Cyril Rioli, Buddy Franklin, and Toby Greene all feature heavily. The award is voted by fans and a panel of AFL stars, and the winning goal is replayed on broadcast for years afterwards.
The History: Goalkicking as Theatre
The Goal of the Year was formalised in the 1990s as the AFL turned increasing attention to individual goalkicking artistry. Earlier eras produced famous goals — Alex Jesaulenko’s 1970 Grand Final goal (after his speccie), Tony Lockett’s various torpedoes — but the formal award came later.
The voting system: fans nominate goals throughout the season; AFL panel selects the year’s top 10; final voting (combining fan and panel input) crowns the winner. The award is presented at the AFL Awards Ceremony.
Eddie Betts and the Modern Era
Eddie Betts (Carlton, Adelaide, Melbourne) is the modern AFL’s most-celebrated goal-kicking artist. His career — 350+ games across three clubs, multiple AFL Indigenous community projects, and a Goal of the Year reel that includes:
- 2014 — Banana from the boundary against Hawthorn (Carlton)
- 2015 — Snap goal in front of 50,000 against Sydney
- 2016 — Around-the-body goal in qualifying final
- 2017 — Boundary line snap against Melbourne
Betts has won multiple Goal of the Year awards. The Carlton-Adelaide era (2014–2019) produced his most-celebrated goals; his post-Adelaide tenure at Carlton again featured highlight reel material.
Other Goal of the Year Winners
- 2024: Various contenders
- 2023: Eric Hipwood (Brisbane Lions) — Grand Final qualifier banana
- 2022: Toby Greene (GWS Giants)
- 2021: Charlie Curnow (Carlton) — return-from-injury banana
- 2020: Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
- 2019: Toby Greene (GWS) — preliminary final from the boundary
- 2018: Jeremy Cameron (GWS)
- 2017: Eddie Betts (Adelaide)
- 2016: Eddie Betts (Adelaide)
- 2015: Eddie Betts (Adelaide)
- 2014: Eddie Betts (Carlton)
The Famous Goals (Pre-Modern)
Some pre-formal-era goals would have been Goal of the Year had the award existed:
- Alex Jesaulenko 1970 Grand Final — after his speccie, snapped the goal in the same passage of play. Won Goal of the Century in 2001.
- Tony Lockett 1996 Grand Final qualifier — torpedo from 60m to seal Sydney’s preliminary final win.
- Stephen Milne 2010 Grand Final — the missed goal that produced the drawn Grand Final, which was followed by the replay.
- Buddy Franklin 100th of 2013 — at the MCG, Round 22, in front of 50,000.
- Daicos snap 1990 — Peter Daicos’s freak goal against North Melbourne.
Trivia for the Pub
- The Goal of the Year was formalised in the 1990s.
- Eddie Betts has won multiple Goal of the Year awards.
- Voting combines fan voting and AFL panel input.
- Alex Jesaulenko’s 1970 Grand Final goal won Goal of the Century in 2001.
- The award is presented at the AFL Awards Ceremony.
- Goal of the Year contenders typically come from small forwards and goal-creating midfielders.
- Banana goals from the boundary are the modern signature of Goal of the Year contenders.
- Toby Greene of GWS has multiple wins.
- The award covers home-and-away and finals goals.
- Some Goal of the Year winners have been scored by the same player as Mark of the Year in the same season (rare but possible).
The Rumours
The persistent rumour: player-only voting for Goal of the Year. Has been canvassed; the panel system is preserved.
The other rumour: splitting Goal of the Year by category (snap, banana, set shot). Won’t happen — the single award is sacrosanct.
The Verdict
The AFL Goal of the Year is the league’s annual goalkicking artistry crown. Eddie Betts owns the modern reel; Toby Greene, Charlie Curnow, and others have built their highlight packages on it. The banana from the boundary, the snap goal in front of 50,000, the around-the-body torpedo — every Goal of the Year captures Australian Rules at its most theatrical. Long live the goalkickers.
The award also captures something deeper about footy as a spectator sport: AFL crowds genuinely appreciate the artistic dimension of the game. A 50-metre run-down-the-wing by a midfielder is celebrated, but a 30-metre snap from the boundary is cherished. Goal of the Year is the formal recognition of the latter — the moments when the game produces something approaching ballet, played at full speed by professionals built to leap and run.
For Indigenous players in particular, the Goal of the Year has been a celebrated career achievement. Eddie Betts, Cyril Rioli, Buddy Franklin, and others have all won multiple Goal of the Year awards, each contributing to the AFL’s celebration of Indigenous talent. The community projects associated with Eddie Betts (Crows Children’s Foundation) are partially funded by Goal of the Year exposure.
