Star forward Jesse Hogan has capped off a career-best season by taking out the 2024 Kevin Sheedy Medal on Wednesday night.
Hogan was crowned the GIANTS’ newest club champion following a dominant 2024 campaign which saw the hulking key forward also claim a maiden All-Australian blazer as well as his first Coleman Medal with a league-best 69 majors across the regular season.
Named at full forward in the All-Australian side, Hogan finished 11 goals clear of second on the Coleman Medal leaderboard to cement himself as the AFL’s most dominant attacking force in season 2024.
Causing headaches for defenders all season, Hogan was equally as dominant in the air as he was in front of goal, leading the competition in both contested marks and marks inside 50 and finishing on 77 goals following finals.
Playing in all 25 games for the club this season, the 29-year-old finished Wednesday’s count on 67 votes, just one vote clear of both Tom Green and Lachie Whitfield who were dual runners-up.
Remarkably, Hogan didn’t lead the vote count all night until his starring five-goal haul in the Semi-Final against the Lions secured him four votes to leapfrog both Green and Whitfield to victory.
The award, which marks the West Australian’s first club champion award across any of his three clubs, is further testament to the brilliant career resurgence for the former league Rising Star.
GIANTS Executive General Manager of Football, Jason McCartney, congratulated Hogan on the honour.
“This is a well-deserved recognition for Jesse and caps off a sensational year for him,” McCartney said.
“His season and his journey has been well documented over recent weeks and we couldn’t be prouder of what he has achieved not only this year, but since arriving at the club.
“Jesse really stood up for us this season and his form this year has been nothing short of impressive and winning tonight’s Kevin Sheedy Medal is a significant milestone in his career.
“The Kevin Sheedy Medal, alongside all his achievements this year, are a testament to his hard work and dedication and reward for not only his individual talent, but for the role he has played for the team this year.
“I congratulate him once again for all his achievement in season 2024 and look forward to seeing what he continues to do in the orange and charcoal for the seasons to come.”
Green and Whitfield’s runner-up finishes were also deserved recognition for brilliant seasons from the star duo, with Green’s recent fifth-placed finish in the Brownlow Medal evidence of his starring campaign, while Whitfield’s second-place finish comes after receiving his second All-Australian blazer last month for his dominant season out of defence.
Rounding out the top five, dynamic defender Connor Idun finished in a career-best fourth place on 56 votes, while Brent Daniels finished fifth on 50 votes in a year when he was named in his first All-Australian squad.
Wednesday proved a busy night for Hogan, with the new club champion also receiving both the club’s Leading Goal Kicker and Members Choice award.
Off the back of an impressive debut season, Darcy Jones was named the club’s Rising Star following several eye-catching performances across his 14 games for the orange tsunami this year.
Skipper Toby Greene won Goal of the Year for one of his two brilliant majors in the round 19 win over the Suns at ENGIE Stadium, while Leek Aleer took out Mark of the Year for his match-saving mark against the Cats down at the Cattery in round 11.
Toby Bedford was awarded the Coaches Award by Adam Kingsley for his transition from a small forward to one of the competition’s most feared taggers this season.
Conor Stone took out the VFL Player of the Year, while exciting young ruck Logan Smith was named the Academy Player of the Year.
Returning for a second season under coach Kingsley, Green, Hogan and Jack Buckley tied for Best Finals Players, with the trio polling the greatest number of votes across the GIANTS’ finals series.
Meanwhile, GIANTS veteran Callan Ward was recognised for his efforts off the field and received the Community Award for his support of Rio’s Legacy.
In other formalities throughout the evening, the club farewelled its departing players, paying special tribute to inaugural GIANTS Nick Haynes and Adam Kennedy.
The 2024 Kevin Sheedy Medal was held at the Crown Sydney, with players, coaches, staff and guests joining MC Melissa Doyle for the occasion.
Using the same system as last season, the voting system for the 2024 Kevin Sheedy Medal saw each line coach rate their respective players after each game from a pre-determined performance scale. The coaches then met to determine an overall rating for each player before submitting to head coach Adam Kingsley who allocated up to six (6) votes for each player. The votes across the season were then tallied up, with the player with the most votes at the end of the season awarded the 2024 Kevin Sheedy Medal.
2024 Kevin Sheedy Medal Top 10:
1 Jesse Hogan (67 votes)
=2 Tom Green and Lachie Whitfield (66)
4 Connor Idun (59)
5 Brent Daniels (50)
6 Jack Buckley (49)
7 Toby Greene (45)
=8 Toby Bedford and Harry Perryman (41)
10 Harry Himmelberg (40)
2024 Award Winners:
Academy Player of the Year, presented by Aware Super:
Logan Smith
VFL Player of the Year Award:
Conor Stone
Rising Star Award, presented by EB Research:
Darcy Jones
Members Choice Award, presented by Toyo Tires:
Jesse Hogan
GIANTS Community Award presented by Western Sydney University:
Callan Ward
Coaches Award, presented by EFEX:
Toby Bedford
Mark of the Year, presented by Crown:
Leek Aleer - Round 11 v Geelong
Goal of the Year, presented by ENGIE:
Toby Greene - Round 19 v Gold Coast Suns
Leading Goal Kicker presented by Harvey Norman:
Jesse Hogan - 77 Goals
Best Finals Player:
Tom Green, Jack Buckley and Jesse Hogan
Previous Kevin Sheedy Medal Winners:
2023 – Toby Greene
2022 – Sam Taylor
2021 – Josh Kelly
2020 – Nick Haynes and Lachie Whitfield
2019 – Tim Taranto
2018 – Lachie Whitfield
2017 – Josh Kelly
2016 – Toby Greene
2015 – Heath Shaw
2014 – Shane Mumford
2013 – Jeremy Cameron
2021- Callan Ward
