The long and storied history of Geelong's best and fairest has seen some of the greatest players in the Hoops etch their names into the history books, with another chapter set to be written on Thursday night. 

A number of Cats icons have taken out the award multiple times, taking home the Carji Greeves Medal which is aptly named after another champion of the Geelong Football Club. 

From the inaugural winner, Joe McShane in 1897 through to Max Holmes last year, the best of the best have added another string to their bow and claimed an award that means so much to the club. 

Take a full look at the history behind the Carji Greeves Medal. 

Who the Award is Named After

Edward 'Carji' Greeves is a past champion of the Geelong Football Club, with a legacy that continues on to this day. 

A two-time premiership player (1925, 1931), Greeves was described as a silky player with devastating skills on both feet. He was also an excellent mark and despite not being the quickest player, had an incredible sense of anticipation as the play unfolded around him.  

In 1923 Greeves started his journey with the Geelong Football Club, making his VFL debut in round eight that year. In 1924, Greeves won the first ever Brownlow Medal.

Greeves also finished his career as a member of the Geelong team of the century and an inductee in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. 

The Most Successful Players

Two players stand alone at the top of the mountain in Geelong's best and fairest, with Dick Grigg and Garry Hocking the only four time winners of the award across the club's history. 

Grigg remarkably won four consecutive best and fairest awards back in the club's earliest years (no award recorded in 1913), while Garry Hocking extended his legacy with four medals in a six year span. 

A number of Cats champions have won the award three times including Paul Couch, Patrick Dangerfield, Ian Nankervis and Joel Selwood. 

28 different players have won the Carji Greeves Medal two times or more, with Max Holmes (2024, 2025) the most recent to add his name to that list. 

The Inaugural Winner

The first winner of Geelong's best and fairest award was Joe McShane in 1897, a player who featured in 258 games for both the Cats and Carlton between 1887 and 1904. 

The award was named in honour of Ed 'Carji' Greeves in 1962, with Alistair Lord taking out the award in the same year that he won the Brownlow Medal. 

The Most Recent Result

Max Holmes secured a second consecutive Carji Greeves Medal in 2025, staving off strong challenges from some of Geelong's top players to finish atop the leaderboard. 

With 175 votes, Holmes finished ahead in a reasonably close count, with the star Cat polling votes in every single game and receiving the maximum votes in five matches. 

Behind Holmes, Bailey Smith finished runner-up to cap off an outstanding first season at GMHBA Stadium, polling 155 votes to add a podium finish to his AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award. 

Jeremy Cameron (145 votes) secured third, while Tom Atkins (141 votes) and Mark Blicavs (122 votes) rounded out the top five. 

2025 Carji Greeves Leaderboard

The Past 10 Winners

Holmes went back-to-back last year in a close count, but it follows a trend that has emerged over the past decade. 

Out of the past 10 winners of the Carji Greeves Medal, only Jeremy Cameron is a one-time winner of the award, with Holmes, Tom Stewart, Cam Guthrie, Patrick Dangerfield and Mark Blicavs all multiple winners. 

The Current List’s Success

Out of all players on Geelong's AFL list, only six have previously won the Carji Greeves Medal.

As touched on previously, Dangerfield leads the way with three wins and is one of the most successful players in the club's history. 

There will be some players in contention for their first medal this year including Bailey Smith, Connor O'Sullivan and Ollie Dempsey.