Emerging star Will Day has taken out Hawthorn’s highest honour, awarded the Peter Crimmins Medal, following a stunning 2023 campaign.
Day’s win marks not only his maiden best and fairest, but also the youngster’s first podium finish.
In an extremely close count, Day (125 votes) polled just two votes ahead of of runner-up Jai Newcombe (123) and third-placed Conor Nash (114).
Coming off the back of impressive seasons, James Worpel (110) and James Sicily (101) also cracked the ton to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
Day’s influence has been instrumental in helping drive a young and eager group of Hawks forward this year.
Following a strong year of development last season, a permanent move to the midfield saw him elevate his status to become one of the league’s most consistent and damaging players in 2023.
After starting his journey playing predominantly half back, the 22-year-old’s midfield switch saw him enjoy a career-best year with impressive numbers right across the board.
With his toughness around the contest and poise by foot becoming defining features of his game, Day averaged 25.6 disposals, 4.2 clearances and 5.8 marks per game.
Having only once this season dropped below 20 disposals, Day has been a model of consistency, polling votes in all but one of his 21 games played this year.
Originally drafted as Pick 13 in the 2019 national draft, Day made his first appearance in Round 6 of 2020.
After playing 33 games across his first three seasons, 2023 saw the youngster only miss two games, both of which were due to suspension.
Having only just surpassed his 50th game this season, his best and fairest adds to an impressive year that also saw him claim Hawthorn’s fan-voted MVP award, along with earning a spot in the AFLPA's 22Under22 team.
In a testament to his sharp career rise, Newcombe finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row.
Newcombe has now landed on the club’s best and fairest podium in both of his first two full seasons in the system, an incredible feat for the 22-year-old who has only played 51 career games.
Renowned for his hard-nosed approach, the fan-favourite has averaged 25.1 disposals per game this year and 5.5 clearances.
Newcombe was also important in generating scoring opportunities for the Hawks, highlighted by a team-high average of 6.4 score involvements per game, while also kicking a total of 12 goals himself this year.
The Box Hill success story has been a shining light for the Hawks in recent seasons after arriving to the club as Pick 2 in the 2021 mid-season draft.
He was also listed in the extended 40-man All Australian squad for the first time this year, featured in the AFLPA’s 22Under22 team alongside Day, and notched more Brownlow votes than any other Hawk for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, after seven seasons in the brown and gold, Nash finished in the top three of the best and fairest count for the first time in his career.
Having shown glimpses of his midfield capabilities last year, the big-bodied midfielder emerged as one of the surprise packets of the 2023 season.
An impressive hard-work story, Nash’s remarkable turnaround comes after his career was at the crossroads after playing just 10 of a possible 39 games across 2020 and 2021.
But, now after missing just one game across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Nash has become a vital part of his side.
Demonstrating an ability to win his own ball, while also holding some of the competition’s most elite opposition midfielders to account, the Irishman has become one of the Hawks most reliable players.
Showing his physicality and toughness around the ball, Nash averaged 24 disposals a game in 2023, (+8.5 compared to 2022), alongside 4.8 tackles (+0.7) and 4.7 clearances (+1.7).
Nash’s stand-out performance came in Round 5 against GWS, which saw him collect 31 disposals and nine tackles, while limiting the impact of Giants star Tom Green in the second half.
Nash was also named as the club’s Most Improved, while first-year Hawk Josh Weddle was deemed the Most Promising for 2023.
Along with his first place Peter Crimmins Medal finish, Day was also claimed this year’s Lethal Award – a highly-regarded accolade voted on by teammates.
Co vice-captain’s Luke Breust and Dylan Moore were judged Best Clubman and Most Courageous respectively.
2023 Peter Crimmins Medal Top 10
- Will Day (125)
- Jai Newcombe (123)
- Conor Nash (114)
- James Worpel (110)
- James Sicily (101)
- Dylan Moore (93)
- Jarman Impey (91)
- Karl Amon (86)
- Blake Hardwick (78)
- Luke Breust (67)
Votes for the 2023 Peter Crimmins Medal are awarded after each home-and-away match, with three voting cards split between Hawthorn’s coaching group. A maximum of 12 votes can be accumulated by a player after the three voting cards are submitted using the following grading system: three votes to the best player/s, two votes for the player/s who had a significant influence on the game, one vote to player/s who played their role or beat their opponent. On rare occasions a player/s may receive four votes for an exceptional game.
