Chris Judd

There are few players in the modern era that have achieved the individual success of Chris Judd. As a dual Brownlow Medallist, Norm Smith Medallist, Premiership Captain, six-time All-Australian and five-time club fairest and best winner, his record speaks for itself. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders to play the game since his AFL debut in 2002, Judd was a captain and Brownlow Medallist at both West Coast and Carlton and is recognised as one of the great champions of the game.

His combination of explosive speed, acceleration and balance as well as his his precise ball-use and decision making made Judd an unrivalled midfielder at his peak. While injury forced him to change his approach to the game in latter years, Judd’s maturity and ability to adapt saw him evolve to become an elite inside midfielder, winning Brownlow Medals six seasons apart in both roles.

Christopher Dylan Judd was born in Melbourne in 1983 and raised in the south-eastern suburbs, where he played for the East Sandringham Junior Football Club. As a student at Caulfield Grammar School he was an all-round sportsman, performing well in athletics and cricket and captaining the school's football team.

Judd was a graduate of the 2000 AFL Academy and was named Victoria Metro’s captain for the AFL State 18’s Championships. He played TAC Cup football with the Sandringham Dragons and was taken by West Coast with the third selection in the 2001 AFL National Draft.

Upon moving to WA, Judd was allocated to East Perth in the West Australian Football League. He made an immediate impact, kicking four goals on debut and polling 5 Sandover medal votes in what would be his only WAFL game. He lined up with West Coast for his first AFL game the following week and went on to star in his first season, winning the AFL Player Association’s Best First Year Player Award.

2004 was Judd's breakout season in which he averaged 22 disposals and kicked 24 goals to become West Coast's first Brownlow medallist. He won the Norm Smith Medal in the following year’s Grand Final loss to Sydney before being named club captain and leading West Coast to the premiership in 2006. 

In 2007 it was announced that Judd had requested a trade to return home to Victoria. This was eventually secured with Carlton in a deal that saw Josh Kennedy arrive at West Coast.

Judd was appointed captain in his first season with the Blues and after a smooth transition was named All-Australian captain and won Carlton’s fairest and best John Nicholls Medal – an achievement he repeated in 2009 and 2010.

The 2010 season also saw Judd win his second Brownlow Medal, becoming just the fourth player in history to win the Brownlow at two different clubs. He continued his successful career with Carlton until 2015, playing a total of 145 games to surpass his 138 with West Coast before suffering a knee injury in Round 10 that season and subsequently announcing his retirement.