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“Clearly”: Who Lions legend had as his Norm Smith winner
Andrew Slevison • September 29th, 2025 1:16 pm
Brisbane Lions legend Alastair Lynch believes Harris Andrews should have won the 2025 Norm Smith Medal.
The All-Australian defender and Lions co-captain played a pivotal role in his side’s breakaway 47-point Grand Final win over Geelong at the MCG on Saturday.
Andrews polled six votes to finish second to now two-time winner Will Ashcroft, but in the eyes of Lynch it should have been the other way around.
Lynch, a three-time premiership player, tipped the Lions to win the flag while selecting Ashcroft as his Norm Smith pick but felt that Andrews was more impactful.
“I had Harris Andrews,” Lynch said on SEN Tassie Breakfast.
“I was invested, not financially, but I was emotionally invested in Will getting the job done. I had him second or third, but I thought Harris Andrews was clearly best on ground.
“I was thinking, if the opposition coach had to remove one player from the field, who is he going to want to take off? I think that’s clearly Harris Andrews.
“He just had his way with Shannon Neale and intercepted everything down there.
“So I had him best on ground, probably Will second, and then Zac Bailey who would’ve been crushed if they hadn’t won the game with kicking 3.6. He was amazing.”
Lynch’s co-host Brent Costelloe saw it similarly.
“I would’ve given it to Harris Andrews, personally,” he responded.
“I loved Will’s game, don’t get me wrong, but I thought Andrews - particularly in the first half - was outstanding.”
Andrews, an impenetrable wall in defence, finished with 18 disposals, and had 11 intercept possessions and took nine marks - both game-highs - including five intercept marks.
Kate McCarthy awarded Andrews three votes, Jack Riewoldt gave him two, while dual Norm Smith Medallist Andrew McLeod dished out one.
Ashcroft received 13 votes in total including three lots of three (from McLeod, Riewoldt and Adam Simpson) to claim his second Norm Smith on the trot, putting him in rare air as one of three back-to-back winners alongside McLeod and Dustin Martin.
