Fremantle made a sizeable investment in recruiting Shai Bolton from Richmond two years ago — and the move has paid off in spades.
Bolton capped off a stunning finals series by winning the Norm Smith Medal after being adjudged as the best player afield by a panel of experts in his side’s heartbreaking grand final loss to Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday.
The dynamic Docker attracted votes from all five judges as he became the first player to win the award in a losing side since West Coast superstar Chris Judd in 2005.
In a twist of fate, Judd was one of two panelists who awarded Bolton the maximum of three votes, alongside Brisbane’s three-time premiership-winning captain Michael Voss.
After winning a pair of premierships with Richmond in 2019 and 2020 and emerging as a star of the competition with the Tigers, the Katanning product requested a trade back to his home State at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
The Dockers surrendered three first-round draft selections in order to secure him, giving up picks No.10, 11 and 18 in the 2024 draft. In return, they received Bolton, pick No.14 — which they used to pluck Rising Star winner Murphy Reid — and a future third-rounder.
While the dangerous midfielder-forward was a solid contributor in his first season in purple last year, he finished outside the top 10 in voting for the club’s fairest and best award.
Unleashed as a full-time midfielder this year, Bolton produced a career-best campaign and was a key figure in his side’s stunning rise to the top of the ladder.
He earned his second selection in the All Australian side and also regularly showcased his dynamism, being nominated for the league’s mark of the year award for the huge hanger he hauled in against Geelong in round 15.
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