| Year | Club | Player | Games | Goals | Votes | Honours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Western Bulldogs | Neil Craig | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1982 | St Kilda | Allan Sidebottom | 58 (55) | 18 | 16 | ||
| 1986 | St Kilda | Steven Sims | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1987 | Brisbane | Chris McDermott | 117 (0) | 25 | 17 | AA: 1992; B&F: 1992 | |
| 1988 | West Coast | Todd Breman | 48 (23) | 39 | 2 | ||
| 1989 | Western Bulldogs | Matthew Croft | 186 | 72 | 13 | ||
| 1990 | Carlton | James Cook | 77 (25) | 139 | 2 | ||
| 1991 | Fitzroy | Marcus Seecamp | 140 (51) | 18 | 1 | ||
| 1992 | Priority | Brisbane | Nathan Chapman | 76 (60) | 17 | 0 | |
| 1993 | Priority | Brisbane | Nigel Lappin | 279 | 174 | 93 | AA: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004; B&F: 2004; AA40: 2007; Prem: 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| 1994 | Priority | Sydney | Anthony Rocca | 242 (22) | 415 | 32 | |
| 1995 | Priority | Fitzroy | Matthew Primus | 157 (20) | 81 | 41 | AA: 2001, 2002; B&F: 2002 |
| 1996 | Comp | Essendon | Chris Heffernan | 170 (123) | 56 | 6 | Prem: 2000 |
| 1997 | Richmond | Brad Ottens | 245 (129) | 261 | 21 | AA: 2001; Prem: 2007, 2009, 2011 | |
| 1998 | Fremantle | Justin Longmuir | 139 | 166 | 15 | ||
| 1999 | Priority | Fremantle | Paul Hasleby | 208 | 131 | 67 | AA: 2003; Rising Star: 2000; Christian: 2000, 2004; AFLPA 1st: 2000 |
| 2000 | St Kilda | Justin Koschitzke | 200 | 247 | 33 | Rising Star: 2001 | |
| 2001 | Priority | St Kilda | Luke Ball | 223 (142) | 91 | 39 | AA: 2005; B&F: 2005; Prem: 2010 |
| 2002 | North Melbourne | Daniel Wells | 258 (243) | 166 | 73 | B&F: 2011, 2013; AFLCA Young: 2004; AFLPA 1st: 2003; AA40: 2011, 2013 | |
| 2003 | Priority | Carlton | Andrew Walker | 202 | 139 | 24 | |
| 2004 | Priority | Hawthorn | Jarryd Roughead | 283 | 578 | 59 | AA: 2013, 2014; Coleman: 2013; Prem: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| 2005 | Priority | Collingwood | Dale Thomas | 258 (157) | 155 | 23 | AA: 2011; Prem: 2010 |
| 2006 | Essendon | Scott Gumbleton | 35 | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2007 | Richmond | Trent Cotchin | 306 | 141 | 148 | AA: 2012; Brownlow: 2012; AFLCA: 2012; B&F: 2011, 2012, 2014; AA40: 2018; Prem: 2017, 2019, 2020 | |
| 2008 | West Coast | Nic Naitanui | 213 | 112 | 33 | AA: 2012, 2020, 2021; B&F: 2020, 2021; AA40: 2015 | |
| 2009 | Melbourne | Jack Trengove | 89 (86) | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | Gold Coast | Harley Bennell | 88 (81) | 98 | 26 | ||
| 2011 | GWS | Stephen Coniglio | 202 | 116 | 73 | AA40: 2016, 2023 | |
| 2012 | GWS | Jonathan O'Rourke | 21 (9) | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | GWS | Josh Kelly | 198 | 123 | 88 | AA: 2017; B&F: 2017, 2021; AA40: 2022 | |
| 2014 | Melbourne | Christian Petracca | 176 | 170 | 98 | AA: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023; B&F: 2020, 2023; Norm Smith: 2021; Prem: 2021 | |
| 2015 | Brisbane | Josh Schache | 75 (27) | 79 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | GWS | Tim Taranto | 137 (114) | 67 | 52 | B&F: 2019 | |
| 2017 | Fremantle | Andrew Brayshaw | 123 | 43 | 55 | AA: 2022; MVP: 2022; B&F: 2022 | |
| 2018 | Gold Coast | Jack Lukosius | 95 | 56 | 13 | ||
| 2019 | Gold Coast | Noah Anderson | 81 | 29 | 44 | B&F: 2023; AA40: 2023 | |
| 2020 | Adelaide | Riley Thilthorpe | 46 | 44 | 2 | ||
| 2021 | Western Bulldogs | Sam Darcy | 7 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Brisbane | Will Ashcroft | 18 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2023 | North Melbourne | Colby McKercher | 0 | 0 | 0 |