Norwood's Harry Boyd and Sturt's Will Snelling couldn't be split as they tied for the Magarey Medal as the SANFL's fairest and most brilliant player of 2024.
The pair were red-hot favourites to take out the competition's most prestigious individual award after standout seasons.
Finishing on 34 votes, Boyd and Snelling polled the most votes under the 3-2-1 voting system since 1976, when Port Adelaide legend Russell Ebert tallied 42 votes.ย
The irrepressible duo raced ahead in the count early on and never looked back, racking up 16 votes each in the first seven rounds.
Snelling led by four votes from Boyd after Round 16, with the Norwood star reeling him in with back-to-back best-on-ground performances in Rounds 17 and 18 to tie the count.
Neither player polled any votes in the last round as they were left to share the honours.
The victory completes an incredible return to the SANFL for Snelling, who joined Sturt after being delisted by Essendon at the end of last season.
Played mostly as a small forward at the Bombers, Snelling slotted immediately into the Double Blues' midfield, leading the league in disposals and tackles despite missing two games in the middle of the season.
Snelling polled in 13 of his 16 matches, including eight first-preference votes to become Sturt's 15th Magarey winner and their first since Zane Kirkwood in 2016.
In recent memory, Boyd produced one of the most dominant seasons by a ruckman, becoming the first ruckman to win the Magarey since Port Adelaide's Ryan O'Connor in 2001.
Stamping his claim as the best big man in the competition, Boyd recorded 224 more hit-outs than his closest rival and 58 more clearances than any other player in the league.
It caps a meteoric rise for the 26-year-old Shepparton product, who arrived at Norwood only four years ago as a tall defender.ย
Since then, he has claimed a Jack Oatey Medal as best on the ground in the 2022 grand final, a club best and fairest, SA state selection and now a Magarey Medal.
Boyd polled in 14 of his 18 games and received eight best-on-ground selections, including four in his last seven games.
He is Norwood's 13th Magarey Medal winner and their first since Mitch Grigg won back-to-back medals in 2018.
West Adelaide midfield young gun Kobe Ryan defied his team's poor finish to the season to claim second place with 27 votes, while 2020 winner Campbell Combe enjoyed another consistent year to finish third with 23 votes.
Boyd also took out the R.O. Shearman Medal as the coach's player of the year and The Advertiser's SANFL Player of the Year, while Snelling took home the SANFL Now Player of the Year.
