Biography
Chris Judd was born on 8 September 1983 in Melbourne, Victoria, and grew up in the city’s southeastern suburbs where he attended Caulfield Grammar School. He developed through the TAC Cup with the Sandringham Dragons, representing Vic Metro in the under-18 national championships and captaining the side. Despite being touted as a potential number one pick in the 2001 national draft, concerns about a history of shoulder problems saw both Hawthorn and St Kilda pass on him, and West Coast – holding a priority selection after a difficult 2001 season – were delighted to take him at pick three.
Allocated to East Perth in the WAFL on arrival in Perth, Judd lasted exactly one game before being elevated to West Coast’s senior list. He kicked four goals on his WAFL debut and was immediately deemed ready. His AFL debut followed in Round 2 of 2002 against Collingwood, and he won the AFLPA Best First Year Player award at the end of that season. By 2004 he had established himself as the best midfielder in the competition, winning his first Brownlow Medal and West Coast’s club champion award.
The 2005 season produced one of the defining moments of his career. West Coast reached the grand final against Sydney and lost in one of the greatest matches ever played, falling by four points. Judd was best on ground with 29 disposals and 11 clearances, earning him the Norm Smith Medal and making him only the fourth player in VFL/AFL history to win the award in a losing team. His speech on the podium – raw with disappointment, promising better days ahead for Eagles fans – was one of the most memorable in grand final history.
Those better days arrived twelve months later. Judd was appointed West Coast captain ahead of the 2006 season following Ben Cousins’ removal from the role, and he led the club to a one-point premiership win over Sydney – the same opponents, one year on. He won the Ross Glendinning Medal as best afield in the qualifying final and his second Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFLPA’s most valuable player. At 22 years of age he was a premiership captain and one of the most decorated players the competition had seen in years.
His decision to request a trade back to Melbourne at the end of 2007 was seismic. After meeting with four clubs – Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Melbourne – he nominated Carlton as his preference, and the resulting trade sent Carlton’s prized first round pick to West Coast in exchange. Judd arrived at Princes Park as one of the biggest signings in AFL history and delivered immediately, winning the John Nicholls Medal as Carlton’s best and fairest in each of his first three seasons at the club from 2008 to 2010.
The 2010 Brownlow Medal was perhaps his finest individual achievement – winning the award at a second club confirmed him as the best player of his generation. He became only the fourth player in AFL history to win Brownlow Medals at two different clubs. He captained Carlton from 2008 to 2012 and was named All-Australian captain in 2008, earning six All-Australian selections in total across his career. A persistent knee complaint hampered his later years and he retired midway through the 2015 season after suffering an ACL injury in Round 10, finishing with 279 games and 228 goals. He was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in August 2021 at the first time of asking.
