AFL LEGEND Leigh Matthews has owned "the worst mistake that's ever happened" in giving Nathan Broad and not Jayden Short two votes in Norm Smith Medal voting on Saturday night. 

Matthews was the chairman of the five-person judging panel that awarded Tiger Dustin Martin a historic third 'Norm' for his imperious four-goal, 21-disposal best on ground performance.

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Martin received a perfect 15 votes, three apiece from judges Matthews, Malcolm Blight, Damian Barrett, Lauren Arnell and Peter Ryan. 

But there was some confusion when Matthews awarded two votes to Broad, who gathered just eight disposals and was relatively quiet after copping an early knock. 

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In contrast, Short was dynamic, finishing with 25 touches and a whopping 771m gained to lead all comers. 

He finished second behind Martin with six votes.

Speaking on Channel Nine on Sunday morning, Matthews admitted his error.

"I thought I had gone Martin, Short and (Shane) Edwards (my votes)," he said. 

"All I can say is that's the worst mistake that's ever happened because if I put down the name Broad instead of the name Short when I was being hustled at the end of the game … I'm glad Broad didn't win it or Short missed out by a couple of votes." 

The AFL has confirmed it was Broad's name on Matthews' voting sheet. 

"Everyone gave Martin best on the ground, that was so obvious, so I guess the twos and ones don't matter that much," Matthews said. 

"If I put Broad down, that was a very big mistake on my part, it was definitely Short two and Edwards one." 

2020 Norm Smith Medal voting

15 - Dustin Martin (Rich)
6 - Jayden Short (Rich)
4 - Shane Edwards (Rich)
3 - Mitch Duncan (Geel)
2 - Nathan Broad (Rich)

Judges' voting
Leigh Matthews (Chair) – D Martin 3, N Broad 2, S Edwards 1
Lauren Arnell – D Martin 3, J Short 2, M Duncan 1
Malcolm Blight – D Martin 3, M Duncan 2, S Edwards 1
Damian Barrett – D Martin 3, J Short 2, S Edwards 1
Peter Ryan – D Martin 3, J Short 2, S Edwards 1