The AFL Players’ Association will award the annual Madden Medal on Friday, with eight recently retired AFL stars nominated for the award.

Adam Selwood (West Coast), Andrew Embley (West Coast), Jude Bolton (Sydney), David Rodan (Melbourne), Aaron Davey (Melbourne), Jason Blake (St Kilda), Nathan Lovett-Murray (Essendon) and David Hille (Essendon) are all in contention for the Madden Medal, which recognises the retiring player who has contributed the most to the game and the broader community.

Players’ Association CEO Matt Finnis said the award recognises the deeds of players on the field as well as the steps they have taken to develop themselves professionally and personally.

The three key criteria that are taken into consideration are football achievement, personal development and community spirit.

“These players have all had sensational playing careers, however few would realise how much they given back to the community so it’s an important chance to recognise this contribution,” said Finnis.

“This award also acknowledges what they have done to develop themselves, both personally and professionally along the way – capturing all that we hope young players coming into the game would seek to emulate.”

The award, named in honour of former Essendon ruckman Simon Madden and his brother Justin, was first awarded in 2007 and has been won by Glenn Archer (2007), Robert Harvey (2008), Michael O’Loughlin (2009), Brett Kirk (2010), Cameron Ling (2011) and Luke Power (2012).

The winner will be decided by the board of the AFL Players’ Association and will be announced on Friday 4th of October at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins.