Brownlow 2025 Brownlow Medal Discussion

[Tadpole]

Especially after last night. There’d be more ****wits celebrating Nick not winning than Rowell actually winning. Sad bunch of insecure w***ers

It's genuinely pathetic just how much glee some people seem to take from someone else's failures. Their lives must be an absolute crap show if they're only able to feel good for a short while by dragging someone else down. I feel sorry for them that they're so laser focussed on hating someone, rather than appreciating the good.

 

[Pistol Night]

It's genuinely pathetic just how much glee some people seem to take from someone else's failures. Their lives must be an absolute crap show if they're only able to feel good for a short while by dragging someone else down. I feel sorry for them that they're so laser focussed on hating someone, rather than appreciating the good.

With Nick its just pathetic. Purely because he plays for Collingwood

 

[Tadpole]

I've never gone to the main board & after reading what people on here say, I have no intention of ever going there.

You're certainly not missing anything. They're a special lot over there (although I can't talk, as I do occasionally butt my little froggy nose into places it's probably not needed).

 

[manicmagpie]

Calling it now: in 2026 Nick will poll 40+ votes but will be pipped to the Brownlow by Wanganeen-Milera, who picks up 3 votes in nearly every game as the umpires overreact to stuffing up the Saints/Melbourne game.

 

[Tadpole]

Calling it now: in 2026 Nick will poll 40+ votes but will be pipped to the Brownlow by Wanganeen-Milera, who picks up 3 votes in nearly every game as the umpires overreact to stuffing up the Saints/Melbourne game.

Nothing would surprise me with the incompetents down at AFL House.

 

[76woodenspooners]

It's genuinely pathetic just how much glee some people seem to take from someone else's failures. Their lives must be an absolute crap show if they're only able to feel good for a short while by dragging someone else down. I feel sorry for them that they're so laser focussed on hating someone, rather than appreciating the good.

I take enormous glee from Carlton’s continuous failures …

… does that make me a bad person?

 

[BillyElliott]

I take enormous glee from Carlton’s continuous failures …

… does that make me a bad person?

But we have many reasons to hate Carlton.

 

[76woodenspooners]

From the AFL website:

"The most surprising votes from Brownlow night

We look at the games where the umps and coaches differed in their votes
By Dejan Kalinic
Sep 22, 2025, 11:00

The biggest surprise of the night, possibly in Brownlow history, was Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera getting just two votes from the umpires in his stunning performance against Melbourne in round 20, when he single-handedly won the game as the Saints pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in VFL/AFL history. But Dees midfielder Jack Viney got the three votes from the umpires, with Wanganeen-Milera getting just two. Wanganeen-Milera, unsurprisingly, got 10 votes from the coaches in that game, while Viney got five.

But there were other games when the umpires and coaches were even more unaligned.
Overall, there were 13 instances of players getting three votes from the umpires but none from the coaches, and 21 occasions where players picked up a perfect 10 from the coaches but got no love from the umpires.


Players who got three Brownlow votes but no coaches' votes
Round 1: Chad Warner v Brisbane
Round 1: Jack Viney v Greater Western Sydney
Round 4: Matt Rowell v Adelaide
Round 5: Dayne Zorko v Western Bulldogs
Round 6: Reilly O'Brien v Greater Western Sydney
Round 7: Matt Rowell v Sydney
Round 9: Matt Rowell v Western Bulldogs
Round 9: Cam Rayner v North Melbourne
Round 12: Tom Green v Richmond
Round 14: Patrick Cripps v West Coast
Round 15: Dayne Zorko v Geelong
Round 22: Mark Blicavs v Essendon
Round 24: Patrick Cripps v Essendon
Players who got 10 coaches' votes but no Brownlow votes
Round 1: Toby Greene v Melbourne
Round 1: Jarrod Witts v West Coast
Round 2: Tristan Xerri v Melbourne
Round 4: Riley Thilthorpe v Gold Coast
Round 5: Tom Atkins v Adelaide
Round 6: Shaun Mannagh v Hawthorn
Round 9: Tom Liberatore v Western Bulldogs
Round 9: Jesse Hogan v Geelong
Round 9: Tristan Xerri v Brisbane
Round 10: Noah Anderson v Hawthorn
Round 10: Shai Bolton v Greater Western Sydney
Round 14: Jarman Impey v Adelaide
Round 15: Darcy Cameron v St Kilda
Round 16: Dan Curtin v Richmond
Round 16: Scott Pendlebury v West Coast
Round 17: Brodie Grundy v Fremantle
Round 18: Sam Switkowski v Hawthorn
Round 22: Aliir Aliir v Fremantle
Round 23: Zac Bailey v Fremantle
Round 23: Darcy Cameron v Adelaide
Round 24: Tristan Xerri v Adelaide
https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/fixture?Competition=3&Season=84&Round=1301
Either the coaches or the umpires have got it wrong.!!! As mentioned by posters above, the AFL have to fix this ludicrous situation somehow.

The Brownlow is about the “best and fairest”

The coaches aren’t particularly concerned about the “fairest” bit.

 

[Tadpole]

I take enormous glee from Carlton’s continuous failures …

… does that make me a bad person?

Carlton is a special case, in more ways than one.

 

[Tadpole]

But we have many reasons to hate Carlton.

And their success or talent certainly isn't one of them.

 

[Pistol Night]

I take enormous glee from Carlton’s continuous failures …

… does that make me a bad person?

No it makes you a level above Gandhi

 

[76woodenspooners]

The umpires definitely got Rowell & Noble mixed up in all 3 of those games. Reminds me of the JHF & Bergman mix up last year.

Especially when they can’t view stats and probably just remember a redhead at every stoppage and every kick out

The solution is obvious …

… the AFL brings in a fifth umpire whose role is to focus on the game and award the Brownlow votes.

 

[gouki88]

The solution is obvious …

… the AFL brings in a fifth umpire whose role is to focus on the game and award the Brownlow votes.

Maybe the ARC can do the Brownlow

 

[TW Sherrin]

IIRC Naicos polled last year in a game against Demons with 15 touches where he was subbed out during the 3rd quarter. He also got 2 votes in a loss v Sydney with 25 touches, no goals and 9 x clangers. In 2023 JHF had 13 touches v Geelong with 7 x clangers and got 3 votes. The whole award has become a bit of a farce.

Nick seems to be occupying a lot of your time.

 

[BillyElliott]

The Brownlow is about the “best and fairest”

The coaches aren’t particularly concerned about the “fairest” bit.

Umpires obviously aren't as concerned about being knocked into/over as the AFL considering Rowell has been fined four times in a two-year period and on his last warning, with another incident risking a suspension

 

[Andyy]

The solution is obvious …

… the AFL brings in a fifth umpire whose role is to focus on the game and award the Brownlow votes.

Hmmm.

I think the issue here then is that this person could be susceptible to deviance.

Not a bad idea at all but I think it would need to be 3+ purely watching the game, not allowed to spectate the game of the club they support, and not allowed to communicate (no phones allowed) during the game until they've voted.

 

[Jmac3542]

Billy Elliott 5 goals on Anzac Day... 0 votes.
The NWM one though took the cake.
Farcical award to say the least.
What about the fact teams don't play each other twice. No one mentions that. How many votes would Nick get playing all the bottom teams twice.

Josh Daicos had 36 disposals Anzac Day . No votes. Both Josh & Elliott in Anzac Day medal voting along with Sidebottom who won it and got 3 votes.

Josh was also clearly 2nd best to Nick in our Gabba win, again zero votes.

Josh did well getting 12 votes in the end but it should’ve been 15-16 votes.

 

[Seedsfan]

Ok, I am going to do this. I can't believe this and I feel dirty but here we go.

I think it is wrong to blame the umpires. They have asked the AFL to allow them to see stats, obviously because they are busy doing their job and therefore may not notice who was really the best on ground. A simple way to confirm their thoughts or give them a chance to reassess. The AFL has said no.

It's the AFL we should be angry at. I imagine the umpires sometimes see a few fantastic moments and that stays in their minds and can influence their decisions.

All the other MVP awards in the afl, whether it be players or coaches or whatever, have access to stats. It doesn't compromise those awards and it won't compromise the Brownlow. Just let the umpires view the stats.

It is the umpires fault

 

[Seedsfan]

The issue is corruption plain and simple

 

[doofdoof]

The Brownlow voting is a mess, like everything else with the umpiring department. You would think after a another joke of a count tonight they will look at the voting process in the off-season and make some changes...

No brainer to make the umpires watch a replay of the game (with crowd noise, but without commentary) before they award the votes.

 

[doofdoof]

Ok, I am going to do this. I can't believe this and I feel dirty but here we go.

I think it is wrong to blame the umpires. They have asked the AFL to allow them to see stats, obviously because they are busy doing their job and therefore may not notice who was really the best on ground. A simple way to confirm their thoughts or give them a chance to reassess. The AFL has said no.

It's the AFL we should be angry at. I imagine the umpires sometimes see a few fantastic moments and that stays in their minds and can influence their decisions.

All the other MVP awards in the afl, whether it be players or coaches or whatever, have access to stats. It doesn't compromise those awards and it won't compromise the Brownlow. Just let the umpires view the stats.

Stats and watch a replay. Why the hell not?

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

No brainer to make the umpires watch a replay of the game (with crowd noise, but without commentary) before they award the votes.

Each umpiring group from each game should be meeting at the AFL offices in each state to go through the matches they umpired after each round, with a packaged up video of the game and stats to get a feel for the overall match, and discuss between themselves who they thought was worthy of the votes and come to an agreed 3,2,1 after they have gone through the video and data in front of them. This could be done in a couple of hours, and available to the umpires through the week, in case an umpire can't make it on a Monday, up until the next round.
I really do think some of these umpires don't know the players to well, or even what the players names are, and this causes confusion as to who they are giving the votes to, as l'm sure Rowell was mistaken in a couple of games to Noble.
Eventhough they're umpires, it doesn't mean they are footy nuts and may not know the teams or players too well. In the end it's a job to them.

 

[manicpie]

You're all over thinking it, **** the Brownlow. And we're not bringing in a fifth umpire to give Brownlow votes, that would like bringing in whoever the **** the E Safety Commissioner is and making them an instant expert

 

[jmac70]

Nick robbed again.

 

[cakewalk_1]

It's genuinely pathetic just how much glee some people seem to take from someone else's failures. Their lives must be an absolute crap show if they're only able to feel good for a short while by dragging someone else down. I feel sorry for them that they're so laser focussed on hating someone, rather than appreciating the good.

schadenfreude!