Live Event 2019 Brownlow Medal

[calyam]

He played in defence thats not the same as being accountable in the midfield.

However I dont necessarily remember what Hird was like with an opponent.

Gun mids have never really played on their opponents. The closest it got seems to have been wingmen.

It was a different era. The idea of a team defense incorporating 18-men didn't really exist. Hird rarely defended anyone. The closest he ever came to having a 'man' was when a tagger was sent his way.

 

[owen87]

It's been a long time since I've watched a Brownlow count - is it still something people watch in full?
And I guess a sub-question - do people still view it as THE award for AFL players? 20-25 years ago if you won the Brownlow you were the 'best', is this still the case?

I've always like the idea of an 'awards' night that would go for around 2 hrs, include some highlights from the season, and name the top 3/give out an award for:
Brownlow - best and fairest as voted by umps
Best as voted by Players Association
Best as voted by coaches
Best as voted by a media panel
Best defensive player
Best forward player
Rising Star
Coleman
Name the All Australian team
Name the under 23 team

Brownlow is typically the most hyped midfielder, usually requires a few seasons to be noticed by the media / umpires then they start picking up votes just for existing.

Hard to argue Grundy wasn't the most dominant player across the entire season for me, yet he was 10 votes short of Fyfe. Grundy and Martin finished with the same votes, yet I don't think many would argue Grundy wasn't more consistent or more important to his team across the season, just not as eye catching or hype filled as the big name midfielders.

Has lost some of it's shine for me because of this, umpires ignore KPPs unless they completely obliterate a game, whilst a Dangerfield / Fyfe / Martin can play a good-but-not-great game and rack up votes.

 

[boncer34]

I actually watched most of it, though I wasn't originally intending to. They had a tribute to former players that had passed away, a montage of retiring players which failed to include Matt Dea but had Luke Hodge in a Hawthorn jumper (I feel like they reused the same montage they had 2 years ago before he came back out of retirement for Brisbane?). They also doubled up Dale Morris and Tom Boyd in the same clip, which seemed lazy. Also the mark of the year, goal of the year, Jim Stynes community award and some other little bits and pieces in between the ad breaks and the occasional bit of "Round 8, 3 votes".

My highlight was the betting ads though, the guy that hosts it in a dinner jacket with an open plan office filled with very ordinary florescent lighting and cubicles behind him, a flat screen TV in the middle of it all to display the odds, while he interviewed a very disinterested looking Dane Swan about the $10 T-shirt and cap he was wearing. Idk who came up with it and maybe I was just very tired, but it had me in fits of laughter. Not that I can remember what the odds were, which company it was or anything else about it, so as far as marketing I'm not sure if it counts as successful.

Overall though the function seemed a bit better organised than the last time I bothered with it, which must've been 3-4 years ago. There was also a bit of live music from some spud that apparently sounds better when he's pre-recorded (and probably auto-tuned, I imagine).

Do you mean Nathan Brown?

 

[DapperJong]

Do you mean Nathan Brown?

nah he retired ages ago


why would he be in the montage?

 

[mike14]

Brownlow is typically the most hyped midfielder, usually requires a few seasons to be noticed by the media / umpires then they start picking up votes just for existing.

Hard to argue Grundy wasn't the most dominant player across the entire season for me, yet he was 10 votes short of Fyfe. Grundy and Martin finished with the same votes, yet I don't think many would argue Grundy wasn't more consistent or more important to his team across the season, just not as eye catching or hype filled as the big name midfielders.

Has lost some of it's shine for me because of this, umpires ignore KPPs unless they completely obliterate a game, whilst a Dangerfield / Fyfe / Martin can play a good-but-not-great game and rack up votes.

I think one of my big problems with it for a while has been that it really is now just a 'midfielder award', and it's solely being judged by those who already have too much on their plate. How are meant to pay attention to 36 spread out across a large field, while trying to maintain contril and interpret some 'interesting' rules, while also assessing who the best player is?

Didn't help that by the end of the Vlad years, Ch 7/the AFL had turned it all into an over-developed 'product' that made for terrible viewing

 

[boncer34]

nah he retired ages ago


why would he be in the montage?

Isn't he the sportsbet guy?

 

[DapperJong]

Isn't he the sportsbet guy?

Hard to tell

the lighting isn't very good

 

[boncer34]

Hard to tell

the lighting isn't very good

Did the Nathan Brown from St Kilda retire?

 

[BrunoV]

It's been a long time since I've watched a Brownlow count - is it still something people watch in full?
And I guess a sub-question - do people still view it as THE award for AFL players? 20-25 years ago if you won the Brownlow you were the 'best', is this still the case?

I've always like the idea of an 'awards' night that would go for around 2 hrs, include some highlights from the season, and name the top 3/give out an award for:
Brownlow - best and fairest as voted by umps
Best as voted by Players Association
Best as voted by coaches
Best as voted by a media panel
Best defensive player
Best forward player
Rising Star
Coleman
Name the All Australian team
Name the under 23 team

It's always been and continues to be the most prestigious award.

Whether the best player has won it seems to be incidental.

Leight Matthews, Carey, Ablett Snr didnt win a brownlow but are widely regarded as being in the conversation as the best players of all time.

Of the best ruckman to play the game, for example, only Peter Moore has won a brownlow. Stynes and Wynd have 1 but Simon Madden, Polly Farmer and team of the century big bodied midfielder Nicholls dont have one.

The fairest component of the award has always counted heavily against the best player necessarily winning the award. The award being midfield centric has also muddied the waters.

 

[citizen-erased]

Sigh. I really need to make myself watch more Freo games.
Maybe sans-Ross they will be more palatable. They weren't pre-Ross, but who knows.

 

[BrunoV]

Sigh. I really need to make myself watch more Freo games.
Maybe sans-Ross they will be more palatable. They weren't pre-Ross, but who knows.

On the topic of Lyon, couldnt help but notice the bitch-slapping Fyfe gave Fremantle over the Lyon sacking during his acceptance speech.

 

[citizen-erased]

On the topic of Lyon, couldnt help but notice the bitch-slapping Fyfe gave Fremantle over the Lyon sacking during his acceptance speech.

Whoever takes over is coming in with a lot of pressure.

 

[Oraaaaazio]

I actually watched most of it, though I wasn't originally intending to. They had a tribute to former players that had passed away, a montage of retiring players which failed to include Matt Dea but had Luke Hodge in a Hawthorn jumper (I feel like they reused the same montage they had 2 years ago before he came back out of retirement for Brisbane?). They also doubled up Dale Morris and Tom Boyd in the same clip, which seemed lazy. Also the mark of the year, goal of the year, Jim Stynes community award and some other little bits and pieces in between the ad breaks and the occasional bit of "Round 8, 3 votes".

My highlight was the betting ads though, the guy that hosts it in a dinner jacket with an open plan office filled with very ordinary florescent lighting and cubicles behind him, a flat screen TV in the middle of it all to display the odds, while he interviewed a very disinterested looking Dane Swan about the $10 T-shirt and cap he was wearing. Idk who came up with it and maybe I was just very tired, but it had me in fits of laughter. Not that I can remember what the odds were, which company it was or anything else about it, so as far as marketing I'm not sure if it counts as successful.

Overall though the function seemed a bit better organised than the last time I bothered with it, which must've been 3-4 years ago. There was also a bit of live music from some spud that apparently sounds better when he's pre-recorded (and probably auto-tuned, I imagine).

Think the worst of all was the "In Memorium" part, where they failed to include Colin Sylvia

 

[Cold Sober]

Thought it was more a Me Too promotional shoot than an award night for mens football.

 

[eth-dog]

Good winner, but I wish it came down to the last round.

 

[DapperJong]

Thought it was more a Me Too promotional shoot than an award night for mens football.

Should probably keep this to your "old man yells at cloud" thread on the GD board.

 

[boncer34]

Think the worst of all was the "In Memorium" part, where they failed to include Colin Sylvia

That was pretty rubbish.

 

[BrunoV]

Is Sylvia dead?

 

[DapperJong]

Is Sylvia dead?

yep

 

[BrunoV]

yep

s**t.

 

[Lore]

Do you mean Nathan Brown?

Isn't he the sportsbet guy?

That's the one.

 

[NAB777]

Dare I say it, he's probably the upgrade.

He has basically all of Hird's quality in a bigger, more powerful rig.

Only downside is kicking at goal.

Happy for him to win it. Was hoping he would tie with Danger.

Hird could do everything Fyfe does, but Fyfe can't do everything that Hird did.

 

[owen87]

Hird could do everything Fyfe does, but Fyfe can't do everything that Hird did.

I’d say Hird is a better kick but probably less explosive, Fyfe more prolific and stronger inside but Hird was more damaging and hit the scoreboard more frequently.

Fyfe is probably the closest modern player to Hird but the game has changed a lot so it’s a little hard to compare, I think disposal averages and tackles have both risen (two areas Hird is behind Fyfe) but average scores have dropped (where Fyfe is behind Hird)

 

[NAB777]

I’d say Hird is a better kick but probably less explosive, Fyfe more prolific and stronger inside but Hird was more damaging and hit the scoreboard more frequently.

Fyfe is probably the closest modern player to Hird but the game has changed a lot so it’s a little hard to compare, I think disposal averages and tackles have both risen (two areas Hird is behind Fyfe) but average scores have dropped (where Fyfe is behind Hird)

Without checking, I'd say that possessions are probably 20-30% up these days compared to back then. You can get 30 today & it doesn't mean a thing. I think Brian Lake had 30+ a couple of years ago, and wasn't involved in a single scoring chain... And it wasn't as easy to get 15 marks in a game back then either.

Fyfe isn't a great kick & also doesn't hit the scoreboard like Hird could.

Hird, at his best, was as good as they come. 3rd all time at Essendon. At times was an undersized CHF in a tough era, could dominate in the midfield... only injury stopped him winning 6-7 B&F's & probably another Brownlow.