Brownlow 2025 Brownlow Medal Discussion

[dalkin47]

The Brownlow remains the most prestigious award in football, but it is a great pity it is adjudicated upon by individuals who display nothing in regards to the spirit of the game. Sitting at the MCG last Saturday, I was shocked ( but not surprised) by the non~ rewarding of the free kick to Elliott, but the stratosphere of ineptitude was reached when McCreery's miskick was deemed insufficient intent. It is high time the AFL appointed an expert ( and ethical) panel to replace umpires to allocate votes. If this system was introduced in 2024, there is no doubt that N. Daicos would now be a dual Brownlow medallist.

 

[gouki88]

Let’s face it, Nick will never win it as the process is inherently flawed and too easily influenced by outside noise. The fact that only midfielders can win it for the last 15 years says it all really.

His vote tallies would have won the vast majority of Brownlows ever and he has by far the most votes per game on record. I would be shocked if he doesn’t win multiple, let alone one

 

[Pistol Night]

His vote tallies would have won the vast majority of Brownlows ever and he has by far the most votes per game on record. I would be shocked if he doesn’t win multiple, let alone one

He should have 3 already. After 4 years. Insane really

 

[GCPie]

Nick should just stay home next year.

 

[dalkin47]

Most votes without winning the Brownlow Medal (excludes ineligible players)

1. Nick Daicos (COLL) = 38 votes (2024)
2. Marcus Bontempelli (WB) = 33 votes (2021)
3. Nick Daicos (COLL) = 32 votes (2025)
4. Clayton Oliver (MELB) = 31 votes (2021)
5. Sam Walsh (CARL) = 30 votes (2021)
6. Marcus Bontempelli (WB) = 29 votes (2023)
7. Zak Butters (PA) = 29 votes (2024)
8. Bailey Smith (GEEL) = 29 votes (2025)
9. Peter Matera (WC) = 28 votes (1994)
10. Nick Dal Santo (STK) = 28 votes (2011)

Nick Dal Santo got 28 votes in a season.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Nick Dal Santo got 28 votes in a season.

The year Swanny won it.

 

[Pistol Night]

Nick should just stay home next year.

Do a Swanny and wear a Spiderman suit and get pissed at home

 

[SouthernPie]

It is high time the AFL appointed an expert ( and ethical) panel to replace umpires to allocate votes. If this system was introduced in 2024, there is no doubt that N. Daicos would now be a dual Brownlow medallist.

A much better alternative to the present system. Just worried about how it could ensured that panel members were ethical ?

 

[Ctracks]

His vote tallies would have won the vast majority of Brownlows ever and he has by far the most votes per game on record. I would be shocked if he doesn’t win multiple, let alone one

Is there a breakdown yet of which umpire group/s gave those 3 votes to Rowell for sub-par games?

 

[SouthernPie]

Someone did that at some point (can't recall where), and found that they were mostly all different umpires, which feeds into the theory that the players who interact most with the umpires and are in their line of sight get the votes.
Also, mid-field extractors are highly favoured.

 

[WakeUpPies]

The fact that Buckley only has 1/3 of a Brownlow shows you how much the umpires are biased against us. Swanny was robbed in 2010 too, but thankfully they made up for it in 2011 even though his 2010 was arguably better.

And of course the fact Bont doesn’t have one is bizarre. Is AFL the only sport where the most prestigious individual award is decided subjectively by a handful of people?

 

[Markfs]

a lot of great players havent won the brownlow but brad hardie has....umpires have had love affairs with certain players since i started watching the game. Keith Greig won two medals and he used to wear nice white anklets....greg wells almost won a medal by bleaching his hair....

 

[Markfs]

if people havent got respect for the medal, i'll looking at the AFL site right now and there are three photos of the runners up and no photo of rowell....geez...doesnt the AFL own this site?

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Most Brownlow votes in a season (excludes ineligible players)

1. Patrick Cripps (CARL) = 45 (2024) - WON
2. Matt Rowell (GC) = 39 (2025) - WON
3. Nick Daicos (COLL) = 38 (2024)
4. Dustin Martin (RICH) = 36 (2017) - WON
5. Ollie Wines (PA) = 36 (2021) - WON
6. Patrick Dangerfield (GEEL) = 35 (2016) - WON
7. Dane Swan (COLL) = 34 (2011) - WON
8. Nat Fyfe (FREO) = 33 (2019) - WON
9. Marcus Bontempelli (WB) = 33 (2021)
10. Des Fothergill (COLL) = 32 (1940) - WON
11. Herbie Matthews (SM) = 32 (1940) - WON
12. Robert Harvey (STK) = 32 (1998) - WON
13. Nick Daicos (COLL) = 32 (2025)

 

[TW Sherrin]

Nick should just stay home next year.

yep just say thank but no thanks I'm off overseas.

 

[sideswipe]

The fact that Buckley only has 1/3 of a Brownlow shows you how much the umpires are biased against us. Swanny was robbed in 2010 too, but thankfully they made up for it in 2011 even though his 2010 was arguably better.

And of course the fact Bont doesn’t have one is bizarre. Is AFL the only sport where the most prestigious individual award is decided subjectively by a handful of people?

Try US college football. Their ladder is determined by journo votes and coaches votes.

 

[gouki88]

Try US college football. Their ladder is determined by journo votes and coaches votes.

Can we copy college basketball for the playoffs? 64 teams, Pies play someone like Claremont in the first round

 

[sideswipe]

Can we copy college basketball for the playoffs? 64 teams, Pies play someone like Claremont in the first round

68

 

[Vankri]

Why are some of you so shocked? The Brownlow is a crap award with little to no credibility. There’s really no logic in umpires awarding a sport’s most prestigious award. Deep down I think most footy followers know this and it just survives on tradition. Nick mixed up with Josh last year in a game, Rowell getting ridiculous votes for little output, the NAS debacle… I doubt last night will tip the jar and force the AFL to reconsider how it’s done, but you can only sweep so many howlers under the red carpet.

Player of the season is best judged by the coaches votes. Best player in the game (aka general vibe) best judged by the AFLPA. At best, the Brownlow is a sort of ‘best stoppage clearance mid in the game regardless of their impact on results’ award. Surely we all know this after seeing Cripps break the record, Rowell second break, Wines, Neale, Priddis, Judd etc. Not to mention the long list of those who never won one when they clearly should have. Even at a glance, none of the recent winners were the best players in the game in that season except Dusty in 2017.

Meanwhile in a timely turn of events, yesterday was the award for soccer’s Ballon D’Or. With lots of scrutiny, a multi faceted criteria system and a multi-country panel of 100 journalists voting. That deserves the prestige it gets, the Brownlow in its current format simply does not.

 

[VinnieB]

Why are some of you so shocked? The Brownlow is a crap award with little to no credibility. There’s really no logic in umpires awarding a sport’s most prestigious award. Deep down I think most footy followers know this and it just survives on tradition. Nick mixed up with Josh last year in a game, Rowell getting ridiculous votes for little output, the NAS debacle… I doubt last night will tip the jar and force the AFL to reconsider how it’s done, but you can only sweep so many howlers under the red carpet.

Player of the season is best judged by the coaches votes. Best player in the game (aka general vibe) best judged by the AFLPA. At best, the Brownlow is a sort of ‘best stoppage clearance mid in the game regardless of their impact on results’ award. Surely we all know this after seeing Cripps break the record, Rowell second break, Wines, Neale, Priddis, Judd etc. Not to mention the long list of those who never won one when they clearly should have. Even at a glance, none of the recent winners were the best players in the game in that season except Dusty in 2017.

Meanwhile in a timely turn of events, yesterday was the award for soccer’s Ballon D’Or. With lots of scrutiny, a multi faceted criteria system and a multi-country panel of 100 journalists voting. That deserves the prestige it gets, the Brownlow in its current format simply does not.

Ballon D’Or also has managers across Europe vote who are not really voting based on the performance of players in games. It’s almost like a consensus of whoever thinks is the best, they just make them the best.

 

[Vankri]

Ballon D’Or also has managers across Europe vote who are not really voting based on the performance of players in games. It’s almost like a consensus of whoever thinks is the best, they just make them the best.

They are not going into each individual games awarding a set number of points for performances but they have guidelines to award individual performances as well as impact on team achievements (CL or WC wins). Respected journalists vouch their credibility on their votes so they take it seriously.

I would argue the 3-2-1 system is a dumb way of deciding who the best player in the game is. Player performance in a top 4 clash or say the Freo vs Dogs pre final game is not equal to a bottom 4 round 24 game. NWM’s performance versus Melbourne is not worth the same as many other vanilla second BOG games. Adding to that, looking at it without finals is a bit silly, we already have coaches votes for a way to decide the player of the season in that fashion and whilst it’s skewed it’s just a better system for best h&a with equal weight to each game. The Brownlow is redundant in that regard.

 

[BillyElliott]

Why are some of you so shocked? The Brownlow is a crap award with little to no credibility. There’s really no logic in umpires awarding a sport’s most prestigious award. Deep down I think most footy followers know this and it just survives on tradition. Nick mixed up with Josh last year in a game, Rowell getting ridiculous votes for little output, the NAS debacle… I doubt last night will tip the jar and force the AFL to reconsider how it’s done, but you can only sweep so many howlers under the red carpet.

Player of the season is best judged by the coaches votes. Best player in the game (aka general vibe) best judged by the AFLPA. At best, the Brownlow is a sort of ‘best stoppage clearance mid in the game regardless of their impact on results’ award. Surely we all know this after seeing Cripps break the record, Rowell second break, Wines, Neale, Priddis, Judd etc. Not to mention the long list of those who never won one when they clearly should have. Even at a glance, none of the recent winners were the best players in the game in that season except Dusty in 2017.

Meanwhile in a timely turn of events, yesterday was the award for soccer’s Ballon D’Or. With lots of scrutiny, a multi faceted criteria system and a multi-country panel of 100 journalists voting. That deserves the prestige it gets, the Brownlow in its current format simply does not.

I don't think anyone is shocked. Just disappointed. Again.

 

[DoubleO7]

Nick is arrogant and entitled? What are these people smoking.

 

[Rohan25]

Just heard someone on SEN saying Daicos wasn’t deserving of the Brownlow because it took him 4 years to get a contested mark…

I texted in that Rowell took his first contested mark in his 5th year and still only has 2 in his career (half of Daicos) in 6 years and 15 more games but they didn’t read it out. Not interested in facts I guess.

It’s almost as if midfielders aren’t usually selected for their contested marking ability.

 

[Pistol Night]

Just heard someone on SEN saying Daicos wasn’t deserving of the Brownlow because it took him 4 years to get a contested mark…

I texted in that Rowell took his first contested mark in his 5th year and still only has 2 in his career (half of Daicos) in 6 years and 15 more games but they didn’t read it out. Not interested in facts I guess.

It’s almost as if midfielders aren’t usually selected for their contested marking ability.

This contested mark thing is only meaningful to ****wits with IQs similar to their shoe size. Absolutely mind numbing that it even gets brought up