For about 150 pages, Sam Mitchell appeared in every team in this thread bar one. He was on most lists as one of the locks.
All of a sudden after missing one game he is being left out of a few teams on here (recency effect and all that).
I think this is a mistake. He has easily been Hawthorn's best player this season. That's obvoiusly the consensus on here as he is easily leading the Hawthown board votes and the 'Big Footy Medal' votes voted on by supporters of all sides. It would be a huge upset if he didn't win the B&F in a canter.
More broadly, he has been getting more of the ball than any other player in the competition. this is of particular significance as his decision making and ball use has been elite (his efficiency stats are also higher than nearly all of his AA competitors).
Despite missing two matches, most voting systems rightly have Mitchell in the top handful of players in the competition. The Herald Sun (3-2-1 like the Brownlow) have him 3rd. 3AW (5-4-3-2-1) also have him 3rd. The Age (9,8 or 7 votes to the best 5 players) have him 6th (from 3rd last week) despite their strage vote system rewarding games played. I'm pretty sure our own Big Footy medal has him top 5 too.
Definitely think he should be included… has put many good seasons together where he has been very unlucky to miss selection.
Good post.
Of course, Mitchell
should be included, but this is no guarantee he will. Mitchell has been snubbed by All Australian selectors more times than any other champion I can think of, so it would be par for the course to see him left out again. In a parallel universe, with a different bunch of clowns on the selection panel, Mitchell would be shooting for his 5th or 6th All-Australian selection.
This year, Mitchell will move into 5th place on the all-time list of Brownlow vote-getters behind Gary Dempsey, R Harvey, G Ablett and C Judd.
As you said, he's at short odds to win his 5th club best and fairest (the same number as Ablett, Judd, Harvey, Voss and Hird).
That will make it 8 top three placings and 11 top five finishes over the journey.
Here's the list of top Brownlow vote-getters from the AFL era, plus their best & fairests and All-Australian Awards
I've substituted in the VFL Team of the Year for the guys whose careers overlapped the 80's and 90's.
Brownlow votes, avg, best & fairests, All-Australian
215 (0.59) Robert Harvey
___.4xB&F, 8xAA (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003)
209 (0.83) Gary Ablett jr.
___.5xB&F, 8xAA (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
209 (0.82) Chris Judd
_______5xB&F, 6xAA (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
184 (0.61) Simon Black
____..3xB&F, 3xAA (2001, 2002, 2004)
183 (0.50) Brent Harvey
____.5xB&F, 4xAA (2000, 2005, 2007, 2008)
178 (0.73) Sam Mitchell
_____4xB&F, 2xAA (2011, 2013)
178 (0.66) Nathan Buckley
__.6xB&F, 7xAA (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003)
175 (0.56) Scott West
______.7xB&F, 5xAA (1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006)
169 (0.78) Dane Swan
_____..3xB&F, 5xAA (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
162 (0.50) Adam Goodes
____3xB&F, 4xAA (2003, 2006, 2009, 2011)
159 (0.54) Shane Crawford
_..4xB&F, 4xAA (1996, 1998, 1999, 2002)
154 (0.64) Greg Williams
____2xB&F, 5xAA (1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994)
150 (0.56) Michael Voss
_____5xB&F, 5xAA (1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003)
148 (0.59) Ben Cousins
_____.4xB&F, 6xAA (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006)
146 (0.49) Mark Ricciuto
_.._..3xB&F, 7xAA (1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
144 (0.41) Craig Bradley
___..4xB&F, 6xAA (1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997)
143 (0.60) John Platten
_____.2xB&F, 5xAA (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992)
142 (0.45) Andrew McLeod
__.3xB&F, 5xAA (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007)
140 (0.50) Matty Richardson
..1xB&F, 3xAA (1996, 1999, 2008)
138 (0.55) Scott Thompson
_..2xB&F, 1xAA (2012)
137 (0.84) Joel Selwood
____.3xB&F, 4xAA (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014)
137 (0.51) Wayne Schwass
_..3xB&F, 1xAA (1999)
135 (0.51) Nick Dal Santo
__..0xB&F, 3xAA (2005, 2009, 2011)
133 (0.53) Garry Hocking
___.4xB&F, 4xAA (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996)
129 (0.52) Jason Dunstall
___.4xB&F, 4xAA (1988, 1989, 1992, 1994)
129 (0.46) Lenny Hayes
_____3xB&F, 3xAA (2003, 2005, 2009)
128 (0.47) Tony Lockett
_____3xB&F, 6xAA (1987, 1991, 1992, 199, 1996, 1998)
126 (0.54) Peter Matera
___...1xB&F, 5xAA (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997)
127 (0.51) Wayne Carey
____.4xB&F, 7xAA (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
126 (0.40) Stewart Loewe
__..1xB&F, 3xAA (1990, 1991, 1992)
125 (0.54) James Hird
_____..5xB&F, 5xAA (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003)
124 (0.47) Nick Riewoldt
___..6xB&F, 5xAA (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014)
122 (0.41) Matthew Pavlich
_..6xB&F, 6xAA (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
118 (0.67) Scott Pendlebury
_.3xB&F, 6xAA (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
115 (0.49) Luke Hodge
______2xB&F, 3xAA (2005, 2008, 2010)
114 (0.55) Daniel Kerr
_____..0xB&F, 1xAA (2007)
114 (0.46) Jimmy Bartel
____.0xB&F, 2xAA (2007, 2008)
114 (0.42) Matthew Knights
__2xB&F, 1xAA (1998)
112 (0.47) Jonathan Brown
__.3xB&F, 2xAA (2007, 2009)
112 (0.41) Tony Liberatore
__.1xB&F, 1xAA (1990)
112 (0.34) Chris Grant
_____..2xB&F, 3xAA (1997, 1998, 1999)
109 (0.39) Gavin Wanganeen 1xB&F, 5xAA (1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003)
109 (0.36) Paul Salmon
____..2xB&F, 3xAA (1987, 1988, 1997)
107 (0.36) Jason Akermanis
_\2xB&F, 4xAA (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004)
106 (0.58) Jobe Watson
____..3xB&F, 2xAA (2012, 2013)
106 (0.50) Steve Johnson
__...0xB&F, 3xAA (2007, 2008, 2010)
106 (0.40) Peter Bell
_______.3xB&F, 2xAA (1999, 2003)
105 (0.43) Jim Stynes
______.4xB&F, 3xAA (1991, 1993)
104 (0.56) Lance Franklin
___.1xB&F, 5xAA (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014)
103 (0.45) Paul Kelly
_______.4xB&F, 3xAA (1995, 1996, 1997)
101 (0.61) Matt Priddis
____...1xB&F, 0xAA
100 (0.43) Gary Ablett sr.
__..1xB&F, 8xAA (1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1993, 1995)
99
_(0.41) Paul Couch
______.3xB&F, 2xAA (1991, 1995)
98
_(0.43) Matthew Boyd
____3xB&F, 2xAA (2009, 2011)
97
_(0.38) Matthew Lloyd
____0xB&F, 5xAA (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003)
96
_(0.45) Darren Jarman
_....1xB&F, 3xAA (1992, 1995, 1996)
95
_(0.30) Nathan Burke
____.3xB&F, 4xAA (1993, 1996, 1997, 1999)
93
_(0.42) Tony McGuinness
_.2xB&F, 4xAA (1987, 1990, 1992, 1993)
93
_(0.36) Nigel Lappin
_____.1xB&F, 4xAA (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
92
_(0.36) Joel Corey
______..2xB&F, 2xAA (2007, 2008)
91
_(0.42) Leigh Montagna
___0xB&F, 2xAA (2009, 2010)