It's time to add new awards

[AnEmptyChair]

I know this conversation comes up around this time of year all the time, but it's more relevant now than ever imo. Channel 7 is absolutely right with this tweet. It's well past time to include a Defensive Player of the Year-type award in the AFL's pantheon of honours. No longer mere stoppers, defenders are now perhaps the most crucial part of a team's structure and it's about time they're formally recognised.

I also think it's time to add an All-Australian second team and change the voting system with a large spread of media and administrators casting votes. Everyone's sick of seeing mids shoehorned onto the forward flanks and that's partly because they make up the dominant group of the best players but also because the committee system that's currently in use is massively flawed. An AA second team would allow those mids to still be recognised while also giving specialised forwards and wingers their due recognition too.

 

[Engimal v3]

Weird tweet. The Coleman isn't for forwards, it's for the player who kicks the most goals. The Brownlow isn't for midfielders, it's a Best & Fairest award across all players.

 

[RichLeMonde]

Weird tweet. The Coleman isn't for forwards, it's for the player who kicks the most goals. The Brownlow isn't for midfielders, it's a Best & Fairest award across all players.

Not so weird. In reality only forwards win Colemans, and only mids win Brownlows. A defender of the year award would be a good acknowledgment.

AA 2nd team also wouldn’t be a bad idea. I think the team should be picked as though it was to play a real game. That way, it’s not necessarily a problem to push mids to flanks, so long as they would actually be good at that role, ie you wouldn’t pick a pure inside bull as a wing or HFF, but guys who rack up goal assists and hit the scoreboard, like Danger, are perfectly reasonable selections in that role.

 

[Quivorir]

Golden Fist exists for defenders. Time for the AFL to acknowledge it.

 

[Toump Ass]

Golden Fist exists for defenders. Time for the AFL to acknowledge it.

"Golden Fist" sounds like something from the Kung Fu awards, or an X-rated website.

 

[TwiggleyFanClub]

"Golden Fist" sounds like something from the Kung Fu awards, or an X-rated website.

"BANG!!"

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

The only good thing about that tweet is the idea of ‘Demons’ being associated with the highest standard of defence in the league.

 

[RichLeMonde]

"Golden Fist" sounds like something from the Kung Fu awards, or an X-rated website.

You’re thinking of Golden Fisting, when you piss on someone then fist them. Don’t need an X-rated website - just rewatch either of the prelims.

 

[Duskfire]

Defenders would be hard, purely because its such a team orientated position. A defender to some extent is only as good as the midfield. Also how do you judge what? Lets say Lever gets a bunch of intercepts but has three goals kicked on him, May doesn't intercept as much but completely stops his man, who was the better player? How about a defender who doesn't actually have a set opponent as such, but just hangs back there to set up play, like Caleb Daniel

35

Caleb Daniel

Age

27

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171cm

Wt

72kg

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M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

? Do they not figure into it?

Its just hard to quantify someones input when for some of them, their input is stopping their opponent from having one. Its why taggers very rarely gets votes. De Boer has stopped some amazing opponents in the past, he doesn't get s**t for Brownlow votes, yet for his team he was probably one of the most important players.

 

[Crusty Demon]

The awards system for the AFL need an overhaul. I'm not sure anyone fully respects the Brownlow anymore, and that's a problem. The coaches award should really be the new Brownlow. The whole Michael Tuck medal is a joke and should be scrapped. The Rising Star should be first year players only with another award for the best young player(maybe under 23) voted on by the players. A 2nd AA team is a great idea as well. The whole award system needs a massive revamp tbh..

 

[Toump Ass]

IMO the most pointless award is the Gary Ayers. It's already decided this year and the Grand Final hasn't even happened. Should be replaced with the Gary Rohan

23

Gary Rohan

Age

32

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189cm

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92kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.6

2star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.5

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

8.8

2star

K

6.0

2star

HB

2.8

2star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

3star

G

1.0

4star

D

9.8

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

4.2

5star

G

1.2

4star

in honour of the player who demonstrably performed the worst in the finals series.
While we're at it, the Leon Davis

Leon Davis

Age

42

Ht

177cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.5

3star

K

10.2

4star

HB

3.3

3star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.8

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

5.0

1star

K

3.6

2star

HB

1.4

2star

M

1.2

2star

T

0.4

3star

G

0.4

3star

is well-established already but should be given official recognition.

 

[Shane Heard]

This league has enough awards going on. So many in fact that it’s hard to keep up with the long line of medals and a lot of fans couldn’t give a hoot about half of them. Including the Brownlow.

The only medals that matter in my mind are a Premiership Medal and the Norm Smith.

The entire season is a lead up to the championship game and it’s a hard slog to get there. History remembers Premiership winning sides and who was the best player on the day in a game that Ron Barassi once described as “ Murder Day”

Best defender is too difficult to choose and the other problem is who gets to nominate?

All leagues and sporting competitions around the world have an MVP award.

Someone has to win it even when there’s conjecture about who is most worthy.

It’s just sport.

Winning the championship is everything.

No one remembers or cares about the losing team or preliminary final teams.

It’s like the Archibald painting prize and how so much media attention is put on the “ packers choice”

Why even do it? It dilutes the prestige of the main award.

 

[Fountain Springs]

Defenders would be hard, purely because its such a team orientated position. A defender to some extent is only as good as the midfield. Also how do you judge what? Lets say Lever gets a bunch of intercepts but has three goals kicked on him, May doesn't intercept as much but completely stops his man, who was the better player? How about a defender who doesn't actually have a set opponent as such, but just hangs back there to set up play, like Caleb Daniel? Do they not figure into it?

Its just hard to quantify someones input when for some of them, their input is stopping their opponent from having one. Its why taggers very rarely gets votes. De Boer has stopped some amazing opponents in the past, he doesn't get sh*t for Brownlow votes, yet for his team he was probably one of the most important players.

This is a good point. A defender award would be dominated by flashing intercept players like Lever, Stewart, Ryan etc and purely lockdown defenders and smalls would be ignored

 

[Le Grille]

I want less awards just take the Brownlow away from the umpires.

 

[adammania9]

I want less awards just take the Brownlow away from the umpires.

Why should the umpires award be taken away from the umpires?

 

[Chat Pile]

The only award that anyone should care about is

 

[Schauermann]

The whole Michael Tuck medal is a joke and should be scrapped.

It's already gone since there is no preseason competion anymore.

But I actually like to have it back. Made preseason a lot more interesting.

 

[juss]

I know this conversation comes up around this time of year all the time, but it's more relevant now than ever imo. Channel 7 is absolutely right with this tweet. It's well past time to include a Defensive Player of the Year-type award in the AFL's pantheon of honours. No longer mere stoppers, defenders are now perhaps the most crucial part of a team's structure and it's about time they're formally recognised.

I also think it's time to add an All-Australian second team and change the voting system with a large spread of media and administrators casting votes. Everyone's sick of seeing mids shoehorned onto the forward flanks and that's partly because they make up the dominant group of the best players but also because the committee system that's currently in use is massively flawed. An AA second team would allow those mids to still be recognised while also giving specialised forwards and wingers their due recognition too.

Yes to an award for defenders, perhaps something like the Danny Frawley Medal would be a nice tribute.

No to a second AA team, they should just actually pick the best players in their positions, e.g half forwards and small forwards in the forward line.
Perhaps the bench could unofficially have a second ruck, a forward, a midfielder and a defender.

I also think it's laughable the Brownlow is the AFLs prestige award. I couldn't give a crap who the umpires think the best midfielder is, and I know a lot if people coming around that no longer rate the award either.

 

[Brick Loosener]

I deserve a medal for watching Carlton play this year.

 

[Chat Pile]

I deserve a medal for watching Carlton play this year.

You deserve a stay in a mental facility for that.

 

[Brick Loosener]

You deserve a stay in a mental facility for that.

Hard to change channels with the straight jacket on.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

The Brownlow is the Brownlow because it is voted by the umpires
If the award was rubbish, it wouldn't be the most popular award of the year.
It is awarded by the umpires that's why it is more important than the other 50 media awards.

 

[Chat Pile]

The Brownlow is the Brownlow because it is voted by the umpires
If the award was rubbish, it wouldn't be the most popular award of the year.
It is awarded by the umpires that's why it is more important than the other 50 media awards.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

If you're wondering why the Brownlow is a midfielders award, it's because the media attacked the whole award process when Greg Williams got 44 possessions and didn't get a vote.
Now the umpires feel obliged to give votes to big possession gatherers.

 

[Hoops]

We could have a BigFooty award.

• Votes are weighted more closest to the current point in time. So you could have 40 possessions and kicked 3 goals for the last several weeks but you shanked a kick today and it went out on the full then you're s**t.
• Tiger players can have the S.Hocking advantage due to the AFL conspiring against them where 10% can be added on.
• Players from Clubs that make finals and lose, get votes deducted compared to clubs that finish near the bottom of the ladder just because they are apparently more s**t - it plays in to that recency bias
• Every claim of being overrated gets you extra votes due to probably being underrated