Roast Why I’ve always thought AFL Awards are bRoken

[RCAB]

Says who?

You're dealing with something subjective here. Beans in a jar is an objective exercise and there is a "truth".

With this, there isn't.

Who is the best player? You can't tell me objectively and definitively. Because "best" means something different to everybody. Particularly in a sport where you have 44 players simultaneously attacking and defending in very different roles across an enormous field of play.

So no matter what, it's always going to be a case of opinion without a true answer.

There's one true objective goal in football - winning games. The people most concerned with that and closest to it are the coaches.

So I'll take their opinions over a million others who aren't actually focused on it, and are impacted by endless biased noise.

You’re kind of tying yourself in knots there, Bunk.

If it’s all subjective, then coaches are subjective too, and so is your opinion. So what’s the actual metric that makes theirs “better”?

That’s the whole point of wisdom of crowds, it doesn’t give you some fake “objective truth” it just strips away the subjectiveness of a handful of people and smooths it over a larger sample. Which makes it more reliable, not less.

 

[Ralll]

The Brownlow is a joke. Voted on by umpires of all people.

The AA constantly has players playing out of position but might be the closest thing to a expert panel decision.

Coaches votes are done by biased coaches but has its unique place.

AFL Players Association awards are done by players that probably don't watch many other games.

There doesn't seem to be a season MVP type award that is voted on by an expert group of people (ex players/coaches types). I searched once and couldn't find one but may be wrong.

I don't agree that finals should be involved, it gives an unfair advantage to players in that seasons better teams.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Shouldn't it be called "the best and not suspended". Nothing "fair" about the award.

Not the definition of fairness they’re going with, but you knew this already. Also, other things that appear to be broken - your keyboard.

 

[RUNVS]

The Brownlow is literally "The Umpires Midfielders Award", there's no merit to it because nameless umpires who 99.9% of the time have never played AFL. And if that's not absurd enough, they're just making up scores for players for only 5 minutes of reflection after a game, not even thinking much about it. It's actually coaches or ex-players observations that hold real merit and players value even if there were no award for that. The players couldn't careless in reality what umpires think of their performance if there was no medal involved, so it's totally bizarre they're judging the MVP award.

and 99% of the time are too focused on trying to umpire the game and not focused on which players are actually having an influence on the game.

 

[RUNVS]

The Brownlow is a joke. Voted on by umpires of all people.

The AA constantly has players playing out of position but might be the closest thing to a expert panel decision.

Coaches votes are done by biased coaches but has its unique place.

AFL Players Association awards are done by players that probably don't watch many other games.

There doesn't seem to be a season MVP type award that is voted on by an expert group of people (ex players/coaches types). I searched once and couldn't find one but may be wrong.

I don't agree that finals should be involved, it gives an unfair advantage to players in that seasons better teams.

The AA is flawed, but I really do think it is the best award we have for determining the best players, even with its flaws.

 

[RCAB]

The AA is flawed, but I really do think it is the best award we have for determining the best players, even with its flaws.

Well the 2025 AA team was Kano's AA team.

This isn't a serious industry.

 

[RonnieRaven]

They probably go into their favourite betting app and just pick the player who's on the shortest odds for the Brownlow. Which would explain why midfielders exclusively have won it for the past 20+ years.

But Leigh Matthew’s carey and Ablett senior have won it so that gives it instant credibility

 

[_Mike_]

umpires

Troy Pannell, Michell Pell.....

No wonder the award is perceived so crooked,

 

[_Mike_]

Bont is getting a lot of pity votes from people who think he should have a brownlow and because of how absurdly likeable he is.

He's got plenty of accolades as it is.

• 3× Leigh Matthews Trophy: 2021, 2023, 2024
• AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award: 2019
• 3× AFLPA Best Captain Award: 2021, 2023, 2024
• 7× All-Australian team: 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 (vc), 2023 (vc), 2024 (c), 2025
• 6× Charles Sutton Medal: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
• AFLPA Best First-Year Player: 2014
• AFLCA Best Young Player of the Year: 2015
• 5× 22under22 team: 2014, 2015, 2016 (c), 2017 (c), 2018 (c)

No Brownlow and will likely never win one, although he has one of these to relish

 

[Toump Ass]

Melbourne Demons Bigfooty Board Player of the Year is the only award that really matters

 

[RUNVS]

Melbourne Demons Bigfooty Board Player of the Year is the only award that really matters

You joke, but I think Richmond fans genuinely believe that about the Jack Dyer Medal.

 

[Hoops]

If i was to do an award, i would have every player in every game get a score out of ten, judged by an independent panel

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Brownlow is a joke , All Auatralian awards are Kane Cornes awards now.

 

[RUNVS]

If i was to do an award, i would have every player in every game get a score out of ten, judged by an independent panel

Has to be a panel that actually watches the games though.

Even then I think they would favour the midfielders as a midfielder who gets 35 disposals and lets say 7 clearances gets praised way more than the forward who kicks 5 goals or the defender who stops his opponent from kicking any goals during the match.

 

[thehunterclarkhill]

The perfect example is the defender who the club rates as vital but the media and umpires simply dont recognise.

Gibbo didnt make AA in 2013 which is farcical.

from a saints POV, Lenny in 2010. won our b&f by a street in a team that couldn't have come closer to a flag, top 8 in the brownlow (arguably missed out on ~5 votes, 10 if he got the reputation treatment), Norm Smith and kept us afloat for half the year with Rooey out... and no AA. shocking at the time, and I'm still pissed off 15 years later

 

[HairyO]

from a saints POV, Lenny in 2010. won our b&f by a street in a team that couldn't have come closer to a flag, top 8 in the brownlow (arguably missed out on ~5 votes, 10 if he got the reputation treatment), Norm Smith and kept us afloat for half the year with Rooey out... and no AA. shocking at the time, and I'm still pissed off 15 years later

I think you just try to not let it get to you by recognising that all the awards have been shit for the bulk of our lives - no matter how old you are.

There may be one or 2 who remember the early 70s.

 

[RCAB]

FWIW I'd have Cameron, Holmes and Smith in a three-way tie for importance right now. Dangerfield, like Stewart, is still important but not at the absolute top of the Geelong tree anymore.

You still think this?

 

[Mr Meow]

You still think this?

When he plays a final like that absolutely. We've been saving his midfield minutes for a night like that.

Was very good in the QF too, albeit not required to carry the team so much.

Throughout the season we had the luxury of him being 4th or 5th banana in a forward pocket.

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Won't be watching one minute of this cross promotional advertising filled nightmare.

 

[RCAB]

 

[Lunchtime]

View attachment 2434535

4 goals & 34 disposals - 2 votes..

 

[RCAB]

Nick Daicos can't even win the best player at his club.

AFL is the only sport in the world that uses this ridiculous rigid system of votes in each game to decide who the best player is.