Will a player who is not an onballer ever win the Brownlow Medal again?

[Billy Demon]

Will a player who is not an onballer ever win the Brownlow Medal again. Have a look at the list of winners - in the past 30 years winners are skewed towards onballers. Yes, we know that onballers are in the face of umpires and will gain the most attention. And onballers by virtue of their role will gather the most possessions. But does it follow that the Brownlow identifies the best player in the comp or the best onballer in the comp. How sad that every young kid running around playing AFL and is dreaming of one day winning the Brownlow may have no chance if he is not an onballer. Am I being too simplistic?

 

[Redeye Rambler]

I see 2 reasons why most Brownlow winners are midfielders. That's where the best players are and these players get more of the ball

Coaches will usually have their best players playing in the midfield, to maximise their opportunities to get more of the ball = more votes. It is a bit unusual to leave your best player at one end of the ground and limit their opportunities.
Sure there are some great players who predominately play forwards or back, but can you say that on most weeks, they were one of the best 3 payers on the ground?

There are some exceptions, but generally the best players are in the midfield.

 

[Supercoach Bargain]

No.

 

[blitzer]

I reckon it will happen eventually. I don't see forwards winning it anytime soon as it is too dependent on supply. They also barely ever attract votes, even huge games with 6+ goals often fail to score 3 votes.

The positions I think are most likely:
1) Ruck - eventually there will be a ruck dominant enough to win. Though they may play a bit like an extra onballer so that may defeat the purpose of the thread.
2) Half back flanker - Think your Wanganeen Mcleod type superstars that can do it all down back and are flashy and noticeable whilst doing it.

I'd still expect 9/10 brownlows over the next 2 decades to go to onballers though and that might even be conservative.

 

[NonPhixion]

Franklin was the best chance... if he cant I don't think anyone can tbh

 

[SSSSSS]

If 2008 Buddy can't do it no one can. Absolutely robbed.

 

[Danog]

If 2008 Buddy can't do it no one can. Absolutely robbed.

2008 Richo

 

[PAFC_1870]

2008 Richo

2004 Tredrea....

Unbackable fav, gets half the votes (15) of the Winner.

 

[JackOutback]

I see 2 reasons why most Brownlow winners are midfielders. That's where the best players are and these players get more of the ball

Coaches will usually have their best players playing in the midfield, to maximise their opportunities to get more of the ball = more votes. It is a bit unusual to leave your best player at one end of the ground and limit their opportunities.
Sure there are some great players who predominately play forwards or back, but can you say that on most weeks, they were one of the best 3 payers on the ground?

There are some exceptions, but generally the best players are in the midfield.

I don’t think that’s the case at all. For the Eagles, our best players over the past year have been Nic Nat, JK or McGovern. Buddy was his team’s best player for years. There are plenty of great players in teams not getting votes.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

If Budwah didn't win it in 2008 when he kicked over 100 goals (15.3 disposals and 4.5 goals per game), or in 2011 and 2012 when he averaged a career highs in disposals (18.2 and 18.4) and second and third best in goals per game (3.7 and 3.6), then no one can.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Franklin was the best chance... if he cant I don't think anyone can tbh

Exactly, see above. Those were his best years and he was not even close.

 

[Belnakor]

I see 2 reasons why most Brownlow winners are midfielders. That's where the best players are and these players get more of the ball

good example is Fyfe who could play CHF but he is too valuable to waste down there if we are getting flogged.

You ain't getting any votes as a forward if you don't kick 7+. If a player kicked 7 plus in 10 games across the year he'd kick 120+

 

[Belnakor]

Franklin was the best chance... if he cant I don't think anyone can tbh

he could have easily won in it 2017 with 22 votes, just was a high polling year. same with 2014 with the same amount of votes.

 

[skilts]

There is also a class of onballers who seem unlikely to win it - ruckmen. Mind you, in Gawn and Grundy, we have the best duo of ruckman to play in the the AFL/VFL since Farmer and Nicholls (neither of whom won a Brownlow). Still not confident of one of those current players winning one though. I would love to be proven wrong though.

I saw a predictor of the Brownlow votes the other day (on someone's phone, so I don't know where it was originally published), in which Gawn was shown to have accumulated 20 votes so far, but he was still four or five votes off the pace.

 

[doppleganger]

There is also a class of onballers who seem unlikely to win it - ruckmen. Mind you, in Gawn and Grundy, we have the best duo of ruckman to play in the the AFL/VFL since Farmer and Nicholls (neither of whom won a Brownlow). Still not confident of one of those current players winning one though. I would love to be proven wrong though.

??
We had a duo of ruckman win the Brownlow in the 90s - Stynes and Wynd

Rucks actually have a great record of winning as they too follow the ball all over the ground.

The funny thing being that it has always predominately been a followers award, as the best players are usually placed where the ball is - Dick Reynolds, Skilton, Stewart, Bunton Snr - the blokes who won it three times in the 30s and 50s/60s were all midfielders.

It ain’t really that surprising, go through each team and the best players will be the followers more often than not. Coaches association votes top20 at the moment are all mids with Gawn n Grundy.

 

[Thegibbsgamble]

So it's fair to say that since the implementation of 3 umpires, midfielders are getting a free ride.

 

[masai]

There is also a class of onballers who seem unlikely to win it - ruckmen. Mind you, in Gawn and Grundy, we have the best duo of ruckman to play in the the AFL/VFL since Farmer and Nicholls (neither of whom won a Brownlow). Still not confident of one of those current players winning one though. I would love to be proven wrong though.

I saw a predictor of the Brownlow votes the other day (on someone's phone, so I don't know where it was originally published), in which Gawn was shown to have accumulated 20 votes so far, but he was still four or five votes off the pace.

Graham Moss says hello.

 

[masai]

Verdun Howell went ok.

 

[JackOutback]

Some people have short memories; Gawn and Grundy aren’t even Cox and Sandilands (yet), Nic Nat in his prime was more influential. We’ve had a lot of great ducks over the years.

 

[Duskfire]

People criticise the Brownlow for being midfield centric, but the coaches votes are the same. Out of the top 10, 9 are midfielders, with the other being a ruck. Forwards and defenders are talented, but ultimately they depend on the midfield. Forward obviously relies on them to get the ball, while if a midfield is terrible at pressure, it makes defense so much harder. For example, McGovern is a great player, but if the opposition midfield is massively on top and allow pressure free passes into their 50, McGovern can’t do s**t.

I could see a Wanganeen type defender winning it. But it’s doubtful a forward will, especially in this day and age. The closest you get is someone like Danger or Fyfe who spends a reasonable amount of time in the forward line.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

If Buddy couldn't win in 2008 then the answer is no.

 

[skilts]

Graham Moss says hello.

A great player, but not even he constitutes a duo.

 

[skilts]

??
We had a duo of ruckman win the Brownlow in the 90s - Stynes and Wynd

To suggest that these two were better than, or equivalent to, Nicholls and Farmer is risible.

 

[juss]

"Ever again" is an incredibly long time. So undoubtably yes at some point. Funny how people are confident in laying the bet for the rest of football eternity because of a handful of examples otherwise.

 

[skilts]

Some people have short memories; Gawn and Grundy aren’t even Cox and Sandilands (yet), Nic Nat in his prime was more influential. We’ve had a lot of great ducks over the years.

You're right about this.