AFL 2023: Former Melbourne footballer Brian Wilson reunited with lost 1982 Brownlow Medal
A former Demons footballer was in tears after being reunited with his lost Brownlow Medal that he hasn’t had in his possession for an entire decade.
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Former Melbourne footballer Brian Wilson has been reunited with the 1982 Brownlow Medal he thought he had lost forever.
In an emotional presentation before the Melbourne-Western Bulldogs game at the MCG on Saturday night, the Demons presented a surprised Wilson with the medal that he had lost almost a decade ago.
Wilson revealed in 2018 that he had lost the medal and had all but given up hope of its safe return, meaning he couldn’t pass it onto his eldest daughter as he had promised her.
But the medal, which had Wilson’s name inscribed on it, was handed back anonymously to the Melbourne Football Club recently.
Demons chief executive Gary Pert presented the 61-year-old with his most treasured football memento on Saturday night, more than 40 years after the late VFL boss Dr Allen Aylett first presented it to him in 1982.
Wilson was in tears when he had the medal placed around his neck again, saying it has always been his intention to give the award to his daughter.
“It’s amazing,” Wilson said. “I always said that my first born would get my Brownlow and we lost it.
“My daughter is here tonight (Saturday night) and sweetheart, I’ve got the Brownlow (back).”
Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert told the dinner the person who returned the medal to the club said he wanted to remain anonymous but wanted it “returned to the rightful owner.”
It was fitting that it happened before the Demons-Bulldogs game, as Wilson started out his VFL career with Footscray.
He also played with North Melbourne and St Kilda in a career spanning four clubs, 14 seasons and 209 VFL matches.
Wilson was 20 years and 355 days old when he won the medal by five votes in 1982, defeating North Melbourne’s Ross Glendinning and Hawthorn’s Leigh Matthews.
Gill won’t apologize for ‘heavy-handed’ staff betting ban
— Sam Landsberger
Gillon McLachlan expects some sports gambling advertising to be punted from footy venues as the AFL completes a “reset” on wagering.
The Herald Sun exclusively revealed on Thursday that hundreds of AFL employees had been banned from entering tipping competitions or placing social bets on games this season.
AFL chief executive McLachlan conceded the tipping ban was harsh, but was unapologetic about the tighter rules.
“Whether it’s too-heavy handed or not, the integrity of our game is critical and we’re just continuing to make decisions in that lens,” McLachlan said on Friday.
“The integrity guys are making those decisions and in the end you’re better off being too harsh than getting yourself in trouble for people who actually have access to information above the ordinary person.
“In the area of tipping, betting, wagering there’s been a reset and a wide across the board discussion with staff about even the perception of tipping.”
Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett accused the AFL of having a “half pregnant” gambling policy because of the flood of advertising.
“Excellent move by the AFL to ban staff from betting on the outcome of games, a bit severe from comps that involve no exchange of money,” Kennett said on social media.
“What about the education of thousands of children every week, game, show through sports betting? Half pregnant policy children should be priority.”
McLachlan predicted there would be a reduction at AFL games.
“We proactively, going back to when it first was deregulated, we’ve already got impositions on how wagering can interact in our game,” he said.
“They’re not allowed to market live odds in our broadcast, they can’t come into the broadcast – if there’s any discussion about it’s got to go outside the broadcast – (and) there’s restrictions on using ads on the scoreboards at games.
“So we have a set of restrictions, and they’re being reviewed at the moment – and probably they’ll be wound in tighter.
“But we don’t believe in prohibition, because all it does is drive it underground, offshore and has its own set of problems.”
McLachlan said he personally felt the volume of sports gambling ads was too much and “in your face”.
“Our position, my position, is that we think we should be constantly reviewing our exposure and how we interface with different brands, and wagering is no different,” he said on 3AW.
“But we don’t believe in prohibition, so it’s about what the right balance is.
“So we’re participating in a government inquiry on that, talking to our wagering providers.”
AFL’S MOVE TO SAFEGUARD INTEGRITY OF BROWNLOW MEDAL
- Jon Ralph
The AFL has reminded its umpires of their vital role guarding the integrity of the Brownlow in a summer education program featuring a session from integrity unit boss Tony Keane.
First-year umpire Pell resigned from the AFL’s umpiring team in December but with 10 new AFL umpires hired by the league the umpiring department has spent the summer reinforcing its guidelines.
The league is determined to retain the integrity of the Brownlow Medal — judged exclusively by AFL umpires with votes awarded immediately after games.
Senior AFL umpires were mortified about the fallout from Pell’s arrest given how seriously they take their responsibility to award votes.
As part of that summer overhaul AFL Integrity boss Tony Keane spoke to the 42-strong umpiring group about their responsibilities and the dangers of unauthorised leaks.
The AFL has reminded umpires that they should not be in any WhatsApp group that involves betting or a betting syndicate given the possibility friends will try to use any information to place bets.
The league has also instituted a mentoring or buddy system for its most senior umpires with those 10 new umpires so the veteran whistleblowers can attempt to reinforce the culture of integrity.
The advice from senior umpires has been as detailed as the specific phrases to use when friends or family inquire about the voting process.
Umpires should not have their phones with them, with AFL rules stating: “All umpires hand their mobile phones to the umpire trainer upon arrival at the ground and do not receive them back until after the Brownlow votes have been submitted post-game.”
The league has reminded umpires that there are no exceptions to that rule given the need to uphold voting integrity.
During the Covid years some umpires are believed to have retained their phones to print off team lists given the limited personnel at venues but there will be no exceptions this season.
Umpires have often admitted to looking at stats on stadium screens to get a better guide of the dominant players but must only collect their phones after voting.
Vic Police took Pell’s phone to examine it for evidence that he allegedly passed on information to friends which led them to bet on who would poll the three Brownlow votes, with that market only available in the days leading into the Brownlow Medal.
The league is expected to crack down on Brownlow Medal betting markets vulnerable to corruption but allow sports betting companies to continue to offer odds on outright winners, placegetters and club-by-club tallies.
AFL CLUB STILL A ‘PAUPER’ DESPITE MASSIVE $24M INJECTION
St Kilda received over $24 million in AFL funding last year — more than $10 million more than AFL power club Hawthorn.
The league’s annual general report containing the exact breakdown of AFL funding was released last week, showing Gold Coast ($28.276 million) and GWS ($27.486 million) were given the most AFL support.
The league’s variable funding system ensures clubs are on an equal footing and takes in their strengths and weaknesses as well as historical disadvantages and club fixturing.
The league says clubs receive different accounts taking in “different supporter base sizes, differing commercial arrangements with stadiums, the financial impact of the fixture and access to income from non-football related businesses.”
St Kilda was able to knock another $2.5 million off its debt which now sits at $7.015 million.
But the size of the club’s distribution from the AFL again underlines its challenges to become one of the AFL’s powerhouse clubs.
Of the Victorian clubs, St Kilda was followed by North Melbourne $21.02 million, Melbourne ($20.18 million), the Western Bulldogs ($20.03 million) and Carlton ($17.9 million).
West Coast was handed the smallest distribution of $12.7 million, followed by Hawthorn ($13.5 million), Richmond ($14.5 million), Fremantle ($15.39 million), Essendon ($15.503) and Collingwood ($15.59 million).
While power clubs like Carlton can make as much as $1 million in gate revenue from a blockbuster game at the MCG St Kilda returned $2.18 million for the entire year, which included selling a game to Cairns.
But St Kilda was able to secure a record 60,172 members — up eight per cent on 2021 — and believes it can continue to grow its revenue and profits under new chief executive Simon Lethlean.
The club moved on coach Brett Ratten only three months after signing him to secure Ross Lyon for a second stint.
As Lethlean said in the club’s annual report of the club’s ambitions in its 150th season: “We have a challenging, but exciting road ahead. And in closing, to borrow a line from Ross Lyon, we will need all shoulders to the wheel to see this vision through.”
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