Joel Selwood so-close yet again after leaving Brownlow run too late

AFTER another near-miss on Brownlow night, Geelong captain Joel Selwood will have to be content with the stuff that really matters — flags and finals.

JOEL Selwood has it all: premierships, universal respect, a glittering football resume.

And now after yet another close call last night, the unwanted tag as a perennial Brownlow Medal bridesmaid.

Last year it took the last votes of the night to beat him as Gary Ablett overhauled him by a vote.

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This year it seemed Selwood might repeat the dose, sitting back off the pace before surging from Round 17.

But once again the heavy burden of Brownlow favouritism became a poisoned chalice that dragged him down.

But if it was a former teammate in Ablett that snatched the trophy away last year, this time it was Steve Johnson's 19 votes as an ineligible player that badly checked his run.

Now the man who has everything else in football bar a Norm Smith Medal has to go home content with another oh-so-close moment.

Add last night’s equal-fifth placing to his runner-up finish last year, his fourth-placing in 2010, his top-five finish in 2008 and his eighth placing in 2009.

In 2014 he polled in 11 games compared to 10 last year, but while 2013 brought seven three-voters, he would notch just two this season.

For a player with just eight seasons to his name, five top-eight finishes is something to behold.

Like Ablett early in his career, he has to make do with the stuff he actually really cares about — flags and finals.

Joel Selwood had another big season. Picture: Michael Klein

On a night when the challengers loomed on the final turn like a Melbourne Cup field, Selwood just left his run too late.

Even Selwood had conceded this year was not as stunning as his 2013 season, so he needed to make hay early in his first seven weeks of dominance before the injuries began to bite.

But as Ablett racked up five best-afields in the first nine rounds, Selwood only plodded methodically up the leaderboard.

His 34-touch monster in Round 1 was rewarded with the three votes but from there it was tough going.

Johnson kept picking his pocket with 11 votes to Round 9 and by the time Jimmy Bartel and Tom Hawkins plucked five votes each, he trailed Ablett by seven votes after 10 rounds.

Even Selwood knew the task ahead: “(Stevie) would be sitting back pretty happy with himself. I am not sure where he is, but he's probably got the wobble up,” he joked.

Then came the mid-season stretch of injuries his dad Bryce had spoken about this week in jarring detail — the hamstring, the quad strain, the corked thigh and calf muscle.

By Round 14 he was adrift by 10 votes and while he polled in six of the next seven games, the best-fields never came thick and fast. Just one vote despite 39 touches against GWS, just two despite 29 touches against North Melbourne.

Still, Selwood is only 26 and has more opportunities to come. Instead of Brownlow success he will have to make do with being the most courageous, the most respected and the most feared by opponents.

Originally published as Joel Selwood so-close yet again after leaving Brownlow run too late