The introduction of the fourth umpire next season could finally end the Brownlow Medal being exclusively for AFL midfielders

BROWNLOW and Magarey Medallist Malcolm Blight sees the AFL’s highest individual award changing from a midfielder’s trophy next year with the fourth field umpire.

Ollie Wines of the Power tackles Blake Hardwick of the Hawks during the Round 11 AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Port Adelaide Power at the University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston, Saturday, June 2, 2018. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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WHO will win the Brownlow Medal now that 2015 winner Nat Fyfe is ineligible? Another midfielder, you would expect.

History points to the Brownlow being the midfielder’s medal. It certainly has for the past 15 years.

But this theme - that for more than 50 seasons has generally put “Charlie” around the neck of a proud onballer rather than an influential defender or game-breaking forward - could be about to change.

The trial of the fourth field umpire - a mid-season “experiment” that will become the norm next year - could dramatically change the black-tie roll call of Brownlow Medal votes on the last Monday each September.

Having a seasoned umpire at each end of the field - and an extra voice that will carry significant weight by experience in the debate on the Brownlow Medal votes - could definitely change the dynamics on the allocation of the weekly 3-2-1 in each game for AFL’s most prestigious individual award.

Right now, with Fyfe out of contention, the best indicator for the Brownlow comes from the coaches’ votes. The leaderboard has Patrick Cripps (from the lowly placed Carlton); Tom Mitchell (from the mid-table Hawthorn) and Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin, who would revel in collecting his second Brownlow when the votes are actually read - rather than years after the 2012 count was revisited to strip the award from Jobe Watson.

It is a very open field, more so with 2017 winner Dustin Martin and 2016 Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield still not reaching the heights of their medal-winning seasons. And the footy gods certainly need to bless you with a near-perfect season to have umpires crown a player as the Brownlow Medallist.

In Adelaide, there are two players to watch at each of the Crows and Port Adelaide - and the fourth umpire would certainly help change the perception the Brownlow has become a midfielder’s medal.

At the Power, the proven votegetters are consistent midfielder Ollie Wines (18 votes last season) and goalsneak and occasional midfielder Robbie Gray. If goals mean more than putting 40 disposals against your name on the statistics sheets, Gray should outpoll Wines. But will he? When will a forward end the Brownlow drought that began in1987 when the AFL’s greatest scorer, Tony Lockett, won the award?

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin kicks the ball forward against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty

Adelaide’s Rory Laird fires the handball forward. Picture Sarah Reed

At the Crows, the pre-season favourite would have been midfielder Rory Sloane, who at the end of last season had a superb count of 88 votes from his 165 games. He should be overtaken as Adelaide’s top votegetter this season by Carlton recruit Bryce Gibbs, although it will be interesting if he scores more best-on-ground 3s than be rewarded for his consistency with third-best 1s.

Of course, the stand-out should be All-Australian defender Rory Laird. But a defender has not won the Brownlow since 1993 when South Australian Gavin Wanganeen (at Essendon) defied the midfielders.

How would the fourth umpire’s eye help Laird poll more votes than the 22 he gathered in his first 100 games? Or other outstanding defenders, such as All-Australian captain Alex Rance? Or ruckmen, such as Max Gawn (Melbourne) and Brodie Grundy (Collingwood), particularly when the Brownlow count has not needed a stepladder to honour the big men since Adam Goodes’ success in 2003?

The Brownlow story could certainly change next year with a new set of eyes on the voting slips after each game.

But very little else should change with this grand award that was first presented in 1924.

Keep it with the umpires. It is always interesting to look at how the umpires do vote - and we should remember that, unlike other awards, the umpires are compelled to consider “fairness” in the Brownlow.

Fyfe’s suspension does bring into debate the need for the “fairness” catch to the medal. There is a debate to be had if a player should remain eligible for the Brownlow even after he is suspended for accidental acts. What about careless ones as defined by new match review officer Michael Christian? There is no need to reconsider the “deliberate” or “reckless” acts - these certainly should put a player out of reach of a Brownlow.

The Brownlow Medal, media awards and the coaches’ trophy are the most meaningful in the game. They are judged by people who are completely invested in the match from start to finish.

The same cannot be said of the players’ vote for their over-rated award. How can this peer trophy be taken seriously when so many players do not watch the game, either because of time constraints or a lack of interest? How can their opinion on the AFL’s best player hold credibility when the votes are based on a view from a few games not every match?