Crows legend Mark Ricciuto slams ‘ridiculous’ Brownlow Medal rule

Adelaide Crows legend Mark Ricciuto has taken aim at the league and called for a change to the Brownlow Medal voting system.

Brownlow Medal winner Mark Ricciuto has taken aim at the AFL and called for the umpires to be allowed to access stats from the games.

Calls for changes to the voting system have been going on for years, but they reached new heights following Patrick Cripps 2024 win.

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The Blues skipper obliterated Dustin Martin’s previous record of 36 votes when he polled an astonishing 45 votes.

Collingwood’s Nick Daicos, who finished runner up, also surpassed Martin’s mark by polling 38 votes.

Ricciuto won the prestigious award in 2003 when he finished tied with Sydney’s Adam Goodes and Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley.

The three men that year won the Brownlow Medal with only 22 votes to their name. They wouldn’t have placed inside the top 10 in the 2024 count.

Ricciuto (left), Buckley (middle) and Goodes (right) didn’t come close to Cripps’ tally.

In the wake of Cripps’ monster tally, debate ignited surrounding changes being needed to the system.

Ricciuto said the umpires need to be given access to player statistics following games so they can assess the impacts players had before casting their votes.

“I think it is ridiculous that umpires can’t get stats after the game,” Ricciuto said to The Advertiser.

“I’ve done Triple M and Fox Footy commentary since I have finished playing and whenever I have had the responsibility of picking the best on ground I always look at the stats because when you are commentating or when you are umpiring a game of football you need to double check yourself.

Cripps’ win reignited calls for change. Picture: NewsWire/ Michael Klein

Ricciuto wants the umpires to have access to stats. (AAP Image/Kelly Barnes) NO

“Sometimes you are surprised that someone kicked three, four or five goals, sometimes you are surprised that someone had 12 tackles, sometimes you are surprised that someone had 53 hit-outs.

“It is not as simple as you look at the stats and because a midfielder got 35 touches you give them best on ground, clearly the umpires are looking at the midfielders without the stats and thinking they have dominated.”

Despite the Crows legend’s plea, the league ruled out changes to the system with umpires to remain voting without having access to stats.

Andrew Dillon says the league won’t be changing anything. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon had originally noted, in the wake of Cripps’ win, the league would consider allowing umpires to look at post-game statistics.

But those plans were thrown out the window with Dillon confirming no changes to the 2025 voting system would be implemented.

“We trust our umpires implicitly. They are professional, elite athletes (and) incredible decision-makers,” Dillon said to the Herald Sun.

“We spoke to the umpiring group at the end of last season and the consensus from the umpires was that they were comfortable making the calls on the 3-2-1 without access to statistics.”

Originally published as Crows legend Mark Ricciuto slams ‘ridiculous’ Brownlow Medal rule