Ian Stewart and Shane Crawford to bestow Trent Mitchell and Sam Mitchell with 2012 Brownlow Medals
TRIPLE Brownlow medallist Ian Stewart says it will be a thrill to bestow the medal on Trent Cotchin when he and Sam Mitchell are crowned joint 2012 winners at a private ceremony next week.
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CHAMPIONS Ian Stewart and Shane Crawford will crown Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell as joint 2012 Brownlow medallists on Tuesday.
Triple Brownlow medallist Stewart confirmed to the Herald Sun that he had been asked by Richmond to bestow the medal on Cotchin.
He is the Tigers most recent Brownlow winner (1971). Former Hawk Crawford won his Brownlow in 1999.
St Kilda and Richmond star Stewart said he has not been to a Brownlow ceremony since Barry Round’s victory in 1981.
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He rarely attends AFL functions, although he was at the AFL Hall of Fame night when late Saint Darrel Baldock became an AFL legend in 2006.
The AFL Commission will announce Cotchin and Mitchell as 2012 Brownlow medallists at an hour-long ceremony at AFL House.
The players will then have a private function with invited guests.
The occasion is unprecedented and follows Jobe Watson handing back his Brownlow last month after being banned for his role in the 2012 Essendon supplements scandal.
The AFL later ruled Watson ineligible.
Stewart said he was thrilled to be involved in the ceremony because of the high regard in which he held Cotchin.
“I was asked about 10 days ago — (Richmond chief executive) Brendon Gale called me,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to it. I am a Trent Cotchin admirer. He is courageous, team-orientated. I think he’s a good leader and he’s a very, very good player.”
Stewart, 73, said that while he has moved on from his brilliant career, he was not a recluse.
“I am not anti-social but I try to keep it in balance,” he said.
“I don’t want to live in the past. You can get sucked into reminiscing and nostalgia.
“Every day is a new challenge. If you tend to live in your past life too much it stops you from developing.
“Trent is a part of present-day Richmond and a deserving winner and it’s an honour to be there.”
Crawford, who played 305 games for Hawthorn, told the Herald Sun last month that Mitchell was a worthy winner.
“It’s a bit awkward, and I’m sure the guys would feel a bit awkward about it,” he said.
“But when they look back in 20-30 years’ time they’ll be proud to be Brownlow medallists.
“You can’t rewind the clock, but I’d love the AFL to have a ceremony where we don’t talk much about why we’re in this situation.”
Mitchell and Cotchin have spoken about the awkwardness of celebrating the moment under the circumstances of Watson losing his Brownlow.
Mitchell has always polled well in the Brownlow count and Cotchin’s 2012 season was the best of his career.
Originally published as Ian Stewart and Shane Crawford to bestow Trent Mitchell and Sam Mitchell with 2012 Brownlow Medals
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