Champion Data suggests Nathan Fyfe could poll most Brownlow votes and be ineligible winner
THE Brownlow Medal could be shrouded in controversy as Fremantle star Nat Fyfe threatens to become the third ineligible winner.
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THE Brownlow Medal could again be shrouded in controversy this year as Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe threatens to become the award’s third ineligible winner.
Gary Ablett’s shoulder injury has thrown open the Brownlow Medal race with exclusive Champion Data analysis putting Fyfe only five votes behind the devastated Sun and four votes clear of champion Magpie Scott Pendlebury in third before this weekend’s games.
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A red-hot Fyfe would have cut the likely margin by a further three votes with another best-afield performance in the Dockers’ huge win over Melbourne on Saturday night.
The superb midfielder is expected to have polled in each of the past four games against Melbourne (29), West Coast (31 disposals), Brisbane (29) and Richmond (32).
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Geelong’s Steve Johnson, who is also ineligible after his Rd 9 suspension, was ranked in equal fourth position by the AFL’s official number crunches alongside Cats’ teammate James Bartel and Western Bulldog Tom Liberatore.
Fyfe, 22, became a victim of confusion surrounding the AFL’s head high rules when he was suspended for two matches for his bump on Suns’ midfielder Michael Rischitelli in Round 2.
After Fyfe pleaded guilty to a level 2 rough conduct offence, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon declared “the bump is dead” and similar incidents since then involving prized Swans’ pair Adam Goodes and Lance Franklin have gone unpunished.
The league is committed to a review of the Brownlow Medal eligibility, which currently rules out players found guilty of an offence with more than 100 base points at season’s end.
But AFL football operations manager Mark Evans has flagged the league’s intent to further investigate whether players should be ruled out for minor offences.
“I am prepared to look at it,” Evans said.
“What we will do is collect some vision of all of the minor incidents and see whether we are comfortable, but certainly no promises.”
With seven rounds remaining, Fyfe is well-placed to join Western Bulldogs’ great Chris Grant (1997) and North Melbourne big man Corey McKernan (1996) as an ineligible Brownlow Medal winner.
Former Fremantle coach Chris Connolly said Fyfe should still be eligible.
“We are not sure whether the MRP always gets it right, so to take the Brownlow off a player like that is unfair,” Connolly said.
“And there is no spitefulness in Fyfe. He is a ballplayer, so it’s disappointing if an error in judgment like that costs him a Brownlow.”
HOT MEDAL
Champion Data’s predicted Brownlow votes to Round 16
24 - Gary Ablett
19 - Nat Fyfe
15 - Scott Pendlebury,
13 - Tom Liberatore, Steve Johnson, Jimmy Bartel
12 - Sam Jacobs, Joel Selwood, Aaron Sandilands
Originally published as Champion Data suggests Nathan Fyfe could poll most Brownlow votes and be ineligible winner
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