Gossip Queen: Brownlow Medal secrets high and lows revealed by Shane Crawford and James Hird
PAST Brownlow Medal winners Shane Crawford and James Hird tell of their Brownlow experiences — the good, the bad and the ugly.
Fiona Byrne
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WINNING a Brownlow Medal won’t stop you being bounced at the door of Melbourne’s pickiest nightclubs, but it might snag you a trip on a billionaire’s private jet according to two past winners.
Shane Crawford, the 1999 winner, and James Hird, who won in 1997, told of their Brownlow experiences at their Crawf and Hirdy Podcast Party at Crown.
“When we won the medal (Hird tied for the win with Michael Voss) Gary O’Donnell, myself and our wives, or girlfriends at the time, turned up at Bobby McGee’s and they would not let us in,” Hird recalled.
BROWNLOW RED CARPET LIVE COVERAGE
“We got knocked back. We had not had a drink all night so it was not because of that. We were wearing tuxedos so maybe we were over dressed.
“Also, during the count I went to the toilet around round seven and was locked out for about seven rounds because they locked the doors during the telecast.
“By the time I got back in I realised things were going OK.”
For Crawford, while winning was a huge honour, the flight back to Melbourne from Sydney was harrowing.
“We flew back on Kerry Stokes’ private plane,” he said.
“But obviously I had had too much to drink the night before and I was sick when we took off, I was sick when we did a few fly-bys of Etihad Stadium which was just being built at the time, and all I wanted was to actually land and go to bed, but obviously I had a few functions to attend.
“If I could change one thing it would be that; that I was not so hungover.”
The West Coast Eagles dashing the Demons September hopes had one upside. Hird had promised his podcast community he would dress in musical theatre garb and dance on the MCG if Melbourne won the Grand Final.
Hird and Crawford’s podcast, which started as an opportunity to talk footy and have a few laughs, has grown a wide and dedicated following.
The pair, along with ringmaster Ralph Horowitz, are as funny as they are insightful and the podcast is a genuine pleasure to listen to.
The pair have already decided to roll out another series next year.
Guests at the podcast party included Trevor Marmalade, David Rhys-Jones, Scott Cummings, Lauren Phillips and Robert Shaw.
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