Brownlow special: If you don't mind, umpire

TONIGHT the 1176 Brownlow medal votes will be counted - but what did the umpires get wrong?

TONIGHT the 1176 Brownlow medal votes will be counted - but what did the umpires get wrong? Read on as we deliver the quirky to the downright bizarre from football's night of nights.

A VOTE MAGNET FROM THE START
JAMES Magner nominated for seven consecutive drafts without luck but it took the umpires no time to notice the big-bodied midfielder. Magner, 24, polled two votes on debut against the Brisbane Lions, kicking two goals from 23 touches at the MCG.

HEARING DOUBLE
IT was a good start for Josh Kennedy fanciers – arguably the best imaginable. Not only did the Swans midfielder pick up three votes in the Sydney derby against the Giants, but his namesake in Perth also picked up a maximum in the Eagles’ demolition of the Bulldogs.

MAN OVER MARGIN
GARY Ablett's achilles heel - Gold Coast's sorry record - was no obstacle in the first two rounds.
Ablett picked up a maximum six votes despite combined losses totalling 161 points. He racked up the three in a 92-point loss to the Saints after torching Clint Jones with two goals from 40 touches.
Ablett became the first man since Paul Salmon in 1984 to poll a maximum nine votes in the first three rounds.
But the Gold Coast superstar enjoyed a better end to the count than "Fish'', who polled just one more vote after his crippling knee injury to finish on 10 in the count won by Peter Moore

DAISY CUT DOWN
DAISY Thomas's three-goal burst which set up Collingwood's Round 2 win against Richmond was snubbed by the umpires. Thomas - deemed best-afield by many - missed out completely as Dane Swan was awarded the three votes. That despite Swanny tracking at just 56 per cent efficiency for his 32 disposals.

ABLETT BEST SINCE FISH
GARY Ablett became the first man since Paul Salmon in 1984 to poll a maximum nine votes in the first three rounds. But the Gold Coast superstar looks certain to enjoy a better end to the count than ‘Fish’, who polled just one more vote to finish on 10 in the count won by Peter Moore.

Ward

CAL THE FIRST GIANT
PERHAPS Callan Ward should wear No. 1 next season because he's fast becoming the first Giant to do everything. The former Western Bulldog polled Greater Western Sydney's maiden Brownlow vote, kicked its first goal in Round 1 and claimed the inaugural best-and-fairest.

COTCH'S SLOW START
TRENT Cotchin entered the night third favourite but umpires didn't notice the arrival of the Tigers star until Round 7 - when he polled his first lot of votes. For Tiger fans' sake, his 27-possession game against Sydney at least earned him three, keeping him in the mix.

THANKS, MATE
BOMBER Brent Stanton opened the count giving his captain and other Jobe Watson supporters fits.
Favourite at the start of polling, Watson was usurped by his midfield mate in three of the first seven rounds in the Bombers' flying start to the season. Stanton, who was the leading SuperCoach player in the first month, picked up top votes in Rounds 1, 4 and 7 to edge Watson down the pecking order. The pair led the count after Round 8 and stayed there for the next four rounds

ANDY'S FIRST BREAK
IT was almost the first pause of the night – and it came courtesy of a familiar name. Andrew Demetriou had set Crown alight with arguably the fastest count pace on record. That was until Round 6, when the familiar refrain of “R. Nahas” brought the big fella’s searing pace to a halt. With memories of 2010’s Nahas-related giggles still fresh in many minds, even some in the AFL executive had a chuckle at the night’s first tiny stumble.

Club by club Brownlow votes

BROTHERLY BOND
THERE was no anticipated Karmichael work, but the Round 5 clash between North Melbourne and Gold Coast provided a rare brotherly Brownlow moment. The brothers Swallow each polled in the game, David picking up one for the Suns and older brother Andrew nailing top votes for the Kangas.

ROBBO LIKES IT TOUGH
WHEN Mitch Robinson declared Melbourne “didn’t want a bruise game” last year the Dees took offence but not revenge. Robinson led the charge against the Dees in Round 9, collecting the three votes after kicking three goals from 33 touches

53 DOES THE TRICK
GARY Ablett’s world-record 53-possession performance against Collingwood in Round 10 drew mixed reactions with many potting the Suns skipper for hogging the pill and failing to bring his teammates into the game. But the worth was not lost on the umpires, who handed Gazza the three votes in the 97-point thumping.

Blake

DUCK BROKEN, FINALLY
There was tension, but Jason Blake had his day in the Brownlow sun. The versatile Saint had already gone a league record 207 games without a vote when his 18 hitout, 15 disposal game against Hawthorn in Round 8 went unrecognised. Nerves were jangling when 31 hitouts, 13 touches and a goal went unnoticed in Round 10, with the big man's season finished by injury in Round 14. But Saints fans rejoiced when Blake did enough in Round 11 his 28 hitouts, 21 disposals and a goal against Gold Coast bringing the tally to an end at 209, 42 clear of North Melbourne's Ross Henshaw.

KENNEDY STILL SCORES A WIN
Josh Kennedy might not have won Charlie, but he didn’t leave Sydney’s count a loser with his Colombian girlfriend Anna on his arm. Anna, who only met Kennedy in January, admitted she knew nothing of football before they teamed up. But she won a few hearts when she said his frock instructions for footy’s night of nights had been simply to wear “something formal”.

COTCH AND GAZ SHINE TOGETHER
TRENT Cotchin v Gary Ablett was one of the great head-to-head midfield battles of the season and it wasn’t lost on the umps. Cotchin’s 38 touches and 141 SuperCoach points secured the three votes while Ablett’s 33 touches netted the two when their teams met in Round 16. Accountability, it seems, doesn’t win Brownlows.

CHICKEN DELIGHT
THE fairest element of the Brownlow was brought into direct focus again with Chris Judd's infamous chicken-wing tackle against North's Leigh Adams was ignored by umpires. The Carlton skipper, who had 36 disposals and booted three goals in a lone hand against the Roos, picked up two votes despite being reported by a boundary umpire. Judd was later suspended for four matches for his indiscretion

YOU'RE NOT ALONE
DANE Swan proved it’s not just Gazza who can poll in massive losses. The tattooed terrier polled two votes from 49 touches in Round 17 – a 47-point loss at the hands of Hawthorn. Swan also booted two goals but Sam Mitchell snagged the three to continue his domination of the Pies.

THE WONDERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
JOBE Watson played two huge games at AAMI Stadium this year but bizarrely picked up three votes as Essendon lost to Adelaide and no votes as it pounded Port. It looked like Jobe’s donut in Round 16 would cost the Dons skipper, but the umps recognised his 143 SuperCoach points against the Crows to help secure his victory. The Bombers last Brownlow medallist was Watson's coach James Hird - back in 1996.

Talia

NO KID GLOVES
THE Rising Stars of 2012 failed to impress the umpires. Of the eight teenage guns to poll in this year's award they combined for just three votes. Young Cat Steven Motlop broke the drought, Stephen Coniglio got one, but Rising Star winner Daniel Talia didn't get on the board until Round 20 for his negating job on Fremantle's Matthew Pavlich.

DEES GET THE ONE THAT COUNTS
JOBE'S winning total of 30 votes eclipsed Melbourne's combined effort of just 27. But while that feat might look embarrassing for the Dees, their fans have been quick to point out who got the points in Round 10 this year. Mark Neeld celebrated his first win as coach with a shock six-point victory against the Dons.