Gary Ablett charge falls short in 2012 Brownlow Medal

IT'S HARD to nominate a single moment when Gary Ablett failed to meet Gold Coast's expectations this season - but it happened last night.

IT'S HARD to nominate a single moment when Gary Ablett failed to meet Gold Coast's expectations this season - but it happened last night.

Hours before last night's count the club's website had changed Ablett's player profile to list him as a dual medallist, having won Brownlows in 2009 and 2012.

Three rounds in, the prediction looked a solid one.

Ablett had polled the maximum nine votes from the first three rounds, despite the Suns losing by a combined 178 points.

The only other player to have polled nine out of nine to begin a season was Essendon's Paul Salmon, who missed the second half of that season due to a knee reconstruction.

Ablett missed a couple of games with a knee injury, but returned strongly and racked up a record 53 possessions in Gold Coast's 97-point loss to Collingwood in Round 10, despie some questioning his impact.

With five best-on-grounds by the mid-season break, Ablett looked a serious contender, particularly given he finished the season in scintillating form.

Ablett was looking to become the fifth man to win a Brownlow Medal at different clubs, behind Peter Moore (Melbourne/Collingwood), Greg Williams (Sydney/Geelong), Ian Stewart (St Kilda/Richmond) and Chris Judd (West Cost/Carlton).

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His predicted hot streak of voting late in the season, however, did not eventuate. He was clear in second place on 23 votes with four rounds remaining and looked a chance to catch Jobe Watson.

But expectations of votes in Rounds 20 (two late goals in a tight win over GWS) and 21 (43 disposals against Hawthorn) failed to materialise.

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Rather Ablett was overtaken, first by Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson and last year's wnner Dane Swan, and then in the final seconds by Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell.

Thompson's 25 votes was clearly his best finish, but follows seasons in which he has polled 18, 15, 11, 15 and 12.

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In his winner's speech Watson described him as ''the most consistent player this season'', yet by his own admission he went into the count without great expectations.

Before the first votes were counted he declared: ''I'm very relaxed.''

If anything, Swan was even more laidback. He polled consistently through the evening, attract votes in 10 matches and three-voters in six of them.

He could well have challenged Watson for the medal had he not missed two matches through a club suspension for breaking a pledge to give up alcohol.