Brownlow Medal 2015: we look at some of the shocks and surprises from the count
IF YOU DON’T MIND, UMPIRE: Which player got three votes despite starting as the sub? The biggest shocks and surprises from this year’s Brownlow count. Have your say!
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RARELY are the AFL’s umpires scrutinised more heavily than on Brownlow Medal night.
Subs steal votes, Nat Fyfe breaks records and Alipate Carlile hands over an unwanted mantle.
We look at some of the shocks and surprises from the 2015 count.
HOWLETT HOWLER
Essendon utility Ben Howlett received the three votes despite starting the Round 1 game as the sub.
The Bombers lost David Myers early in the game, which saw Howlett come on and gather 19 touches and lay 12 tackles in the loss to Sydney.
Swans stars Kurt Tippett (one vote) and Kieren Jack (two votes) also caught the umpires’ eye but Luke Parker missed out after collecting 35 disposals and 10 clearances.
Leading the Brownlow
— Taylor Hunt (@THUNT_28) September 28, 2015
McINTOSH MISSES OUT AS HUNT GETS THE VOTES
“I’m leading the Brownlow.”
After Taylor Hunt tweeted his joy at collecting three votes in the first game of the AFL season, little did he know he would be trending Australia-wide a short time later.
The Richmond defender was a surprise top vote-getter despite being the game’s leading possession-winner with 27 in the Tigers’ win over Carlton in Round 1.
Teammate Kamdyn McIntosh might count himself a little unlucky after starring in the season opening — amassing 23 touches and outmuscling Chris Judd to kick a great goal — but failing to earn a vote.
CARLILE BREAKS HIS DUCK
Alipate Carlile came into the 2015 count as the active player with the most games without a Brownlow Medal vote.
No longer. After 157 games, the Port Adelaide full-back collected two votes in the Power’s thrilling win over Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval in Round 4.
Carlile finished with 12 disposals, two marks, two tackles and 37 SuperCoach points but earned the umpires’ praise for completely shutting down Hawthorn spearhead Jarryd Roughead.
Geelong defender Tom Lonergan takes the title from Carlile with 131 voteless games.
FYFE BREAKS RECORDS
Nat Fyfe’s blistering start to the 2015 season broke a Brownlow record after he amassed 17 votes in the opening eight rounds.
The Dockers superstar earned votes in six of the eight games including five three-vote efforts.
The previous record was held by Chris Judd after he managed 16 votes in eight rounds.
The records kept coming with Fyfe moving to 29 votes after Round 14 with nine best on ground performances — equal best alongside Greg Williams.
Between Rounds 4 and 14 the Medal favourite collected 26 of a possible 30 votes.
FYFE WINS BATTLE, AND VOTES, AGAINST DANGER
It was one of the best one-on-one battles of the season and Nat Fyfe took the honours on the night, and in the Brownlow Medal.
Fyfe (40 disposals) took the three votes from his epic clash with Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield in Round 9 as the Dockers took the spoils by 11 points.
Dangerfield had 38 possessions and collected the two votes while Michael Barlow collected the one vote.
JUDD ENDS CAREER ON 210
Carlton champion Chris Judd’s career ended in Round 10 with a tweak of his knee.
The dual Brownlow Medallist collected one vote in the Blues’ Round 3 loss to Essendon to take him to 210 career votes.
It saw Judd move to outright third in the all-time Brownlow Medal before he was overtaken by Gary Ablett later in the count to finish his career fourth overall.
DID UMPIRES GET CAUGHT UP IN THE FYFE HYPE?
Nat Fyfe was on fire, polling nine best on grounds in the first 14 rounds.
But the last one might have been a bit lucky — that day he had 27 disposals, but just nine were effective. It was wet at the Gabba and Fyfe struggled to hit the target under close attention from Mitch Robinson.
David Mundy and Dayne Beams had 30 disposals each but Beams could manage just one vote and Mundy missed out altogether.
WARD PROVES AN EYE-CATCHER
When Greater Western Sydney start winning more matches than they lose, get on Callan Ward.
The Giants skipper was an umpires’ favourite in 2015, collecting 19 Brownlow Medal votes after gaining just five in the Herald Sun player of the year award.
Ward finished with four three-vote matches and gained votes in eight games.
I'll tell you what isn't getting any votes in the Brownlow... 1: me 2: the air conditioning in here!!! #sweaty
— JR8 (@JackRiewoldt08) September 28, 2015
CLOSE FIGHT FOR BROWNLOW SPOON
Carlton may have won the spoon, but the Blues had a great battle with Brisbane for the least popular club with the umpires – both ending up polling just 35 votes. By contrast, West Coast polled 95 votes.
ZIEBELL STEALS GOLDY’S LIMELIGHT
You’d think 41 hitouts and 164 SuperCoach points might get you three votes. Not so for Todd Goldstein.
Instead, Jack Ziebell pinched the three votes with 26 disposals in North Melbourne’s win against Carlton in Round 18.
Goldstein earnt the one vote while Shaun Higgins snared two votes with his 31 disposals and two goals.
KENNEDY HALTS PRIDDIS CHARGE
Josh Kennedy almost cost his teammate Matt Priddis a shot at back-to-back Brownlows.
The Eagles spearhead kicked seven goals in a big win over the Western Bulldogs, pipping Priddis to the three votes.
Priddis finished the game with 37 touches, collected two votes and ultimately fell three votes short after collecting the one vote in Round 23.
45 DISPOSALS, ONE VOTE
The Brisbane Lions might have been well beaten but Tom Rockliff’s 45 disposals, 14 tackles, 11 clearances and one goal was surely deserving of more than one vote.
The collosal performance was overshadowed as Jack Gunston claimed the three votes and Liam Shiels was awarded two.
ALL-AUSTRALIAN BAGELS
The umpires and the All-Australian selectors often don’t see eye-to-eye. GWS defender Heath Shaw failed to win a vote, while fellow All-Australian Josh Gibson had to wait until the last round against Carlton to claim his solitary vote.
Sydney’s Josh Kennedy hot late-season form saw him earn 25 votes from the umps, even
though he missed the team, while the other controversial omission, Adelaide’s Tex Walker polled 10 votes, well clear of All-Australian Jack Riewoldt on three.
Had to get the wheelbarrow out to take all the votes I got home #couldntgetavote #middfieldersaward #backpocketplumber
— Heath Shaw (@heathshaw23) September 28, 2015
FREMANTLE BREAKS ITS HOODOO
Not only did Nat Fyfe break a couple of Brownlow Medal records, he made history for Fremantle.
The Dockers ace became the club’s first medal winner in its 20-year history after claiming 31 votes to finish ahead of Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell.
The result means just two clubs are without a Brownlow Medallist — GWS and Port Adelaide.
ABLETT MAKES HIS MOVE
Gary Ablett’s five votes was his lowest in a season since 2006, but it was enough to move him into outright third in the all-time Brownlow Medal vote-getters list.
However, it was Sam Mitchell who made big strides. With 26 votes the Hawks champion moved from ninth overall to fifth, overtaking Leigh Matthews in the process.
Elsewhere, Brent Harvey moved into seventh, Dane Swan is now eighth, Magpies teammate Scott Pendlebury is now 39th overall and Luke Hodge moved inside the top 50, in at 45th.
CRIPPS ROBBED, FEW RISING STARS RECOGNISED
Patrick Cripps earned an AFL Rising Star nomination in Round 4 for his 33-possession, 12-tackle performance against St Kilda, but couldn’t snare a Brownlow Medal vote.
Marc Murphy won the Crowl-McDonald Medal as best on ground in the Anzac Day clash and took home the three votes as well.
It wasn’t a good night for Rising Star nominees in general with only Isaac Heeney (1 vote in Round 3), Adam Saad (1 vote in Round 5) and Cam McCarthy (1 vote in Round 8) earning a Brownlow vote in their nomination game.
At least the umps agreed with the judges by placing Cripps (6 votes) ahead of Jesse Hogan (4).
DROUGHT OF THE RUCKMAN
North’s All-Australian Todd Goldstein polled 18 votes, but was unable to alter ruckmen’s
bad run with the umpires, finishing 10th.
He did, however, poll three votes for his world-record 80 hitouts against GWS in Round 12 and when he set a season-high SuperCoach score of 221 points as he mauled Shaun McKernan in Round 16.
The last ruckman to salute was Adam Goodes, when he polled 22 votes in 2003. Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands is the only ruck since to finish in the top 10 – polling 20 votes to tie for sixth in 2010.
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