Patrick Dangerfield wins 2016 Brownlow Medal

PATRICK Dangerfield has paid tribute to former coach Phil Walsh and Geelong great Paul Couch in an emotional Brownlow Medal speech after his record-breaking win. RE-LIVE IT IN OUR BLOG

ONE of footy’s most even and unpredictable seasons has delivered one of its few certainties as Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield claimed his first Brownlow Medal.

The brilliant onballer completed a clean sweep of individual awards, polling a Brownlow record 35 votes ahead of second-placed Swan Luke Parker (26) and Richmond’s Dustin Martin (25). BROWNLOW TRACKER: EVERY GAME, EVERY VOTE RED CARPET WRAP: GIRLS SHINE ON BROWNLOW NIGHT GLAMOUR: MEGA RED CARPET GALLERY JON RALPH: DANGER WORTHY WINNER ON STRANGE NIGHT Dangerfield beat Dane Swan’s previous mark of 34 votes and fell only one-vote short of equalling Roy Wright’s all-time record 10-vote win in 1954. He polled in 15 games, one more than the previous best. RECAP ALL THE COLOUR OF THE ACTION-PACKED BROWNLOW COUNT BELOW Now everyone – coaches, players, media and the umpires agree – ‘Danger is king’. But this wasn’t the comfortable ride many had predicted throughout the first half of the night after starting the count the shortest-price favourite ($1.18) in Brownlow history. He and Luke Parker were tied on 20 votes at Round 15. And it took until the second-last round for the gun midfielder to take an unassailable four-vote lead and Moggs Creek, his tiny coastal home town which lured him back to Victoria late last year, would have gone into party mode. Dangerfield said the move home to Geelong from Adelaide had helped him. “I have been really lucky to come to a wonderful football club with great people and great players but it helps saddling up to Joel Selwood each week,” he said. “I’ve learnt so much from him, how to be better and stand up in the big moments. “It (Geelong) is home and home for good and all you have to worry about is footy and that work-life balance I think it is really important and it is easy time and easy to achieve.” But the Cat said he was still bitterly disappointed with Friday night’s preliminary final loss to Sydney. “It was a real weekend of disappointment because the team had played some wonderful footy this season and we needed to reproduce it and we weren’t able to do it,” he said. FUNNY PIE: DANE SWAN’S HILARIOUS BROWNLOW TWEETS ENTERTAINMENT: AUSKICKERS STEAL SHOW, SINGER PANNED STAYING IN: BEC JUDD REVEALS ‘BROWNLOW NIGHT OUTFIT’ THE BONT: MARCUS BONTEMPELLI TAKES MUM TO BROWNLOW “It feels like we had unfinished business in the season. “There’s a lot of disappointment still there for our players. “It was easy to not focus on tonight because there were a lot of us who are still very bitter about what happened on Friday.” Martin came home like a freight train after a slow start polling in 10 of his last 14 games. The blistering Geelong ball-winner made his move with another best on ground performance at Round 17, and broke the tension with a smiling fist-pump. Two rounds later, after another 33 disposals, three goals and three votes against the Western Bulldogs, he had it in the bag. Dangerfield said his head was spinning after the count. “It’s pretty surreal to be honest,” he said. “It didn’t hit me until half-way through the night, when I saw the scenes with (1989 winner) Paul Couch. “You think of past players to win the medal and what it actually means – it’s the highest award in the AFL. My mind is racing now and certainly it’s something I will look back on with great pride.” Dangerfield’s move to Geelong has helped trigger the most stunning form of his wonderful career – averaging 32 possessions and one goal a game this year – after an emotional departure from Adelaide last season. His former teammate, Adelaide Rory Sloane provided some drama when the ineligible Crow threatened to challenge the placegetters before finishing fourth on 24 votes. Parker clung on to a one vote lead at Round 9 as Dangerfield cooled slightly polling no votes in a four-game stretch between Rounds 8-11. Re-live all the action, reaction and analysis in the blog below.

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