Brownlow special: If you don't mind, umpire!
FROM warm-up bungles to bad umpire calls, we deliver the quirky to the downright bizarre from football's night of nights.
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LAST NIGHT 1188 Brownlow medal votes were 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.
DEMETRIOU’S WARM-UP BUNGLE
We didn’t have to wait long for the time-honoured Demetriou gaffe. The Brownlow host made his first bungle in an on-camera practice. “Geelong, G. Ablett - 3 votes” Demetriou read out, before being reminded the favourite was now a Gold Coast Sun. “Good point … can you edit that?” Demetriou asked. Sorry, Andy.
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DEMETRIOU’S ROUND 3 BUNGLE
And after Andy D’s pre-count blunder, it took just three rounds for the AFL boss to slip up in the real stuff. “Geelong, A. Walker - 3 votes” he declared. Sorry, Andy, but we’ve checked and ‘Walks’ is definitely a Blue.
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JACK JUMPED
The time-honoured Brett Kirk medal proved irrelevant for the umpires in Round 1. Kieren Jack’s 25 touches and three goals won him the gong, but the men in colours rated Mumford and Kennedy above him.
GOODES GOOD FROM THE GET-GO
Brett Goodes was forced to wait 29 years and 42 days to make his AFL debut. And with that came his first lot of Brownlow votes. The VFL recruit picked up a single vote for his 24 disposals rebounding off halfback. Contender Ryan Griffen kicked two from 27 disposals the same day, but failed to open his account in Round 1.
NOT THE PERFECT 10
It was going to be hard for Scott Pendlebury right off the bat. His 30 Round 1 touches were good enough for 160 SuperCoach points, the most of any of the favourites bar Gary Ablett, but still weren’t good enough to notch a vote against North.
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BEWARE LIBBA
He may not have polled a vote in the past, but Bulldog 21-year-old has good bloodlines with his dad Tony winning the Charlie in 1990. Perhaps that explains his super start to the year with six votes in the first two rounds. Get on him for next year.
RAISE THE BAT, JUDDY
When Chris Judd picked up two votes in Round 9, he became just the fourth person in VFL/AFL history to break the 200 career vote plateau. The winner for West Coast in 2004 and Carlton in 2010, joined 1975 winner Gary Dempsey (246), dual winner of 1997 and ‘98 Robert Harvey (215) and Hawk legend Leigh Matthews (202) in elite company.
BACKS TO THE FUTURE
If there’s a Brownlow portent to Saturday’s Grand Final, the Dockers will have to tighten up across half-back. The Hawks dominated their Round 4 Launceston clash with Birchall, Burgoyne and Mitchell scooping the votes pool.
TEDDY’S OFF-SHORE STEAL
The first lot of three votes given off Australian shores appear to have been given by a Kiwi never exposed to Australian rules. Ted Richards? The Swans full-back pocketed maximum numbers despite Nick Riewoldt collecting 152 SuperCoach points from 27 disposals, 13 marks and two goals. Richards got the nod ahead of star midfielders Kieren Jack and Dan Hannebery, who received the Anzac Medal.
RACKING THEM UP EARLY
Andrew Swallow might be a blackbooker for future Medal counts. The North skipper was $501 to win before the count, but was overall leader after Round 6 on 11 votes. His achilles injury in Round 18 ultimately took him out of contention, but after 37 total votes in the three previous seasons, keep him in mind if he’s back in time to start 2014.
FORWARDS GOING BACKWARDS
Mark it down -- the day the full-forwards’ chances of ever winning Charlie again died. Round 7, Adelaide against GWS and a vibrant ginger spearhead by the name of Tom Lynch boots 10 goals and loses three to Patrick Dangerfield. Midfielders’ medal??? Hmmm. Even teammate’s Taylor Walker agrees on twitter: “Only two votes, I feel sick.”
That just goes to show it is a medal for midfielders @tom_lynch27 kicks 10 and only 2 votes. I feel sick!!!!
— Tex Walker (@texwalker13) September 23, 2013
EVERY LITTLE THING HE DOES IS MAJAK
One of the biggest cheers of the night came when the name Majak Daw was read out in Round 7. The North cult figure from Sudan kicked six goals against the Bulldogs and the umps obviously loved it just as much as his legion of fans.
SITTING IN A VERY MARGINAL SEAT …
You know things aren’t going perfectly when you get a clip from psephologist Antony Green about the pace of your presentation. The ABC’s renowned election analyst tweeted: “The Brownlow count comes close to making my Call of the Board interesting. Needs a touch screen.” Ouch. Hope the outer booths are more kind.
SWEET TOUCH TO A SOUR NIGHT
It was a night that doesn’t sit well for anybody, least of all Adam Goodes, but the Sydney superstar’s heroic performance before he was racially abused was recognised by the umpires. Goodes collected the three against Collingwood in Round 9. And it was no surprise given his three goals from 30 disposals as the dual Brownlow winner wound back the clock.
BLACK BEAUTY
The votes didn’t come as thick and fast as they have in the past, but 2002 winner Simon Black’s best-afield effort in Round 13 against the Cats took him past one of the Brownlow’s most famous names. Black’s three took him to 182 career votes and into fifth all time, two clear of triple medallist Bob Skilton, who missed the count because of ill health.
UMPS DON’T CARE WHERE IT GOES
Shaun Grigg’s 21-disposal effort against the Dogs didn’t even get the former Blue a mention in the match report. Fair enough, you’d argue, given it included six clangers. So how on earth did he poll the three votes? And where was Ryan Griffen? The star Dog failed to poll despite a 38-disposal effort where he collected a game-high 143 SuperCoach points. It summed up Griffen’s night, who was forced to wait until Round 7 to earn recognition from the umpires.
Shaun Grigg's 21 disposals (6 clangers) gets the three votes against the Dogs. Makes sense. Ryan Griffen (didn't poll) only had it 38 times.
— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) September 23, 2013
GAZ CONQUERED BUT STILL REWARDED
THE umpires must have been mesmerised by the Dan Jackson-Gary Ablett match-up in Round 16. Despite the Tiger tagger claiming an impressive victory _ and deservingly pocketing maximum votes _ the men in colours still couldn’t leave out little Gaz. The Gold Coast champion pocketed one despite being ``held’’ to 26 disposals and no goals.
PERHAPS HE IS WORTH $600K AFTER ALL
Richmond’s Dustin Martin seemed to be having a good time on the Tiger table and the umps seemed to think he was good value as well. Martin matched Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin vote-for-vote much of the way, eventually losing out 16 votes to 19.
KEEN TO KEEP IT TIGHT
Gary Ablett was nearly dudded when the telecast cut to an interview before Andrew Demetriou could finish reading the Round 17 votes. Fortunately for the Suns skipper, Andy wrestled back the camera and gave Gazza another three against Collingwood.
IT’S JUST NOT TENNIS ...
Past Brownlow medallists introducing the rounds was well received on social media, but not other sporting “interlopers”. Despite Masters’ champion Adam Scott’s love for Adelaide, his cameo was panned by many. But not as severely as Carlton’s Brock McLean assessed tennis legend Andre Agassi’s appearance onTwitter: “The whole night has become a joke. Can you imagine an AFL player talking at Wimbledon?”
JAEGER JUMPED
They might be “Rising Stars”, but they’re still at the bottom of the Brownlow horizon. Rising Star winner Jaeger O’Meara polled four votes, but was pipped by both Brad Crouch (6) and Sam Mayes (5) among his newcomer peers. Other young guns included Jack Viney (2), Oliver Wines (1) and Nick Vlastuin (1).
BLAKE GOES OUT A POLLER
Jason Blake and Brownlow votes don’t exactly go hand in hand. But the Saints stalwart’s 219th and final AFL game will go down as one to remember _ Blakey polled for just the second time. The umps, perhaps with a touch of sentiment, took Blake’s career tally to three votes.It came on the back of a memorable goal from 21 touches as the Saints thumped what was effectively a second-string Freo line-up.
UMPS, CLUBS POLES APART
THE umps are clearly on different pages to best-and-fairest judges at the Saints, Lions and Power. Jack Steven romped home St Kilda’s club championship, but polled just eight votes, half of Leigh Montagna’s tally, while Tom Rockliff finished with 20 more votes than Lions’ B+F champion Joel Patful. The Alberton count was closer, with best-and-fairest winner Chad Wingard pipped by Travis Boak by five votes last night.
ASTERIX MEN
Geelong’s Stevie J and Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe had a running battle all night to be the highest ineligible vote winner before the mercurial Cat pulled away late. Johnson missed six games on the back of three suspensions in 2013, but still polled 25 votes, while Fyfe ended on 18. Amazingly, neither were in the All-Australian team and Johnson didn’t even make the 40-man squad.
NUMBERS MAN
Trent Cotchin leapt to prominence in 2012 with his joint runner-up finish, but not many gave him much hope of being prominent again this year. But after three rounds, the Richmond skipper, who clearly gives minimal lip to the umps, was the leader with eight of a possible nine votes after the Tigers’ trifecta of wins to open the season.
THE UMPS FINALLY LIKE PURPLE
Fremantle is yet to produce a Brownlow Medallist and rarely do any Dockers poll well with Matthew Pavlich’s equal sixth placing in 2006 their best result. The most votes the club polled was 77 in 2006. They passed that total with four rounds to go and had 90 votes in total. Joint Herald Sun Player of the Year winner Nathan Fyfe led the way with 18.
MORE HORROR FOR DEES
Perhaps the AFL will need to rethink the priority pick again after Melbourne polled its lowest tally in history - just 16 votes. That was one less than GWS, which won only one game.
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