Legal twist in Patrick Cripps 'nuts' Brownlow Medal win by one vote
A lawyer has emerged as the key figure in a Brownlow medal controversy that capped off one of the closest vote counts in AFL history.
Carlton's Patrick Cripps has won the 2022 Brownlow Medal in the most nail-biting finish to a vote count in recent memory.
The Blues skipper was one of the favourites to win the AFL's highest individual accolade, but the lead changed countless times during a thrilling ceremony in Melbourne on Sunday night.
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Cripps recovered from early disappointments to move to the top of the leaderboard halfway through the count and was tied with Brisbane's Lachie Neale and Melbourne's Clayton Oliver on 16 votes after Round 10.
It was a topsy-turvy vote count that went right down to the final round, with Neale and Gold Coast's Touk Miller tied on 27 votes with one round remaining.
But there was one final twist as Cripps received the maximum three votes to take the lead on 29 votes in the very last game of the AFL season - Carlton's one point loss to Collinwood that crushed the Blues' hopes of making finals.
He finished one vote ahead of Neale and two clear of Miller in the closest Brownlow count in years. Cripps is the first Carlton player to win the Brownlow since Chris Judd in 2010.
Cripps can thank Carlton's lawyer, who managed to successfully appeal a two-game suspension in a marathon hearing, allowing him to play the last two games of the season and win the Brownlow.
The 27-year-old's defence counsel Chris Townshend QC became a central figure in Brownlow medal conversations on social media as fans re-visited the controversial ruling that allowed Cripps to avoid suspension and remain eligible to win the league's top individual award.
The AFL appeals board last month overturned a tribunal’s decision to issue a two-match ban for Cripps' bump on Brisbane's Callum Ah Chee, who was concussed in the incident.
He was also arguably fortunate to receive three votes in Carlton's 29-point loss to Adelaide in Round 20.
Earlier, AFL stars and their partners arrived on the red carpet - check out all the glamorous looks here.
Brownlow Medal final result
1. Patrick Cripps (29 votes)
2. Lachie Neale (28 votes)
4. Andrew Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver (25 votes)
6. Christian Petracca (24 votes)
7. Callum Mills (21 votes)
8. Jeremy Cameron (19 votes)
9. Zach Merrett (17 votes)
10. Dion Prestia (16 votes)
Originally published as Legal twist in Patrick Cripps 'nuts' Brownlow Medal win by one vote
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