Awkward Brownlow Medal moment ‘one of the great stuff-ups of this year’

Caroline Wilson has branded the botching of Lachie Neale’s big moment on Brownlow night “one of the great stuff-ups of this year”.

Nat Fyfe did his best to make it as touching a moment as possible, but Caroline Wilson has torched the AFL for making Lachie Neale present the Brownlow Medal to himself.

The previous year’s winner is traditionally on hand to hang the medal around the winner’s neck, but in a season drastically impacted by COVID-19, 2019 medallist Fyfe was in Western Australia while Neale was at the Gabba in Brisbane.

He joined the presentation via video link and congratulated his former Dockers teammate, offering some moving words.

“You came to us at Freo as a late draft pick and really from day one set about proving to the competition how great a player you could be,” Fyfe said.

“I think what you’ve done at Brisbane is turn into one of the most consistent players in the competition, an absolute superstar.

“We’ve been teammates, we’ve been opponents, we’re always going to be great mates. I wish I was there to give you a big hug and put the medal around your neck.

“I can’t do that this year, but it’s my great pleasure to ask you to present yourself with the 2020 Brownlow Medal.”

But what followed was nothing but awkward as Neale, unsure of himself, had to be told to pick up the medal and do the adorning himself.

Wilson told Footy Classified on Monday night it was a “horrible” look.

Lachie Neale places the medal around his own neck.

“Look so many things were difficult about this night … but fair dinkum, trying to find the person who had the idea that Lachie Neale would present the medal to himself is tougher than trying to find out who was responsible for hotel quarantine here in Victoria. No one is owning this,” Wilson said.

“The closest I’ve got is ‘oh, it was someone in events’.”

Co-host Craig Hutchison pushed back at the criticism, suggesting COVID protocols surrounding the event may have prevented another option.

But Wilson said Lions coach Chris Fagan, chairman Andrew Wellington or club great Simon Black could have stepped in.

“Chris Fagan almost had (Neale) in a bearhug (during celebrations),” she said. “Simon Black was in the room and is a Brownlow Medalist. Andrew Wellington could have done it.

“I don’t want to make too much of this but I’m going to because (a player) being given the Brownlow Medal is one of the most wonderful things you see in a football year.

“Why didn’t they think of it? And no one is putting their hand up today to one of the great stuff-ups of this year … symbolically it was horrible.”

Originally published as Awkward Brownlow Medal moment ‘one of the great stuff-ups of this year’