A week or so ago, AFL footballers voted on their Most Valuable Player award, their annual version of the Brownlow Medal. For the second year running, they awarded the Players Association gong to Geelong’s Gary Ablett with 1044 votes.
Interestingly, Hawthorn’s Lance “Buddy” Franklin came second with 718 votes, well ahead of third placegetter, North Melbourne’s Brent Harvey, on 440.
I say interestingly because Franklin, as many of you will know, is a full-forward. His job it is to kick goals. And this year, he’s kicked plenty of them – 111 to be precise, with the grand final yet to come.
But while his peers have rated his season highly, who seriously expects Franklin to feature among the podium placegetters at tonight’s Brownlow Medal?
For many years now, forwards have been largely snubbed in the game’s most prestigious individual award. When the great South Melbourne full-forward Bob Pratt kicked 150 goals in the 1934 season, he finished a scarcely believable eighth place in the Brownlow. Hawthorn’s Peter Hudson equalled Pratt’s record in 1971 yet finished in a tie for second behind Ian Stewart. The year before, Hudson kicked 146 goals and finished equal ninth!
Essendon’s Gavin Wanganeen, playing out of the back pocket, was the last non-midfielder/onballer to win and that was back in 1993. Tony Lockett flew the flag for the full-forwards when he prevailed in 1987; otherwise it’s been a 20-year drought for Buddy, Jason Dunstall, Matthew Lloyd and their ilk.
The umpires’ eye is invariably caught by the squadron of mid-size onballers and midfielders who win a lot of the ball, are usually skilful and flashy, and often but not always have blond hair. The formula for success is that simple, as the list of winners since 1993 confirms. Everyone else need not apply and, unless there is a major shock tonight, that means Buddy and his 111 goals.
So here’s your challenge, and the chance to get your name up in lights on the Crikey blog page. Just nominate your Brownlow winner, and then tell me in which position Buddy will finish. So, two answers are required: the name of the winner, and Franklin’s finishing position – sixth, eighth, 15th, whatever. Go to it, stardom awaits.
(Entries close at 7.00pm AEST tonight. Judge’s decision final. No correspondence entered into, etc).
16 Comments
Runaway Browlow winner tonight will be the Saints skipper, Nick Reiwoldt. His efforts throughout the season not only propelled the Saints to a top-four spot, but also guaranteed a forward player will be properly recognised this evening. Reiwoldt even has blond hair!
Buddy’s true worth was shown on Saturday against St Kilda when he was towelled-up by the Saints classy defender, Max Hudghton. Given Buddy will be up against Matthew Scarlett on the weekend, I don’t anticipate he will perform very well in the Grand Final either. I predict a miserable 9th spot for Buddy in the Brownlow count.
From an unashamed and still-hurting Saints fan.
The odds-on certainty of tonight is that it won’t be anyone in the backline of any club, and yet there is not a coach that does not think that where most games are won, or lost. Dustin Fletcher was the reason Essendon was so successful for years, and he got about two votes and a pat on the back for it. (A predeliction for accidental tripping did not help).
Tip tonight: Bateman. It’s not the blonde hair that gets attention, but the distinctive, and he’s streeting them on that score.
I forgot to put in my tuppence ha’penny’s worth. I’m not sure they’re even worth that much, but here are my Brownlow best bets: Gary Ablett to win, another Cat – Bartel, Selwood or Corey – to medal, Adelaide’s Scott Thompson to surprise and Buddy? I reckon 12th place might be about right.
Buddy’s a bonus. When he kicks straight (usually the harder ones), they win by more; but they don’t need him. He’ll come 10th, at best. Williams is at least as important (maybe because he gets the third best back), which is why they were so worried he could be wearing a suit on GF day.
Paganini – you are obviously not well or extremely biased. The Saints push with all their “good” players is over. They must rebuild. I’d suggest that they dump Reiwoldt and get some good young players that can stand up most when required. Reiwoldt is a good player but will not get too many votes tonight. Buddy will have to get a few, but not enough. Harvey I think the same, which means that G Ablett will poll enough to win in a lower than usual count. Swan is a monty to get the most votes for the Pies, but still well short. Is Paginini an Italian name? Have you ever been to Australia? If not, never mind.
On the St Kilda question, I’m doubtful NR will go anywhere near winning the Brownlow. He’s a star, but increasingly I think his flaws, which look to be here to stay (especially his errant right boot), plague him in the same way Matthew Richardson’s always have. Reiwoldt might be great, but imo he’s a little over-rated. Not a chance tonight.
For mine:
Bartel will win with 27 votes
Ablett’s four missed games will cost him the award
Buddy will come in 12th with 16 votes
Rhys Palmer will win with 7 votes.
The moral winner will be Adam Cooney, or even better, Chris Grant.
However, as the system is flawed, it is my view that Bartel will win with 25 votes.
Buddy will finish 11th.
Bartel to just pip Ablett. Buddy will finish outside the top 10. The same blokes who have paid more free kicks against him than any other player in the league won’t give him heaps of votes. He’ll get a few one and two votes.
Ablett 28 votes
Buddy 13th
Moral winner Scotty Lucas (so there Firstdog)
Can someone tell me what a “moral winner” is? I presume it is not whatever Robert Dippierdomenico and Greg Williams won, for starters.
You leave Greg Williams alone.
I think they should rename the Brownlow after Brad Hardie. Or at least the Red Carpet Ceremony.
Well, at 11.03pm, with the breathless Brownlow count finished at last, and the champagne-soaked winner being escorted open-mouthed and goggle-eyed up to the podium, we can announce that Firstdog was the moral winner of the Crikey competition, if not the real winner. He tipped eventual Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney as the ‘moral winner’ and Jimmy Bartel as the real winner. On the latter score, he failed miserably, Bartel finishing well back on 10 votes. Still, Firstdog – clearly one of the Bulldog breed – was the only tipster (from an admittedly thin field) to mention Cooney, so points must be awarded for that.
As for Buddy, well he polled considerably better than we imagined, defying the predictions of doom with 20 votes and a sixth-place finish, just four votes shy of Cooney. On that score, we must dip our lid to Paganini who had Buddy finishing ninth.
So shared spoils for our resident cartoonist and the mystery Italian composer.
The rest of you (that probably includes me too, actually) – do better. Much better.
No brownlow medalist in living memory ever stomped on some innocent bystanders head, why do you think they are soon forgotten. If they engaged in post count toilet sex their name would be up in lights!!!
First Dog cheated.
Well done Adam Cooney.
And I’m not sure what you’re on about Magic Pudding, but that’s swell.