General Footy Writing: I love the Brownlow Medal

It’s one of my favourite nights of the year, the speculation, the over-achievers, the under-achievers, and the night where heroes are made. It’s Brownlow medal night.

I can remember every Brownlow medal from 2000 onwards, mainly because Wowoedin won that year. That was the good old days when my whole family loved footy.

At the dinner table, I cut out the names of the favourites from The Age and the ten members of the Healy household each take a name out of the first hat I can find. The winner of the sweep gets $10. I pick out Leigh Montagna. No one gets Dane Swan. My brother Ben gets the clear-cut favourite Gary Ablett.

The coverage begins, and I groan as Demetriou reads the votes out even quicker than he did last year. From the beginning, it is clear that Ablett will pick up heaps of votes, but I’m happy to see Dal Santo get a few threes s in a row. Swan is struggling, and for some reason is being very hard done by from the umpires, like Jimmy Bartel last year. Richo does well to get six votes before his injury. But he didn’t deserve three votes for the Richmond v Melbourne game.

Some other players are surprisingly low on votes, like Mitch Clark and Luke Hodge for the second year in a row. Jonathon Brown is staying right up there. I’m happy when I see that Sylvia got three votes in the Hawthorn v Melbourne game in Round 9.

Ablett gets one vote from Rounds 14-19, but still holds on to the lead with 23 and is four ahead of Brown and Hayes, who is deservedly leading for St Kilda. Round 20 is called, and Ablett gets three votes (not surprisingly, 44 possessions that week!) and finally confirms his first medal.

Judd gets a few consolation votes, as do Simon Black and Adam Goodes, who happen to be sitting next to each other at the Sydney table. They are getting along very well. I wonder if all the Brownlow Medal winners are friends.

Ablett finishes with 30 votes, the same as Judd five years ago, and goes up for champagne and his victory speech. Cooney (who finished with a lousy three votes) puts the medal over his bald head (which he kisses as well). Ablett thanks his family, and so on and so forth. He definitely deserved to win.

For the Dees, Aaron Davey won with six votes. He also bought Wonaeamirri with him, which was nice.

I love the Brownlow medal. I wonder who’ll win next year?

Leader Board:

G.Ablett  (30)

C.Judd     (22)

L.Hayes (20)

S.Black  (19)

J.Brown (19)

N.Dal Santo (17)

A.Goodes (17)

J.Selwood (16)

B.Gibbs        (15)

M.Murphy (15)

N.Riewoldt (15)

About Steve Healy

Steve Healy is an entity of a Melbourne supporter.

Comments

  1. steve, my cousin brought to my attention that if the winners team makes the finals they never end up winning.
    thanks a lot Buckley!
    LOL

  2. Lol what about Bartel? Maybe your cousin was asleep in 2007

  3. OHHHHHHHH lol
    there goes that hypothesis!
    :P

  4. Hypothesis? Maybe you shouldn’t have dropped Science hahaha just kidding.

    The Dees need a Brownlow medallist. Lol Danielle were you a fan of Shane Woewodin when he played for the Pies?

  5. Damian Watson says

    Great work Steve,
    I find it funny how Richo polls the most votes for the Tigers yet he misses the majority of the season through injury.

    By the way 2000 was supposed to be Kouta’s year!!!!!
    Woewodin had a good season but I still believe Kouta should have taken Charlie home.

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