2024 Brownlow Medal

[No. 31 1,235]

59 minutes ago, M_9 said:

Agree on both counts. I’ve NFI who polled second most votes for the Blues. 

Sam Walsh with 16 votes. He had an injury interupted season and on going back issues. If he was fully fit he would have pulled a fair few votes away from Cripps.

 

[Old Time Demon 84]

Didn't watch it but as we all know, if you're not a midfielder, you may as well not go.  Simply because you get a shed load of disposals (and if you're N. Daicos, cheap, uncontested ones), that doesn't necessarily mean you are the best player on the field. But what the hell would I know?  However, Cripps is a superstar and a deserved winner.

On another note, young Harley Reid is about as sharp as a bowling ball albeit he can play footy.  There is however something in the back of my mind that tells me that this young bloke may get himself into strife off the field at some point. I will be watching intently.

[layzie 33,793]

That was the worst Brownlow ever

[Biffen 12,943]

They should scrap the Downlow. Or at least remove the umpires from the process.

The umpires are too busy awarding frees for angry looks and expressions to make a clear judgement on the best player.

An idependent panel  and /or coaches would be better judges.

The umps are too busy keeping the scores close on games and reacting to the crowd ,swaying results to fit narratives etc.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,207]

Brownlow has jumped the shark. Umpires have NFI, they are for the most part a bunch of muppets. Coaches award and players MVP far more cache these days.

[spirit of norm smith 16,441]

Enjoy … 

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/brownlow-medal/weird-votes-that-let-cripps-smash-record-did-umps-pick-the-wrong-daicos-brownlow-talking-pts/news-story/de783aa761c2af1cc9e9b678c2f7b3b5

[spirit of norm smith 16,441]

Star Christian Petracca was flying early in the season and finished on top of the Demons' leaderboard despite missing the second half of 2024. There were few surprises for Melbourne, with Max Gawn second to Petracca for most votes, although Harrison Petty's three-vote game against Geelong in round eight did surprise. Petty got just one vote from the coaches in that encounter, but full rewards from the umpires for his 13 disposals, nine marks and one goal.

Total votes: 67

Christian Petracca 16, Max Gawn 13,Jack Viney 8, Trent Rivers 7, Ed Langdon 5, Clayton Oliver 5, Bayley Fritsch 4, Harrison Petty 3 🤣🤣🤣, Kozzy Pickett❌3, Judd McVee1, Christian Salem1, Jacob van Rooyen1

[Engorged Onion 10,215]

41 minutes ago, Biffen said:

They should scrap the Downlow. Or at least remove the umpires from the process.

The umpires are too busy awarding frees for angry looks and expressions to make a clear judgement on the best player.

An idependent panel  and /or coaches would be better judges.

The umps are too busy keeping the scores close on games and reacting to the crowd ,swaying results to fit narratives etc.

AFLCA Champion Player is the pinnacle in my opinion.

https://aflcoaches.com.au/awards/the-aflca-champion-player-of-the-year-award/leaderboard/2024/20250125

 

Edited September 23 by Engorged Onion

[Sir Windsor 219]

9 hours ago, Left Foot Snap said:

I am surprised that both Collingwood and Carlton missed the finals and bombed the end of their seasons, but both Cripps and the second place chap polled so well through those rounds.

Cripps was ranked 15 in SuperCoach. He had a good year but not a Brownlow worthy win. Bont keeps short changed. 

[layzie 33,793]

There needs to be an uprising. 

[layzie 33,793]

1 hour ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Enjoy … 

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/brownlow-medal/weird-votes-that-let-cripps-smash-record-did-umps-pick-the-wrong-daicos-brownlow-talking-pts/news-story/de783aa761c2af1cc9e9b678c2f7b3b5

Wheel O Ratings gets a good plug in that article and deservedly so.

I was using the app to keep track most of the night, it was better than anything else. 

[Brownie 5,980]

41 minutes ago, layzie said:

There needs to be an uprising. 

More like a down sliding of viewers and sponsors

[John Crow Batty 8,863]

3 hours ago, Old Time Demon said:

Didn't watch it but as we all know, if you're not a midfielder, you may as well not go.  Simply because you get a shed load of disposals (and if you're N. Daicos, cheap, uncontested ones), that doesn't necessarily mean you are the best player on the field. But what the hell would I know?  However, Cripps is a superstar and a deserved winner.

On another note, young Harley Reid is about as sharp as a bowling ball albeit he can play footy.  There is however something in the back of my mind that tells me that this young bloke may get himself into strife off the field at some point. I will be watching intently.

Harley has become susceptible to a bit of niggle by opposition players. As the season wore on he has become more undisciplined, overreactive to close attention and arguing with umpires too much. In one game this season he set the record for the most free kicks conceded by a West Coast player in a game.

Edited September 23 by John Crow Batty

[BoBo 2,941]

23 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

AFLCA Champion Player is the pinnacle in my opinion.

https://aflcoaches.com.au/awards/the-aflca-champion-player-of-the-year-award/leaderboard/2024/20250125

 

I even look at this and wonder if Jesse Hogan was the Coleman winner, how does he not appear on this board?

I know the ball has to get to him and all that jazz… but he can only do the job that his position allows and seemingly was the best at it this year?

I dunno, conversely If a back pocket in a dominant team doesn’t lose a single contest all year, he still won’t pole many votes.

[layzie 33,793]

18 minutes ago, Brownie said:

More like a down sliding of viewers and sponsors

We can only hope, people need to vote with their remotes. 

[drysdale demon 4,830]

7 minutes ago, layzie said:

We can only hope, people need to vote with their remotes. 

I havent watched it for probably 15 years.

Edited September 24 by drysdale demon

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,817]

11 hours ago, JTR said:

Suggest you re-acquaint yourself with the game, in particular all his clutch contested marks that basically won it for us.

His game was fine that night.

I was just flabbergasted that he got 3 votes in a game given many posters denigrated him all year, and Kane Cornes suggested he was the worst key forward in recent years. 

[No. 31 1,235]

12 hours ago, Sir Windsor said:

Bont nowhere near it. How does that even happen.

I think Bont was hard done by not to garner more votes but also Treloar had a great season and would have taken votes off him. IIRC Bont had a quiet start to the season but was huge in the middle/later part of the season.

As for the Bont v Cripps question raised by some, I would always take Cripps. He carried Carlton on his lonesome in the disastrous years, Bont was playing in a Premiership winning team as a 3rd year footballer. Cripps has definitely faced more adversity in football. This isn't a sleight on Bont either, just recognition that Cripps has travelled a very bumpy footballing road in the early years.

[Macca 16,961]

1 hour ago, BoBo said:

I even look at this and wonder if Jesse Hogan was the Coleman winner, how does he not appear on this board?

I know the ball has to get to him and all that jazz… but he can only do the job that his position allows and seemingly was the best at it this year?

I dunno, conversely If a back pocket in a dominant team doesn’t lose a single contest all year, he still won’t poll many votes.

Forwards & Backs have been ignored for decades now

The term 'Midfielders medal' started at least 30 years ago but way back in the 70's many would complain that key forwards (especially) and Backs just didn't poll well enough

Star Key backs like Scarlett for instance, rarely pick up any votes at all

And it's not just the umpires either.  The media, coaches etc all award votes in the same way

Of course, in a general sense, midfielders stand out as they don't have direct opponents nor are they ever tagged

Meanwhile, a player like Hogan is often double or triple teamed whenever he goes near the ball

Excluding finals, Bob Pratt in 1934 kicked 138 goals in an 18 round season and received the paltry amount of 13 Brownlow votes

So not much has changed

Edited September 24 by Macca

[rjay 24,917]

9 minutes ago, Macca said:

Forwards & Backs have been ignored for decades now

The term 'Midfielders medal' started at least 30 years ago but way back in the 70's many would complain that key forwards (especially) and Backs just didn't poll well enough

Star Key backs like Scarlett for instance, rarely pick up any votes at all

And it's not just the umpires either.  The media, coaches etc all award votes in the same way

Of course, midfielders stand out as they don't have direct opponents nor are they ever tagged

Meanwhile, a player like Hogan is often double or triple teamed whenever he goes near the ball

Excluding finals, Bob Pratt in 1934 kicked 138 goals in an 18 round season and received the paltry amount of 13 Brownlow votes

So not much has changed

Even the coaches award favours the Mids...not sure what the answer is 'Macca', but there's a vast array of players seemingly ineligible for the medal. 

[Lexinator 1,670]

Well done, Cripps. As long as it wasn't that weasel Nick, I'm happy. Picking up votes because of his name - 1 vote for a heavily tagged, 15 possession, subbed out of the game, game for KB match, really? 

Edited September 24 by Lexinator
Error in fact

[Macca 16,961]

Just now, rjay said:

Even the coaches award favours the Mids...not sure what the answer is 'Macca', but there's a vast array of players seemingly ineligible for the medal. 

The Brownlow needs a total revamp to be credible but I'd argue that overhaul should have happened close on a century ago (The Bob Pratt example being a standout misnomer)

We have the AA team to recognise all the positions but the Brownlow can only be won by a midfielder (these days)

How do you add an arbitrary degree of difficulty factor? 

Ditch the umpires and appoint a panel of judges (made up of ex players only) who all played in a variety of positions?  

Might work but I can't see the AFL changing anything anyway

The coaches award was won by Nick Daicos who not only never has a direct opponent, but he doesn't even have an opposite number.  He plays as a loose man wherever he chooses to wander

And that's the coaches awarding the votes

 

[John Crow Batty 8,863]

50 minutes ago, Macca said:

The Brownlow needs a total revamp to be credible but I'd argue that overhaul should have happened close on a century ago (The Bob Pratt example being a standout misnomer)

We have the AA team to recognise all the positions but the Brownlow can only be won by a midfielder (these days)

How do you add an arbitrary degree of difficulty factor? 

Ditch the umpires and appoint a panel of judges (made up of ex players only) who all played in a variety of positions?  

Might work but I can't see the AFL changing anything anyway

The coaches award was won by Nick Daicos who not only never has a direct opponent, but he doesn't even have an opposite number.  He plays as a loose man wherever he chooses to wander

And that's the coaches awarding the votes

 

I don’t think it’s fair on the umpires to have the responsibility to cast the votes on match day. They have just finished a hard job and need to get cleaned up, go home and look forward to dinner but need to make a quick decision on who to vote for. So the first names come to their minds are the midfielders who are always circling around them during the whole game. The whole process is like the winding down chores one does at the end of the work day without putting too much thinking or discussion into it.

Edited September 24 by John Crow Batty

[Ethan Tremblay 30,856]

Cripps, Bontempelli, Green, Petracca, Gawn etc are players who put their bodies on the line week in week out. Yes, Nick Daicos has amazing skills and is super flashy. But, he’s an accumulator. So many of his disposals come from sprinting into open space to receive an easy pass from a team mate. He has not taken a contested mark in his career. So overrated. 

[Macca 16,961]

1 hour ago, John Crow Batty said:

I don’t think it’s fair on the umpires to have the responsibility to cast the votes on match day. They have just finished a hard job and need to get cleaned up, go home and look forward to dinner but need to make a quick decision on who to vote for. So the first names come to their minds are the midfielders who are always circling around them during the whole game. The whole process is like the winding down chores one does at the end of the work day without putting too much thinking or discussion into it.

Well I'm certainly not blaming the umpires and I never have and never will

But there is a better way to judge the best players

A panel of ex players who played in a variety of positions awarding votes to players in various positions

But it will never happen as the AFL aren't a progressive organisation.  It's all about the $$$$

Edited September 24 by Macca