Murray MiddletonA Critique of the Brownlow Medal Count
September 24th 2008 09:33
Monday night's Brownlow Medal count was a thriller. Wouldn't it have been great if Richo won? It was the last chance for the ageing Tigers champion. In 2006 Scott West had his last genuine tilt. He finished second behind Adam Goodes. West's career was effectively ended today when the Western Bulldogs decided that he was no longer a required player. While one Bulldogs champion bit the dust, another has emerged. Adam Cooney is the first number one draft pick to win the Brownlow Medal. Although he was not the best player in the competition this season, he is clearly one of the most damaging players.
Channel Ten's coverage of the night was dreadful. Andrew Demetriou got off to a terrible start by accidentally reading out the votes for round two instead of round one. How can a person mistake the numbers 1 and 2 on a card? Demetriou attempted to heighten the suspence during the second half of the count by frequently pausing for dramatic effect. If executed properly, the 'pause' can be quite effective. Year after year Demetriou labours in his attempt to exude charisma. He is perceived as a stern, money-hungry ape by the majority of the football public. One night of contrived jokes every year does nothing to counteract this perception.
The Brownlow Medal count should stick strictly to the counting of votes. Fashion is boring. Only hollow people think otherwise. Channel Ten interrupted the count several times by wasting an entire segment on dedications. When fifteen minutes in the middle of the count were dedicated to honouring two virtual bootstuders, the count lost all momentum. The message was clear: 'The AFL looks out for the little man'. If the AFL really did look out for the little man they would set their ticket prices lower for the finals. Luke Darcy's card-reading skills were deplorable. Let us all hope that he never wins an Oscar.
Robert Harvey has been a champion. He has won two Brownlow Medals. Since announcing his retirement two months ago Harvey has been thrust into the spotlight. He feels very uncomfortable in this position and will be glad that the worst is over. Michael Voss' opted for the old 'walk-and-talk' when paying tribute to Harvey. Voss evidently wrote his own five-minute speech. It went five minutes too long. Why didn't Voss speak over the top of the montage of Harvey in action? Even the Saints champion seemed embarassed. The only positive to come out of this dreadful segment was that Voss could not possibly be a worse coach than he is TV personality.
The counting of votes was interesting. The umpires clearly have their favourites. Year after year Simon Black and Adam Goodes poll well. Last season Goodes polled twenty votes in a 'quiet' season. On Monday he polled twenty-one. For the second year running Black finished second in the Brownlow. He is a great player who operates right under the umpires nose. Did he deserve to come second? Probably not. It is easy to see either player winning another Brownlow Medal. An umpires priority is to umpire a match of football. It understandable why they favour the eye-catching performers.
The medal does appear to be a midfielder's award. St.Kilda's Nick Riewoldt polled his customary twelve votes. In rounds thirteen and fourteen Riewoldt was clearly best-on-ground against the Dockers and the Kangaroos. Against the Dockers he took eighteen marks and single-handedly won the Saints the match. Riewoldt did not poll a vote in either game. Lance Franklin finished on twenty votes despite being suspended. He is probably the only tall player in the competition who is capable of winning a Brownlow Medal. There is no doubt that Franklin was a more important player than Cooney this year. Watch the Hawks/Bulldogs qualifying final.
Gary Ablett had a superb year and was unlucky not to win. If he hadn't missed one month in the later part of the season he would have won. No player had a great season all the way through. Ablett had the likes of Bartel, Corey and Selwood taking votes off him. Cooney did not have such strong competition. In this respect, the system doesn't necessarily reward the best players. Ablett won the AFLPA most valuable player award, which showed the high regard that he was held in by his peers. Joel Selwood finished seventh in this year's count (fifth not counting suspended players). Chris Judd won a Brownlow in his third season. Selwood could well follow in his footsteps.
Channel Ten's coverage of the night was dreadful. Andrew Demetriou got off to a terrible start by accidentally reading out the votes for round two instead of round one. How can a person mistake the numbers 1 and 2 on a card? Demetriou attempted to heighten the suspence during the second half of the count by frequently pausing for dramatic effect. If executed properly, the 'pause' can be quite effective. Year after year Demetriou labours in his attempt to exude charisma. He is perceived as a stern, money-hungry ape by the majority of the football public. One night of contrived jokes every year does nothing to counteract this perception.
The Brownlow Medal count should stick strictly to the counting of votes. Fashion is boring. Only hollow people think otherwise. Channel Ten interrupted the count several times by wasting an entire segment on dedications. When fifteen minutes in the middle of the count were dedicated to honouring two virtual bootstuders, the count lost all momentum. The message was clear: 'The AFL looks out for the little man'. If the AFL really did look out for the little man they would set their ticket prices lower for the finals. Luke Darcy's card-reading skills were deplorable. Let us all hope that he never wins an Oscar.
Robert Harvey has been a champion. He has won two Brownlow Medals. Since announcing his retirement two months ago Harvey has been thrust into the spotlight. He feels very uncomfortable in this position and will be glad that the worst is over. Michael Voss' opted for the old 'walk-and-talk' when paying tribute to Harvey. Voss evidently wrote his own five-minute speech. It went five minutes too long. Why didn't Voss speak over the top of the montage of Harvey in action? Even the Saints champion seemed embarassed. The only positive to come out of this dreadful segment was that Voss could not possibly be a worse coach than he is TV personality.
The counting of votes was interesting. The umpires clearly have their favourites. Year after year Simon Black and Adam Goodes poll well. Last season Goodes polled twenty votes in a 'quiet' season. On Monday he polled twenty-one. For the second year running Black finished second in the Brownlow. He is a great player who operates right under the umpires nose. Did he deserve to come second? Probably not. It is easy to see either player winning another Brownlow Medal. An umpires priority is to umpire a match of football. It understandable why they favour the eye-catching performers.
The medal does appear to be a midfielder's award. St.Kilda's Nick Riewoldt polled his customary twelve votes. In rounds thirteen and fourteen Riewoldt was clearly best-on-ground against the Dockers and the Kangaroos. Against the Dockers he took eighteen marks and single-handedly won the Saints the match. Riewoldt did not poll a vote in either game. Lance Franklin finished on twenty votes despite being suspended. He is probably the only tall player in the competition who is capable of winning a Brownlow Medal. There is no doubt that Franklin was a more important player than Cooney this year. Watch the Hawks/Bulldogs qualifying final.
Gary Ablett had a superb year and was unlucky not to win. If he hadn't missed one month in the later part of the season he would have won. No player had a great season all the way through. Ablett had the likes of Bartel, Corey and Selwood taking votes off him. Cooney did not have such strong competition. In this respect, the system doesn't necessarily reward the best players. Ablett won the AFLPA most valuable player award, which showed the high regard that he was held in by his peers. Joel Selwood finished seventh in this year's count (fifth not counting suspended players). Chris Judd won a Brownlow in his third season. Selwood could well follow in his footsteps.
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Comment by Captain Carnage
Comment by The West Gate Bridge
I think he's really going to do it this time...
Comment by Anonymous