As the yearly debate around midfielders dominating the Brownlow Medal count continues to rage following Sunday’s night of nights, Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd has shifted the focus to what he sees as a fault in another awards system.
The former Bombers superstar has pointed out that while Richmond defender Dylan Grimes won the Tigers’ best and fairest with 51 votes this season, the All-Australian earned just five votes in this year’s AFL Coaches Association champion player of the year award count.
How that count works is that both coaching panels allocate votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis after every match. Votes can be handed out to the opposition.
Lloyd isn’t fazed that Grimes only polled one vote in the Brownlow Medal count due to the nature of the umpires-voted award, but he’s frustrated that the three-time premiership Tiger clearly wasn’t valued by the coaches this season.
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“This is where I think the coaches award disappoints me, because (the coaches) should be the ones that value a certain player within the game,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“And I look at this player: Dylan Grimes. I don’t care about the Brownlow because I understand Dylan Grimes isn’t the type to poll in the Brownlow.
“But (how did he get) only five votes for the year? That would have him 150th-200th.
“So how does he win his club’s best and fairest but yet Damien Hardwick only gave him five votes during the year? That’s what I don’t understand.
“The coaches’ votes – we should be seeing more role players within their votes.”
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Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver took out this year’s AFL Coaches Association champion player of the year award, polling 114 votes as he edged the Western Bulldogs‘ Marcus Bontempelli and Port Adelaide‘s Ollie Wines.
A non-midfielder hasn’t won the champion player of the year award since Barry Hall with Sydney in 2005.
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Footy Classified panelist Eddie McGuire responded to Lloyd with a thought-provoking question.
“Are the coaches not putting them in the coaches award because they don’t want the opposition knowing who the valuable player is?” McGuire said with a laugh.
Former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon added: “I think there’s a point to that.”
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