It is that time of the year once again, with the Brownlow Medal ceremony set to kick off a week of festivities that ends in the AFL Grand Final.
In a year where almost everything about the AFL has been different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brownlow Medal ceremony will also come with a twist.
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Instead of the usual Monday night ceremony, this year’s count will take place this Sunday night, with the official count to be held in Perth, while various events are held in several states across the country.
After Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale took out last year’s Brownlow Medal in a canter, this year’s gong is projected to go down to the wire. Will this year’s Brownlow winner be playing in next Saturday’s grand final?
Ahead of the AFL’s night of nights, here is everything you need to know in Wide World of Sports’ Brownlow Medal ultimate guide:
What is the Brownlow Medal?
Awarded every season since 1924, the Brownlow Medal is given to the best and fairest player during the AFL’s home and away season.
Where will the Brownlow ceremony be held?
With the AFL grand final being played in Perth this year, the official Brownlow Medal count will take place at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Players who are from states that are able to travel to Western Australia are expected to be at the event, although players from the two grand final teams will be housed in a different room due to caution surrounding COVID-19.
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Melbourne-based players will participate virtually, while the broadcast will also be hosted out of Melbourne.
When is the Brownlow Medal ceremony?
The Brownlow Medal will be awarded on Sunday, September 19.
How is the Brownlow Medal decided?
Umpires vote on a 3-2-1 basis after every match and the player with the most votes at the end of the regular season is crowned the winner.
Players who are suspended during the season are ineligible for the award, and players who finish on the same number of votes are declared joint winners.
Who are the favourites for this year’s Brownlow Medal?
Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide) – $3.25 odds via SportsBet
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) – $3.75
Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) – $4.00
Jack Steele (St Kilda) – $6.50
Christian Petracca (Melbourne) – $17.00
Where will this year’s Brownlow likely be won?
Every year we see the Brownlow Medal winner have a stretch of games that puts some space between them and the rest of the pack. For the top three favourites, here’s where we think they could stake their respective claims.
Ollie Wines (Rounds 14-19) – 35.7 disposals per game, 5-1 record
Wines enjoyed by far the best season of his nine-year career, posting career-best averages in virtually every major stat category in 2021.
While his disposal average of 32.4 per game was eye-watering, it was a six-week stretch between Rounds 14 and 19 that could see him snatch the Brownlow.
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The 26-year-old began the stretch with a career-high 43 disposals in the Power’s 50-point win over the Gold Coast in Round 14, before incredibly matching that mark just two games later against Hawthorn.
In the six matches in question, Wines averaged a ridiculous 35.7 disposals per game as Port Adelaide zoomed into the top four on the back of a 5-1 record during that period, with the only loss coming against ladder-leaders Melbourne.
In addition to the lofty disposal numbers, Wines will also be helped by the fact that he hit the scoreboard in three out of the six matches.
Marcus Bontempelli (Rounds 8-15) – 28.6 disposals per game, 5-2 record
While Bontempelli’s overall averages this season weren’t a whole lot better than his previous years, that is simply a testament of his consistency as a player.
The Bulldogs skipper finished the season averaging 26.8 touches per game, a career-high, but will put space between he and the rest of the Brownlow fancies during a stretch in the middle of the year.
Much has been made of the Bulldogs’ all-star midfield this season, but it was telling that Bontempelli put his Superman cape on after the injuries to Josh Dunkley (Round 6) and Adam Treloar (Round 10).
Bontempelli’s dominant stretch started with a 32-possession outing in a comeback win over Carlton in Round 8 and went through to Round 15, where the Bulldogs upset West Coast in Perth behind the captain’s 29 touches and three goals.
During the seven-game stretch in which the Bulldogs went 5-2, the 25-year-old averaged 28.6 possessions and a stupendous 145 ranking points, while also kicking goals in all but one match.
Clayton Oliver (Rounds 4-11) – 28.6 disposals per game, 7-1 record
Oliver’s sensational 2021 season mirrored that of his team, with both getting down to work in the early rounds.
It should not be a surprise if the Demons’ ball-magnet gets out to an early lead courtesy of a hot streak in the first half of the season.
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Oliver’s Brownlow-winning stretch began in Round 4 when he collected 34 disposals in the Demons’ first real statement win of the season against Geelong at the MCG.
Given who he will be facing in next week’s grand final, it is fitting then that this streak included a 33-disposal outing against the Western Bulldogs in Round 11, where Melbourne were 28-point winners.
However, neither of the two aforementioned games featured Oliver’s signature performance. That came in Melbourne’s only loss in the stretch, a one-point defeat to Adelaide in Round 10 where he picked up 38 touches and kicked three goals.
The ridiculous eight-game stretch saw Oliver average 28.6 disposals and 135.4 ranking points per game, as Melbourne went 7-1.
Recent Brownlow Medal winners
2020 – Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions)
2019 – Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
2018 – Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
2017 – Dustin Martin (Richmond)
2016 – Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
2015 – Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
Who has won the most Brownlow Medals?
Four players are tied having won three Brownlow Medals:
Haydn Bunton Sr (Fitzroy) – 1931, 1932, 1935
Dick Reynolds (Essendon) – 1934, 1937, 1938
Bob Skilton (South Melbourne) – 1959, 1963, 1968
Ian Stewart (St Kilda/Richmond) – 1965, 1966, 1971
Which player has the most Brownlow Medal votes of all time?
Geelong great Gary Ablett Jr holds the record for most Brownlow Medal votes in total, having accumulated 262 during his stellar career.
With Ablett having hung up the boots last season, it is one of his old teammates, Patrick Dangerfield, who has the most career votes of all active players with 224.
Here is what the all-time vote tally looks like:
Gary Ablett Jr (Geelong, Gold Coast) – 262
Gary Dempsey (Footscray, North Melbourne) – 246
Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn, West Coast) – 227
Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide, Geelong) – 224
Robert Harvey (St Kilda) – 215
Chris Judd (West Coast, Carlton) – 210
Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) – 207
Leigh Matthews (Hawthorn) – 202
Joel Selwood (Geelong) – 201
Dustin Martin (Richmond) – 191
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