Jump to content

List of Brownlow Medal winners

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brownlow Medal (formally the Charles Brownlow Trophy) is an individual award given to the player judged fairest and best in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the regular season. Determined by votes cast by the officiating umpires after each game, it is considered the highest honour for individual players in the AFL.[1][2]

The medal has been awarded every year since 1924, with the exception of an intermission from 1942–1945 due to World War II. As of 2024, the Brownlow Medal has been awarded 111 times to 90 different players in 96 medal counts.

Winners by season

[edit]
Edward Greeves Jr., also known as Carji Greeves, the inaugural Brownlow Medallist
Dick Reynolds, 1934, 1937, and 1938 Brownlow Medallist.
Gerard Healy, 1988 Brownlow Medallist
Robert Harvey, 1997 and 1998 Brownlow Medallist
Adam Goodes, 2003 and 2006 Brownlow Medallist
Chris Judd, 2004 and 2010 Brownlow Medallist
Jimmy Bartel, 2007 Brownlow Medallist
Gary Ablett Jr., 2009 and 2013 Brownlow Medallist
Patrick Dangerfield, 2016 Brownlow Medallist
Lachie Neale, 2020 and 2023 Brownlow Medallist

Voting systems:

  • 1924–1930 – Single umpire awards 1 vote to best on ground only
  • 1931–1975 – Single umpire awards 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground
  • 1976–1977 – Two umpires separately award 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground
  • 1978–pres – Umpiring team collectively awards 3–2–1 votes to best three on ground

Until 1980, a countback system was used to determine the winner in the event of a tie. In 1930, Judkins was awarded the medal as he had played in the fewest games; and from 1931 to 1980, the winner was the player with the most three-vote games.[2] In 1980, the countback system was removed, and in the event of a tie, players have been considered joint winners.[2] In 1989, the countback was retroactively removed from all previous counts, and all players who had previously lost on countback were considered joint winners.[3]

Year Player Team Votes Matches
1924 Edward Greeves Jr. Geelong 7 16
1925 Colin Watson St Kilda 9 17
1926 Ivor Warne-Smith (1/2) Melbourne 9 18
1927 Syd Coventry Collingwood 7 18
1928 Ivor Warne-Smith (2/2) Melbourne 8 18
1929 Albert Collier Collingwood 6 16
1930 Harry Collier[i] Collingwood 4 18
Allan Hopkins[i] Footscray 4
Stan Judkins Richmond 4
1931 Haydn Bunton Sr. (1/3) Fitzroy 26 18
1932 Haydn Bunton Sr. (2/3) Fitzroy 23 18
1933 Wilfred "Chicken" Smallhorn Fitzroy 18 18
1934 Dick Reynolds (1/3) Essendon 19 18
1935 Haydn Bunton Sr. (3/3) Fitzroy 24 18
1936 Denis Ryan Fitzroy 26 18
1937 Dick Reynolds (2/3) Essendon 27 18
1938 Dick Reynolds (3/3) Essendon 18 18
1939 Marcus Whelan Collingwood 23 18
1940 [ii] Des Fothergill[i] Collingwood 32 18
Herbie Matthews[i] South Melbourne 32
1941 Norman Ware Footscray 23 18
1942 No medal awarded due to World War II
1943
1944
1945
1946 Don Cordner Melbourne 20 19
1947 Bert Deacon Carlton 20 19
1948 Bill Morris Richmond 24 19
1949 Col Austen[i] Hawthorn 23 19
Ron Clegg South Melbourne 23
1950 Allan Ruthven Fitzroy 21 18
1951 Bernie Smith Geelong 23 18
1952 Roy Wright (1/2) Richmond 21 19
Bill Hutchison[i] (1/2) Essendon 21
1953 Bill Hutchison (2/2) Essendon 26 18
1954 Roy Wright (2/2) Richmond 29 18
1955 Fred Goldsmith South Melbourne 21 18
1956 Peter Box Footscray 22 18
1957 Brian Gleeson St Kilda 24 18
1958 Neil Roberts St Kilda 20 18
1959 Verdun Howell[i] St Kilda 20 18
Bob Skilton (1/3) South Melbourne 20
1960 John Schultz Footscray 20 18
1961 John James Carlton 21 18
1962 Alistair Lord Geelong 28 18
1963 Bob Skilton (2/3) South Melbourne 20 18
1964 Gordon Collis Carlton 27 18
1965 Noel Teasdale[i] North Melbourne 20 18
Ian Stewart (1/3) St Kilda 20
1966 Ian Stewart (2/3) St Kilda 21 18
1967 Ross Smith St Kilda 24 18
1968 Bob Skilton (3/3) South Melbourne 24 20
1969 Kevin Murray Fitzroy 19 20
1970 Peter Bedford South Melbourne 25 22
1971 Ian Stewart (3/3) Richmond 21 22
1972 Len Thompson Collingwood 25 22
1973 Keith Greig (1/2) North Melbourne 27 22
1974 Keith Greig (2/2) North Melbourne 27 22
1975 Gary Dempsey Footscray 20 22
1976 Graham Moss Essendon 48 [iii] 22
1977 Graham Teasdale South Melbourne 59[iii] 22
1978 Malcolm Blight North Melbourne 22 22
1979 Peter Moore (1/2) Collingwood 22 22
1980 Kelvin Templeton Footscray 23 22
1981 Bernie Quinlan Fitzroy 22 22
Barry Round South Melbourne 22
1982 Brian Wilson Melbourne 23 22
1983 Ross Glendinning North Melbourne 24 22
1984 Peter Moore (2/2) Melbourne 24 22
1985 Brad Hardie Footscray 22 22
1986 Robert DiPierdomenico Hawthorn 17 22
Greg Williams (1/2) Sydney 17
1987 John Platten Hawthorn 20 22
Tony Lockett St Kilda 20
1988 Gerard Healy Sydney 20 22
1989 Paul Couch Geelong 22 22
1990 Tony Liberatore Footscray 18 22
1991 Jim Stynes Melbourne 25 22
1992 Scott Wynd Footscray 20 22
1993 Gavin Wanganeen Essendon 18 20
1994 Greg Williams (2/2) Carlton 30 22
1995 Paul Kelly Sydney 21 22
1996 James Hird Essendon 21 22
Michael Voss Brisbane Bears 21
1997 Robert Harvey (1/2) St Kilda 26 22
1998 Robert Harvey (2/2) St Kilda 32 22
1999 Shane Crawford Hawthorn 28 22
2000 Shane Woewodin Melbourne 24 22
2001 Jason Akermanis Brisbane Lions 23 22
2002 Simon Black Brisbane Lions 25 22
2003 Mark Ricciuto Adelaide 22 22
Nathan Buckley Collingwood 22
Adam Goodes (1/2) Sydney 22
2004 Chris Judd (1/2) West Coast 30 22
2005 Ben Cousins West Coast 20 22
2006 Adam Goodes (2/2) Sydney 26 22
2007 Jimmy Bartel Geelong 29 22
2008 Adam Cooney Western Bulldogs 24 22
2009 Gary Ablett Jr. (1/2) Geelong 30 22
2010 Chris Judd (2/2) Carlton 30 22
2011 Dane Swan Collingwood 34 22
2012 Sam Mitchell Hawthorn 26 [iv] 22
Trent Cotchin Richmond 26 [iv]
2013 Gary Ablett Jr. (2/2) Gold Coast 28 22
2014 Matt Priddis West Coast 26 22
2015 Nat Fyfe (1/2) Fremantle 31 22
2016 Patrick Dangerfield Geelong 35 22
2017 Dustin Martin Richmond 36 22
2018 Tom Mitchell Hawthorn 28 22
2019 Nat Fyfe (2/2) Fremantle 33 22
2020 Lachie Neale (1/2) Brisbane Lions 31 17
2021 Ollie Wines Port Adelaide 36 22
2022 Patrick Cripps (1/2) Carlton 29 22
2023 Lachie Neale (2/2) Brisbane Lions 31 23
2024 Patrick Cripps (2/2) Carlton 45 23
Nat Fyfe, 2015 and 2019 Brownlow Medallist
Ollie Wines running in 2018
Ollie Wines, 2021 Brownlow Medallist

Notes:

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Medal was awarded retrospectively, as a countback rule was applied until 1980.
  2. ^ No winner was declared in 1940: Des Fothergill and Herbie Matthews being recognised retrospectively as joint winners in 1989 after having initially received replica medals.
  3. ^ a b The voting system in 1976 and 1977 had both field umpires awarding votes, resulting in higher vote tallies than in other years.
  4. ^ a b Medal was awarded retrospectively: Jobe Watson of Essendon was the original winner, but was ruled ineligible after found guilty of a doping violation.[4]

As a mark of respect to soldiers fighting overseas in World War II, the medal was not awarded during 1942–1945.

Ineligible players who polled the most votes

[edit]

A player guilty of an offence deemed worthy of a suspension by the AFL's disciplinary tribunal for serious on-field offences is ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal. Suspended players have tallied the highest number of votes for the award on three occasions. In the third of those cases, Jobe Watson, who won in 2012, was later found guilty of breaching WADA's anti-doping code in the 2012 season, and was retrospectively ruled ineligible by the AFL Commission in November 2016.[5]

Player Team Year Votes Outcome
Corey McKernan North Melbourne 1996 21 Suspended; would have been joint winner with Hird and Voss.
Chris Grant Western Bulldogs 1997 27 Suspended; would have won outright, beating Harvey by one vote.
Jobe Watson Essendon 2012 30 Awarded the medal in 2012, beating Mitchell and Cotchin by four votes. In 2016 he was retrospectively ruled ineligible because of his involvement in the Essendon supplements saga.

Multiple winners

[edit]
Haydn Bunton Sr, seen here representing Victoria (circa 1930), was the first of four three-time Brownlow Medal winners. This feat has not been replicated since Ian Stewart more than half a century ago.

The following players have won the Brownlow Medal multiple times.

Medals Player Team Seasons
3 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
2 Ivor Warne-Smith Melbourne 1926, 1928
Bill Hutchison Essendon 1952, 1953
Roy Wright Richmond 1952, 1954
Keith Greig North Melbourne 1973, 1974
Peter Moore Collingwood / Melbourne 1979, 1984
Greg Williams Sydney / Carlton 1986, 1994
Robert Harvey St Kilda 1997, 1998
Adam Goodes Sydney 2003, 2006
Chris Judd West Coast / Carlton 2004, 2010
Gary Ablett Jr. Geelong / Gold Coast 2009, 2013
Nat Fyfe Fremantle 2015, 2019
Lachie Neale Brisbane Lions 2020, 2023
Patrick Cripps Carlton 2022, 2024

Brownlow wins by clubs

[edit]
Team Wins Years Won
South Melbourne/Sydney 14 1940, 1949, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1968,

1970, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1995

2003, 2006

Footscray/Western Bulldogs 10 1930, 1941, 1956, 1960, 1975, 1980,

1985, 1990, 1992, 2008

St Kilda 10 1925, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1966,

1967, 1987, 1997, 1998

Collingwood 9 1927, 1929, 1930, 1939, 1940, 1972

1979, 2003, 2011

Fitzroy 8 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1950

1969, 1981

Essendon 8 1934, 1937, 1938, 1952, 1953, 1976

1993, 1996

Richmond 7 1930, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1971, 2012,

2017

Melbourne 7 1926, 1928, 1946, 1982, 1984, 1991,

2000

Geelong 7 1924, 1951, 1962, 1989, 2007, 2009,

2016

Carlton 7 1947, 1961, 1964, 1994, 2010, 2022, 2024
Hawthorn 6 1949, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2012, 2018
North Melbourne 5 1965, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1983
Brisbane Lions 4 2001, 2002, 2020, 2023
West Coast 3 2004, 2005, 2014
Fremantle 2 2015, 2019
Gold Coast 1 2013
Brisbane Bears 1 1996
Adelaide 1 2003
Port Adelaide 1 2021

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Sean Miller. "What makes the Brownlow so special?". Premier Media Group. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b c "Brownlow Medal – AFL Brownlow Medal". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
  3. ^ "1980–1989". AFL BigPond Network. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Sam Mitchell, Trent Cotchin accept 2012 Brownlow Medal with 'mixed emotions'". ABC News. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  5. ^ "AFL Commission statement on 2012 Brownlow Medal". Australian Football League. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
[edit]