Suns gun’s night time to recollect as Neale takes Charlie, Bont bridesmaid once more: 2023 Brownlow winners and losers

Lachie Neale is the 2023 Brownlow Medallist – however he was removed from the one winner out of probably the most thrilling version of the AFL’s night time of nights in lots of a 12 months.With an extended checklist of contenders and nearly nothing splitting all of them night – by the final spherical, 5 gamers will nonetheless in rivalry to take residence the coveted gong – the 2023 rely was arguably probably the most thrilling in historical past, with the outcome nonetheless in dispute proper up till Neale was awarded three votes within the remaining match to be introduced by league CEO Gillon McLachlan.But the followers – and naturally, Neale – have been removed from the one winners out of Brownlow night time: from new Mark of the Year victor Harry Himmelberg and Goal of the Year recipient Will Ashcroft, plus Sam Docherty’s inspirational claiming of the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, there have been lots extra stars of the sport who might head residence from Crown effectively happy with how the night time panned out.Here are the winners and losers from the 2023 AFL Brownlow Medal

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WinnersLachie NealeI imply… he received the night time, in spite of everything.

Sure, the Brisbane champion was a shock winner, and a controversial one too in some corners (together with my very own). But all the identical, whereas Neale’s stats may not have been as eye-watering as in a few of his different seasons on the Lions, I’m unsure he’s ever been extra impactful on video games than in 2023.Still a clearance machine, nonetheless a stoppages beast, Neale might need averaged his fewest disposals in a non-2020 season in almost a decade, however nearly 27 touches a sport continues to be a critical effort.As for the extensively reposted remark from SEN mid-year that Neale was, in a month-long span of footy, the 284th-ranked midfielder within the sport… it’s price noting that that got here after Round 21, and represents 4 weeks the place he polled precisely 0 votes.From there, he lifted for seven votes within the final three rounds, together with two best-ons within the final two, to say his second Charlie, even with that dry month.Sure, Neale didn’t make the All-Australian crew, and nor was he a shock omission. He was fifth for coaches votes, and had what many take into account to be a simply okay season by his extraordinary requirements – it actually wasn’t a patch on his all-conquering 2020 that introduced with it his first Brownlow.Whether it was a Brownlow-worthy season is up for debate: however that is nonetheless a champion of footy, with an honest likelihood of becoming a member of Dustin Martin as the one gamers in historical past to say the Brownlow-Norm Smith double on Saturday.

Lachie Neale with the 2023 Brownlow Medal. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos through Getty Images)The AFL.com.au Brownlow PredictorPlenty of eyebrows have been raised when the AFL’s official media arm locked Neale in as its predicted Brownlow winner.“There’s no means Neale is profitable it. Be fortunate to ballot within the prime 10” was one poorly-aged response, whereas others claimed it was ‘deliberately deceptive’, or that the Lions had had ‘a mean 12 months’.But not solely have been they bang on with their winner, however they have been just one off his eventual tally – a good effort!
AFL predictor is so extensively fallacious it’s hilarious actually.— Finn (@ultranuff) September 25, 2023

The remainder of the highest group have been fairly shut as effectively: Nick Daicos and Zak Butters have been solely two votes in need of their eventual tallies, Marcus Bontempelli completed one forward and Petracca one behind. Overestimating Jordan Dawson and Tim Taranto have been about their most egregious errors.It’s price a tip of the cap – particularly from me, somebody whose predicting expertise this 12 months have been… grim. But extra on that later.Noah AndersonYearly there’s a participant who shocks everybody by making a critical run for the Brownlow from nowhere, and 2023 had Noah Anderson.Perhaps one of the best Brownlow bolter since Angus Brayshaw in 2018 – who famously completed third regardless of not even getting an invitation – Anderson ended up equal ninth after polling in simply one of many Suns’ final 9 video games, and solely as soon as underneath caretaker coach Steven King.But earlier than the byes, he was proper up among the many main contenders, polling 13 votes in a five-week stretch to race, out of nowhere, into the highest tier.

With six three-vote efforts, solely Neale, Nick Daicos, Butters and Jack Viney (all with seven) had extra greatest on floor video games this 12 months than the 22-year outdated.Anderson, like Neale, missed All-Australian choice this 12 months, however if you happen to wanted an indication that this younger Sun is a rising star of the sport, this was it.Andrew PhillipsThe journeyman ruckman, who retired after Round 24, will need to have thought he’d finish his 11-year AFL profession and not using a single Brownlow vote.But in one of many largest shocks of the night time, Phillips wouldn’t simply break his duck within the Dons’ well-known win over Melbourne in Round 5… he’d earn the utmost three for his 12-disposal, six-mark, two-goal efficiency.Plenty of shocked footy followers took to social media to specific their disbelief – particularly given Phillips acquired 0 coaches votes – however having watched that match and written about it in depth on the time, I’m glad the massive fella acquired some reward for a wonderful, underrated sport.

Along with Sam Draper, I wrote, Phillips ‘dominated the skies in Essendon’s ahead line. Harrison Petty and Adam Tomlinson have been completely outmatched… they’re now extraordinarily competent as forwards, whereas having the double impact of working Brodie Grundy completely ragged.’I most undoubtedly thought Draper was the higher of the 2, saying ‘it is a critical footballer creating earlier than our eyes’, however who can begrudge a retiring ruckman a three-vote effort in a midfielder-dominated award?Enjoy retirement, Flip.LosersThe BontAt all times the bridesmaid, by no means the bride.

That’s now three seasons wherein Marcus Bontempelli has entered Brownlow night time among the many heavy favourites. For the second time in three years, alongside 2021, he completed second, whereas in 2019 he was closely backed solely to complete equal seventh as teammates Jack Macrae and Josh Dunkley ate into his votes.Scott Pendlebury and Joel Selwood is perhaps one of the best trendy midfielders to by no means win a Brownlow, however with one other 29 votes taking his tally to 169 in his 10-year profession – already twenty third all time, and third of Bulldogs behind Scott West (175) and Gary Dempsey (246) – and with the third-highest votes-to-game ratio (0.83) for anybody with greater than 150 profession votes (behind Patrick Dangerfield and two-time winner Nat Fyfe), the Dogs captain is quick becoming a member of that firm.A two-time AFL Players Association MVP, and with a Coaches Association win underneath his belt as effectively, Bontempelli’s standing within the sport amongst friends and supporters alike is undisputable, even when he by no means claims the most important prize of all.Still, it’d be good if he did win one sooner or later… and with the 2010s already the primary decade ever and not using a Bulldogs victor because the Nineteen Twenties, it feels overdue for each participant and membership!Kane Cornes

Remember when Kane Cornes mentioned Tim Taranto wasn’t even within the prime 150 gamers within the sport?Cornes made that declare on SEN on May 4 this 12 months, within the lead-up to Round 8.Within a month, Taranto had responded with 4 consecutive greatest afield efforts from Rounds 11-14 – and because it proved on Brownlow night time, the utmost three votes each single week.That was sufficient to see the Tiger storm into equal third within the voting, equal with Nick Daicos – and whereas he’d ballot simply three extra votes for the remainder of the night time as his season tapered off, it’s truthful to say he’d already made an announcement.
Taranto making Kane Cornes eat his phrases, is one of the best factor I’ve seen. Top 5 after 12 rounds within the Brownlow. Polled 12 votes in final 4 video games. #AFLBROWNLOW #AFL— DAVO (@lifeofdavo10) September 25, 2023
Sure, he was nowhere close to profitable… however 19 votes is nothing to be sniffed at from the video games 151st-best participant!And that declare that Christian Petracca may not be thought of a really elite participant… effectively, that didn’t age too sharply both.

The All-Australian selectorsAfter one of the vital extensively acclaimed 22s ever, there was little or no to complain about with this 12 months’s All-Australian crew – and the footy world appeared to know as such with its response when the crew was introduced earlier this month.There have been scarcely any snubs and even fewer undeserving names within the crew of the 12 months – a job effectively accomplished, it appears.But it all the time seems a bit of foolish when the Brownlow Medallist finally ends up being somebody who didn’t make the lower – and for the primary time since 2014, that’s what occurred with Neale’s win this 12 months.It’s simply the fourth time because the All-Australian crew turned a critical accolade within the mid-Nineteen Nineties that the Brownlow winner has missed out on a spot – and Neale’s is a very unusual case.

Matt Priddis in 2014 solely received as a result of Gary Ablett wrecked his shoulder with seven rounds to go – lacking double the video games Nick Daicos was out for this season – whereas Sam Mitchell in 2012 solely acquired his medal 4 years later after Jobe Watson had it stripped for his involvement within the Essendon dietary supplements saga.Then there’s Shane Woewodin in 2000, one of the vital stunning and derided winners in Brownlow historical past – in equity, my view could also be clouded by years of childhood spent listening to my dad clarify how Scott West was robbed blind.Neale, as a previous winner and undisputed famous person of the sport, is a barely totally different had case from these three different non-AA recipients, and is fairly clearly one of the best footballer of the foursome.Still, the selectors of the crew of the 12 months shouldn’t really feel that silly: I don’t assume many individuals had Neale as 2023’s greatest participant, and even within the prime ten (I actually didn’t!)MeOkay, I might need written that Nick Daicos might get to 40 Brownlow Medal votes on Sunday night time… solely to see him fall almost a 3rd quick.

Whoopsie.In equity, I wasn’t the one individual to assume the youthful Daicos was unfortunate to overlook out on votes in a number of video games, most notably a 38-disposal, two-goal effort in opposition to Brisbane in Round 4 that ought to a minimum of have netted him a token one.But 40 was nonetheless a bit a lot – as was my unwritten however privately held perception he may very well be on 18 votes after six rounds (he’d get to 13). Clearly, the umpires didn’t get into the Daicos hype fairly as a lot as I did.It’s been a garbage 12 months from me on the predicting entrance: I had Collingwood and Port Adelaide lacking the finals at the beginning of the 12 months, tipped Richmond for the highest 4 and GWS for the underside 4, mentioned repeatedly throughout the 12 months that you simply have been foolish if you happen to thought Geelong weren’t making the eight, had Port making my grand remaining on the eve of September, and completed 16 behind the winner of our skilled tipping competitors. That’s actually laborious to do.So with that in thoughts… Collingwood to win the grand remaining by 9 factors. Sorry, Magpies supporters (and also you’re welcome, actually everybody else in Victoria).

First seem at Suns gun’s night time to recollect as Neale takes Charlie, Bont bridesmaid once more: 2023 Brownlow winners and losers

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