en:2009 Brownlow Medal
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox award
| name = 2009 Brownlow Medal
| image =Geelong_Cats_AFL_Premiers_2009_(cropped).jpg
| caption =2009 Brownlow Medal winner Ablett Jr would go on to win the 2009 AFL Grand Final with Geelong later in the week.
| date = 21 September
| location = Crown Palladium
| holder_label = Winner
| holder = Gary Ablett, Jr. ({{AFL Gee}})
30 votes
| network = Seven Network
| host = Sandy Roberts
| previous = 2008
| main = Brownlow Medal
| next = 2010
}}
The 2009 Brownlow Medal was the 82nd year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home-and-away season.{{cite book|title=AFL Record Season Guide 2016|year=2009|editor=Lovett, Michael|publisher=Slattery Media Group|location=Docklands, Victoria|pages=593|isbn=978-0-9805162-6-5}} Gary Ablett Jr of the Geelong Football Club won the medal by polling 30 votes during the 2009 AFL season.{{cite web|title=2009 Brownlow Medal|url=http://afltables.com/afl/brownlow/brownlow2009.html|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=8 November 2016}}
Ablett won the award with thirty votes, eight votes ahead of 2004 medal winner, Chris Judd. It was Ablett's first Brownlow despite winning many other awards in the previous few years and being the Brownlow pre-count favourite for the previous three years.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/ablett-wins-the-brownlow/2009/09/21/1253384956735.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|title=Ablett wins the Brownlow|last=Gleeson|first=Michael|date=22 September 2009|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Media}} It was the second time in three years that a player from Geelong won the Brownlow Medal.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/medal-hype-to-spill-into-saturday/story-e6frf9if-1225777941304|title=Elite honours lifts grand finale|last=Barrett|first=Damian|date=22 September 2009|work=Herald Sun|publisher=News Corp Australia}}
Leading vote-getters
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%;" | ||
| width="50" | | width="250" | Player | width="50" | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| style="background: #CCFFCC; font-weight: bold;" |
| 1st | Gary Ablett, Jr. (Geelong) | 30 |
| 2nd | Chris Judd (Carlton) | 22 |
| 3rd | Lenny Hayes (St Kilda) | 20 |
| =4th | Jonathan Brown (Brisbane) Simon Black (Brisbane) | 19 |
| =6th | Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda) Adam Goodes (Sydney) | 17 |
| 8th | Joel Selwood (Geelong) | 16 |
| =9th | Bryce Gibbs (Carlton) Marc Murphy (Carlton) Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) | 15 |
Ablett's victory
Gary Ablett's victory in the 2009 medal followed his sixth-place finish in 2007 and his third-place finish in 2008. In all three years he was the favourite to win the award. Ablett polled in 13 matches, including eight best-on-ground performances.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-brownlow-medal-votes-leader-board-gary-ablett-wins/story-fn422eni-1225777929082|title=Brownlow Medal votes|work=Herald Sun|publisher=News Corp Australia}} His seventh consecutive best-on-ground performance in round 20 confirmed his victory, as his 26-vote tally at this point was seven votes ahead of Judd, Brown and Hayes, who were all equal on 19 votes with only six votes left from the remaining two rounds. During his acceptance speech, Ablett referred to his father, Australian Football Hall of Fame member Gary Ablett Sr., who, despite being considered one of the best footballers players of all time, never won a Brownlow medal.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/how-about-that-dad-ive-won-the-brownlow/2009/09/21/1253384956666.html|title=How about that, Dad? I've won the Brownlow|last=Baum|first=Greg|date=22 September 2009|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Media}}
{{Quote box
| quote =I can at least say I've done something he hasn't done... I've always said I'd be happy to be half as good. He's the best player to play the game, in my opinion.
| width = 66%
| align = center
}}
Voting procedure
The three field umpires (those umpires who control the flow of the game, as opposed to goal or boundary umpires) confer after each match and award three votes, two votes, and one vote to the players they regard as the best, second-best and third-best in the match, respectively. The votes are kept secret until the awards night, and they are read and tallied on the evening.{{cite web|title=Brownlow Medal history and winners - AFL.com.au|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/event-news/brownlow/about-the-brownlow|access-date=27 August 2018|website=afl.com.au}}
= Ineligible players =
As the medal is awarded to the fairest and best player in the league, those who have been suspended during the season by the AFL Tribunal (or, who avoided suspension only because of a discount for a good record or an early guilty plea) are ineligible to win the award; however, they may still continue to poll votes. Sam Mitchell was the leading ineligible player after being found guilty of striking Adelaide's David Mackay.{{cite news|url=http://sportal.com.au/AFL-opinion-display/can-ablett-break-through-78099|title=Can Ablett break his Brownlow duck?|last=Lerner|first=Ronny|date=13 September 2009|work=Sportal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121141556/http://sportal.com.au/afl-opinion-display/can-ablett-break-through-78099|archive-date=21 January 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} Chris Judd was suspended for an incident during the finals, but under the rules he remained eligible for both this year's and the 2010 medal, the latter of which he won.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/no-brownlow-blues-for-chris-judd/story-fn422eni-1225770403254|title=No Brownlow blues for Chris Judd|last=Matthews|first=Bruce|date=8 September 2009|work=Herald Sun|publisher=News Corp Australia}}
- Jack Anthony ({{AFL Col}})
- Jason Akermanis ({{AFL WB}})
- Chance Bateman ({{AFL Haw}})
- Jared Brennan ({{AFL BL}})
- Dean Brogan ({{AFL PA}})
- Domenic Cassisi ({{AFL PA}})
- Joel Corey ({{AFL Gee}})
- Trent Cotchin ({{AFL Ric}})
- Lance Franklin ({{AFL Haw}})
- Michael Gardiner ({{AFL StK}})
- Barry Hall ({{AFL Syd}})
- Daniel Kerr ({{AFL WC}})
- Justin Koschitzke ({{AFL StK}})
- Cameron Ling ({{AFL Gee}})
- Matthew Lloyd ({{AFL Ess}})
- Nick Maxwell ({{AFL Col}})
- Adam McPhee ({{AFL Ess}})
- Sam Mitchell ({{AFL Haw}})
- Cameron Mooney ({{AFL Gee}})
- Drew Petrie ({{AFL NM}})
- Jack Riewoldt ({{AFL Ric}})
- Patrick Ryder ({{AFL Ess}})
- Heath Shaw ({{AFL Col}})
- Kade Simpson ({{AFL Car}})
- Colin Sylvia ({{AFL Mel}})
- Source:{{cite book|title=AFL Record: Season Guide 2010|year=2010 |pages=510–511|publisher=G. Slattery |editor=Lovett, Michael|isbn=978-0-9806274-5-9}}
= Pre-count favourites =
Gary Ablett started the year as the favourite to win the medal with both the bookmakers{{cite news|url=http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/punter-could-win-25000-with-a-cousins-brownlow-20090311-8ux7.html|title=Punter could win $25,000 with a Cousins Brownlow|last=Clarke|first=Tim|date=11 March 2009|work=WAtoday|publisher=Fairfax Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311025302/http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/punter-could-win-25000-with-a-cousins-brownlow-20090311-8ux7.html|archive-date=11 March 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} and in a poll of all 16 AFL captains.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/rival-captains-write-off-swans/story-e6frexyi-1225690110117|title=Rivan AFL captains say Sydney Swans will not make finals|last=Tugwell|first=Nikki|date=20 March 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=News Corp Australia}} He remained as favourite throughout the year and entered the count as the leading contender for the third consecutive year.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/its-your-time-to-win-brownlow-gary-ablett/story-fn422eni-1225777211024|title=It's your time to win Brownlow, Gary Ablett|last=Warner|first=Michael|date=21 September 2009|work=Herald Sun|publisher=News Corp Australia}} Other leading contenders included Dane Swan and St Kilda midfielders Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo and Lenny Hayes.{{cite news|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26086788-23209,00.html|title=Geelong's Gary Ablett will win Brownlow Medal, says Champion Data|last=Clark|first=John|date=21 September 2009|work=Fox Sports (Australia)|publisher=News Corp Australia}}
= Brendan Fevola controversy =
Ablett's win was overshadowed by the behaviour of {{AFL Car}} full-forward Brendan Fevola. Fevola was heavily intoxicated at the function, and while on camera (or alleged to have been) verbally abused guests, gave his opinion on Brownlow votes, had a bottle of beer knocked out of his hands by 2008 Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney, vomited and urinated on Casino fixtures, simulated sex acts, sexually harassed unsuspecting female guests and bystanders, sang a cappella on stage at the Brownlow after party, and fought with a Channel 7 journalist and Crown security staff before being removed from the complex by his teammates. Fevola was fined $10,000 by the AFL, fired from the Grand Final edition of The Footy Show, and voluntarily withdrew himself from the Coleman Medallist's lap of honour at the 2009 AFL Grand Final.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696440.htm |title=Fevola withdraws from lap of honour |work=ABC Online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=25 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928085735/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/25/2696440.htm |archive-date=28 September 2009 |url-status=dead }}.
Blue carpet arrivals
For the first time, the carpet was blue, to celebrate the release of the new Toyota Prius. The carpet arrivals were hosted by Fifi Box and {{AFL Haw}}'s Brad Sewell.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Brownlow Medal}}
{{2009 AFL season}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlow Medal}}
Category:2009 in Australian rules football