100 Years of the Brownlow

For a century the Brownlow Medal has been the highest individual honour in the Australian Football League (AFL). It was first awarded in 1924 and each year is bestowed upon the Fairest and Best player in the AFL competition that season. The first winner was Geelong star Edward “Carji” Greeves, which was fitting because the award was named in honour of respected Geelong administrator Charles Brownlow, who had died earlier that year.

Voting for the Brownlow Medal is conducted by field umpires, immediately after each home-and-away match, with three votes awarded for the player they believed to have been the best on the ground, two votes for the second-best player and one vote for the third-best player on the day.

The Brownlow Medal count, traditionally held on the Monday night before the Grand Final, is the social highlight of the AFL calendar with a long tradition of high fashion and dramatic vote-counts.

From 1930, a countback system was used if players tied for the most votes over a season, with the winner decided by who had the most “three vote” games, but in 1980 the countback system was abandoned and players who had tied for the most votes were retrospectively awarded Brownlow Medals. Now, if two or more players finish tied for first, they are joint winners.

Only four players in the history of the League have won three Brownlow medals. They are Haydn Bunton (Fitzroy), Dick Reynolds (Essendon), Bob Skilton (South Melbourne) and Ian Stewart (St Kilda and Richmond). Another eight players have won two Brownlows, including the latest, Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale, who won the Brownlow Medal in 2020 and 2023.