2008 Brownlow Medal
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Brownlow Medal
was awarded to Adam Cooney
of the Western Bulldogs
, who was adjudged to have been the best and fairest
player during the 2008
Australian Football League
home and away
season. It is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football
and was held at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, Victoria on 22 September 2008. Cooney polled 24 votes, one ahead of Brisbane's
Simon Black
, who won the award in 2002 and was equal second in 2007. Pre-vote favourite Gary Ablett
and sentimental favourite Matthew Richardson
finished equal third on 22 votes.
* The player was ineligible to win the medal due to suspension by the AFL Tribunal
during the year.
(those umpires who control the flow of the game, as opposed to goal or boundary umpires) confer after each match and award 3 votes, 2 votes and 1 vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match respectively.
are ineligible to win the award. In 2008 many of the leading contenders including Coleman Medal
list Lance Franklin
, Sam Mitchell
, Adam Goodes
, Brett Burton
and Daniel Kerr
all were found guilty of an offence and are ineligible to win the medal.
was installed as the early favourite when betting opened, but as the season progressed Gary Ablett, Jr.
became a short-priced favourite. When Ablett injured his ankle and missed three matches, Brent Harvey
moved to outright favourite. By the end of the season however, Ablett had returned to favouritism, with 2007 winner Jimmy Bartel
, Harvey and Adam Cooney
close behind.
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
was awarded to Adam Cooney
Adam Cooney
Adam Cooney is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. Cooney, recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, won the 2008 Brownlow Medal with 24 votes becoming the 10th Footscray/Western Bulldog player to win the AFL's highest individual honor.He attended...
of the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, who was adjudged to have been the best and fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
player during the 2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...
Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
home and away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
season. It is the most prestigious individual award in Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
and was held at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, Victoria on 22 September 2008. Cooney polled 24 votes, one ahead of Brisbane's
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
Simon Black
Simon Black
Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...
, who won the award in 2002 and was equal second in 2007. Pre-vote favourite Gary Ablett
Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
and sentimental favourite Matthew Richardson
Matthew Richardson (Australian rules footballer)
Matthew "Richo" Richardson , is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Australian Football League...
finished equal third on 22 votes.
Leading votegetters
| | Player | | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Adam Cooney Adam Cooney Adam Cooney is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. Cooney, recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, won the 2008 Brownlow Medal with 24 votes becoming the 10th Footscray/Western Bulldog player to win the AFL's highest individual honor.He attended... |
24 |
| 2nd | Simon Black Simon Black Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill... |
23 |
| = 3rd | Gary Ablett, Jr. Gary Ablett, Jr. Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League .... Matthew Richardson Matthew Richardson (Australian rules footballer) Matthew "Richo" Richardson , is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Australian Football League... |
22 |
| Adam Goodes Adam Goodes Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League .... * |
21 | |
| Lance Franklin Lance Franklin Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing... * |
20 | |
| 5th | Joel Selwood Joel Selwood Joel Anthony Selwood is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League... |
19 |
| =6th | Brent Harvey Brent Harvey Brent "Boomer" Harvey is an Australian rules footballer and the current captain of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League .... Matthew Pavlich Matthew Pavlich Matthew Pavlich is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League .... |
17 |
| =8th | Chris Judd Chris Judd Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League .... Brad Sewell Brad Sewell Brad Sewell is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was selected with pick number 6 in the Rookie Draft in 2003... |
16 |
| =10th | Joel Corey Joel Corey Joel Corey is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder, tall and weighing , Corey is able to contribute inside or outside while on the ball.... Lenny Hayes Lenny Hayes Lenny Hayes is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League.Hayes is a former captain of St Kilda and continues to be an onfield leader in the Saints' midfield.... Scott Thompson (footballer) Scott Thompson (footballer) Scott Thompson is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League .-Melbourne career:He was drafted by Melbourne with the 16th selection in the 2000 AFL Draft from Port Adelaide in the SANFL. Debuting with the Melbourne in 2001 as a 19-year-old, he struggled to break through into... |
15 |
| Sam Mitchell Sam Mitchell (footballer) Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :... * |
15 |
AFL Tribunal
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League .-Points system:Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook...
during the year.
Voting Procedure
The three field umpiresUmpire (Australian rules football)
An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an...
(those umpires who control the flow of the game, as opposed to goal or boundary umpires) confer after each match and award 3 votes, 2 votes and 1 vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match respectively.
Ineligible players
As the award is for the Best and Fairest player in the league, players found guilty of a suspendable offence by the AFL TribunalAFL Tribunal
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League .-Points system:Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook...
are ineligible to win the award. In 2008 many of the leading contenders including Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
list Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...
, Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...
, Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League ....
, Brett Burton
Brett Burton
Brett Burton is a retired Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. He was picked up at Pick 16 in the 1998 AFL Draft by the Adelaide Football Club...
and Daniel Kerr
Daniel Kerr
Daniel Matthew Kerr is an Australian rules footballer.Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club and made his AFL debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.-Background:Kerr is of Anglo-Indian descent...
all were found guilty of an offence and are ineligible to win the medal.
Pre-count betting
Despite changing clubs after the 2007 season, Chris JuddChris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
was installed as the early favourite when betting opened, but as the season progressed Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
became a short-priced favourite. When Ablett injured his ankle and missed three matches, Brent Harvey
Brent Harvey
Brent "Boomer" Harvey is an Australian rules footballer and the current captain of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
moved to outright favourite. By the end of the season however, Ablett had returned to favouritism, with 2007 winner Jimmy Bartel
Jimmy Bartel
James 'Jimmy' Bartel is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder at and , Bartel is a Brownlow Medallist, two-time All-Australian, and was part of the Cats' AFL premiership-winning teams in 2007, 2009 and 2011, being named the...
, Harvey and Adam Cooney
Adam Cooney
Adam Cooney is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL. Cooney, recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL, won the 2008 Brownlow Medal with 24 votes becoming the 10th Footscray/Western Bulldog player to win the AFL's highest individual honor.He attended...
close behind.