Player Rater

26th September 2011 Category: Analysis

Images: Slattery Media Group

When a player gets suspended early in the AFL season (and becomes ineligible for the Brownlow) does it affect an umpires voting for the remainder of the season?

Take for example, Round 21, Hawthorn v Port Adelaide. Sam Mitchell has 33 touches and kicks 2 goals - a best on ground performance by most people’s thinking. But when the umpires come to filling in their voting card, do they look at the fact that Mitchell is ineligible and therefore try to find other players to give the votes to?

After what happened to Corey McKernan and Chris Grant in ‘96 and ‘97, you could forgive them for doing so. No one wants to see an ineligible winner. Not least the umpires, because if we get another ineligible winner, they’ll be renewed calls to allow suspended players to be eligible. Or worse still, increased pressure to take the voting away from the umpires. Either way, the umpires lose control.

Mitchell has taken out a number of the major media awards this season, including the Herald Sun Player of the Year, the ABC Footballer of the Year and the Lou Richards Medal. If Mitchell were eligible he’d be competing with Chris Judd for Brownlow favoritism.