Mitchell runs away with win

THE greatest accumulator of the football the AFL has seen was last night bestowed with the league’s greatest individual honour, Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell crowned the winner of the 2018 Brownlow Medal.

The prolific onballer polled 28 votes to hold off a surprise challenger in Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom (24 votes) and become the third Hawk in 19 years to win the award after Sam Mitchell in 2012 and Shane Crawford in 1999.

Sidebottom, who entered the night a $51 chance with TAB, led the count at Round 13, having polled 17 votes, but it was Mitchell who finished the better of the pair in what became a two-horse race.

The son of 1991 Sydney best-and-fairest Barry Mitchell, the Hawk recorded 14 votes in the final 10 rounds, the triumph coming as little surprise on the back of winning the AFL Players’ Association MVP award and earning AllAustralian selection for a second season.

Mitchell broke the VFL/ AFL record for most disposals in a game with 54 touches against Collingwood in Round 1 and finished the home-andaway season with 786 disposals — 119 more than any other player — at a rate of 35.7 a game. He also averaged 7.9 clearances and kicked 12 goals.

Mitchell thanked Todd Goldstein during his acceptance speech, after an errant elbow on the North Mel- bourne ruckman in Round 5 threatening to rub him out of medal contention.

“I do remember the incident. I think ‘Goldy’ actually looked after me a bit in the post-game as well,” Mitchell said. “I don’t reckon there was a lot in the incident from memory. I think it probably didn’t look great on the vision, but I don’t think there was a lot of contact in it.”

Mitchell spoke of a change in diet helping bring about a change in his game, largely thanks to partner Hannah.

After polling a record 36 votes to win last year, Dustin Martin managed just 19 votes.

Gary Ablett became the first player in history to poll votes against all 18 teams.