TOM TRIUMPHS
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 behind Sam Mitchell in 2012 and Shane Crawford in 1999.
Sidebottom, who entered the night a $51 chance, held the outright lead in 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 Mit- chell, the Hawk recorded 14 votes in the final 10 rounds, the triumph coming as little surprise on the back of winning the AFL Player’s Association MVP award and earning AllAustralian selection for a second season this year.
Mitchell broke the VFL/ AFL record for most disposals in a single game with 54 touches against Collingwood in Round 1 and finished the home- and- away season with 786 disposals — 119 more than any other player — at a rate of 35.7 a game while also averaging 7.9 clearances and kicking 12 goals.
Mitchell thanked Todd Goldstein during his acceptance speech, an errant elbow on the North Melbourne ruckman in Round 5 threatening to put the Hawk out of 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, I think it probably didn’t look great on the vision but I don’t think there was a lot of contact in it.
“To be honest I had no idea that I’d been cited until someone mentioned it to me after the game and I was sort of, ‘What was that for?’ It was lucky for me that I didn’t get suspended.”
Mitchell also spoke of a change in diet helping bring about a change in his game, largely thanks to partner Hannah.
“In summary my diet wasn’t too flash,” Mitchell said.
“Pre-game routine consisted of a box of Barbecue Shapes and Kit Kats. I am now on a strict salmon diet.”
After polling a record 36 votes to win last year’s Brownlow, Richmond’s Dustin Martin managed just 19 while last year’s runner-up and 2016 winner Patrick Dangerfield finished equal-tenth with 17.
The drought since a ruckman last won the award extended to 26 years dating back to Footscray’s Scott Wynd in 1992, with highly fancied duo Max Gawn (Melbourne) and Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) both falling short of expectations .
Gawn finished equal-fourth on 20 votes and Grundy equaltenth on 17.