BROWNLOW BEAUTIES SHINE AT AWARDS
AND THE WINNER IS ....
THE Brownlow red carpet has become one of the most glamorous events in Melbourne and the wives and girlfriends of the stars of the AFL didn’t disappoint last night, stepping out in a steady stream of gorgeous gowns.
The contribution of an increasing number of celebrity stylists was evident. While the standard of many of the gowns would rival any international awards ceremony, it was the attention to detail from head to toe that really elevated this year’s event.
White gowns in sheer and embellished fabrics, plum and lilac along with bold and soft pinks, yellow and mint were key colours. Nadia Bartel was a stunner cohosting the red carpet fashion coverage dressed in an ice-blue, embellished gown by Melbourne couture kings J’Aton. Brit Davis, Mardi Dangerfield and Emma Hawkins were all class as they made their way down the carpet. Jessie Murphy turned heads with a cropped hair style while Magpie WAGs Alex Pendlebury and Adam Treloar’s netball star girlfriend Kim Ravaillion sported baby bumps.
Hannah Davis, the partner of last year’s Brownlow winner Tom Mitchell, Max Gawn’s partner Jessica Todd, Tom Lynch’s partner Olivia Burke and Patrick Cripps’s partner Monique Fontana all shone.
FREMANTLE captain Nat Fyfe has become just the 15th player to win the Brownlow Medal multiple times, claiming his second medal four years after his first in 2015.
Fyfe became just the 10th Brownlow Medal winner to poll 30 or more votes in a season under the current voting system, logging 33 votes — two more than he did in 2015. In a cliffhanger count, which was only decided in Round 21, Geelong midfielder Patrick Dangerfield finished second on 27 votes, with Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale tying for third place on 26 votes.
Fyfe, who has been Fremantle captain since 2017, polled a remarkable 20 votes to Round 11 and finished the night having earned votes in 12 of a possible 20 games after missing two matches through injury. The second-ranked midfielder in the AFL this year, Fyfe averaged 120 SuperCoach points and was crowned All-Australian captain.
The 28-year-old, who entered the count on the third line of betting at $7 with TAB, averaged a career-high 29.1 disposals this season along with 7.5 clearances and 6.3 score involvements. “I really pride myself on my preparation,” Fyfe said after accepting his medal. “I know if I prepare as well as I can that’s going to put me in a position to be able to impact most games. Since I broke my leg in 2015 and ’16 there has been question marks whether I will be able to get back to my absolute best. Those question marks motivated me.
“I knew if I doubled down on my preparation, and worked at my role as captain with our leaders, that I could get back to being the best player I possibly could be. And this is incredibly rewarding for the effort that I have put in.”
Dangerfield, who won the award in 2016 and had entered last night as favourite, finished in a flurry with eight votes from the final three rounds — but it was too little, too late.
Carlton captain Cripps got away to the hottest of starts, polling votes in each of his first five games.
His 13 votes after Round 5 were the most ever polled by a player to that stage of the count.
But Cripps, who was voted by his peers as the best player in the AFL this year, managed just five votes from two games after Round 12 despite the Blues getting on a winning run.
Second-year Geelong sensation Tim Kelly recorded a top-five finish with 24 votes, including seven best on grounds.
Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy, the top-ranked player in the competition by Champion Data this year, placed sixth with 23 votes.