Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

[angelopetraglia]

Bont averages the 10th most Brownlow Medal votes per game in history for all players who have ever played the game.

Bont averages more than Neale, Judd, Ablett Jnr, Martin, Swan, Cripps, Skilton, Mitchell, Stewart, Buckley, Reynolds, Diesel, Pendles, Black, R Harvey, and Cousins just to name a few.

[angelopetraglia]

The following modern players average more Brownlow Medal votes than Bont. Fyfe and Danger. That's it.

[angelopetraglia]

Out of the the top 25 players who have averaged the most the most Brownlow Medal Votes. Only the following have not won the Brownlow. In order of the highest average.

Harold Bray. He played 1941-52. He finished runner up twice and third once in the Brownlow.

Bont.

Clayton Oliver

Keith Shea Only played 39 games for Hawthorn in the 1940s. He finished third twice and fourth once in the Brownlow.

That is it. The other 21 all have a Charlie. Bont is bloody stiff.

[Twodogs]

Out of the the top 25 players who have averaged the most the most Brownlow Medal Votes. Only the following have not won the Brownlow. In order of the highest average.

Harold Bray. He played 1941-52. He finished runner up twice and third once in the Brownlow.

Bont.

Clayton Oliver

Keith Shea Only played 39 games for Hawthorn in the 1940s. He finished third twice and fourth once in the Brownlow.

That is it. The other 21 all have a Charlie. Bont is bloody stiff.

What about Alan Hopkins? He played a fair bit of footy when the voting system awarded 1 vote to the best player and that was. it. He placed 3 or 4 times under that system. I wonder if you converted all his 1 votes to 3 votes what his average would be?

[angelopetraglia]

What about Alan Hopkins? He played a fair bit of footy when the voting system awarded 1 vote to the best player and that was. it. He placed 3 or 4 times under that system. I wonder if you converted all his 1 votes to 3 votes what his average would be?

The source I use (AFL Tables) looks like it adjusts for the double Brownlow vote era but not the pre 1930 era. Let's adjust.

Hopkins votes per year.

1925 1 = 3
1926 2 = 6
1927 2 = 6
1928 3 =9
1929 4 = 12
1930 4 = 12
1931 25
1932 1
1933 13
1934 7

94 votes. He played 151 games.

That's 0.62 votes per game. However he didn't have the luxure of getting a 2s and 1s for the first six seasons of his career.

For context. Bont averages 0.83 Brownlow votes per game. The most in history is Haydn Bunton with 1.04.

[angelopetraglia]

Of all the players to win a Brownlow. The following players have averaged the least votes across their career. Ranked by the worst. Lots of Bulldog Brownlows on that list (and a few ex Bulldog players too).

Templeton
G Healy
B Wilson
Dipper
Hardie
Woewodin
Round
Quinlan
Aker
R Smith
Cooney
Teasdale
Lord
Wanganeen
Wynd
Couch
Libba

For context. Templeton got 6 BOG 3 votes in his career. Bont has 42 and counting.

[Twodogs]

The source I use (AFL Tables) looks like it adjusts for the double Brownlow vote era but not the pre 1930 era. Let's adjust.

Hopkins votes per year.

1925 1 = 3
1926 2 = 6
1927 2 = 6
1928 3 =9
1929 4 = 12
1930 4 = 12
1931 25
1932 1
1933 13
1934 7

94 votes. He played 151 games.

That's 0.62 votes per game. However he didn't have the luxure of getting a 2s and 1s for the first six seasons of his career.

For context. Bont averages 0.83 Brownlow votes per game. The most in history is Haydn Bunton with 1.04.

Give him another 3 X 2 and 4 X 1 votes per season, that's 10 votes a season over 6 seasons. So another 60 votes would take him up to an adjusted total of 154 votes in 151 games.

Not at all bad. He was quite a player. From memory he kicked 7 goals in his first VFA game for us in 1922 at the age of 16.

[Go_Dogs]

Bont definitely stands out.

Pendlebury and Joel Selwood others from recent memory who have consistently been around the top 10 players in the league and not won one. Clayton Oliver one who may end up similar (who knows).

[Axe Man]

Check my post on the first page about Bont AP.

[angelopetraglia]

Check my post on the first page about Bont AP.

Thanks Axe. Missed the reference as I was scrolling through the posts.