Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

[Scraggers]

You don't have to look far from our backyard to find some absolute guns that never took home Charlie. EJ, Hawk, Grant, Bont to name a few. But there a number of players who we would consider legends that never got adorned with the medal ... Leigh Matthews and Wayne Carey are the first two to spring to mind.

Who do you think was stiff to not win the Brownlow??

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Dempsey won a Brownlow

[Scraggers]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Dempsey won a Brownlow

Doh !! editing now (Face-palm)

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Doh !! editing now (Face-palm)

There weren't many highlights back in those days so any sort of success stuck in the memory.


As to your question about the best players not to win one I still think that the most dominant player I saw was Royce Hart. He would be a very deserving Brownlow medal winner.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Dempsey won a Brownlow

I know that you are thinking Ben Harrison, but are too afraid to post that

[Bornadog]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Leigh Matthews never deserved a Brownlow because he was a thug. May have been one of the best to play, but not the fairest.

EJ Whitten also played it hard, but often not the fairest, but wasn't a thug like Matthews.

[Twodogs]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Leigh Matthews never deserved a Brownlow because he was a thug. May have been one of the best to play, but not the fairest.

EJ Whitten also played it hard, but often not the fairest, but wasn't a thig like Matthews.

Completely agree.

[Axe Man]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Slightly off track but related - just saw that Bont is 10th on the all time list of average Brownlow votes per game.

The only player ahead of him to never win a Brownlow is Harold Bray who must have been unlucky not to claim the medal in the 1940/50s for St Kilda.

It's quite possible that Bont surpasses Gary Ablett Juniors all time votes record of 262 (he is just 93 behind), yet never wins the Brownlow, which would be a travesty.

[GVGjr]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Surely Pendlebury and Brent Harvey were both good enough to win brownlows?
For us Grant obviously got enough votes one year but missed out with a dodgy suspension

[Sedat]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Leigh Matthews never deserved a Brownlow because he was a thug. May have been one of the best to play, but not the fairest.

EJ Whitten also played it hard, but often not the fairest, but wasn't a thug like Matthews.

Matthews was certainly a dirty player later in his career but was he all that dirty in the 70's at his peak? I missed his 70's imperial phase as a player - his stats throughout the 70's were pretty amazing for a rover/small forward.

Would you class Dipper and Lockett as cleanskins? Greg Williams as well?

[ledge]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Pendlebury by a mile . Smooth , clean, the absolute model of the perfect footballer.
Bont much the same but he still has 3 or 4 years to win one.
Natanui would be in that category too.
How the hell Pavlich never won one is beyond belief.

[Axe Man]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Pendlebury by a mile . Smooth , clean, the absolute model of the perfect footballer.
Bont much the same but he still has 3 or 4 years to win one.
Natanui would be in that category too.
How the hell Pavlich never won one is beyond belief.

Surprisingly Pendlebury has never gone close to winning a Brownlow, his closest was 7 votes behind the winner and highest finish has been equal 4th a couple of times. He's just been very good and consistent over a long period.

Do you really rate Pendlebury as a miles better player than the likes of Matthews, Carey, Ablett Snr, Dunstall?

[ledge]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Surprisingly Pendlebury has never gone close to winning a Brownlow, his closest was 7 votes behind the winner and highest finish has been equal 4th a couple of times. He's just been very good and consistent over a long period.

Do you really rate Pendlebury as a miles better player than the likes of Matthews, Carey, Ablett Snr, Dunstall?

As far as fair yes .. it?s supposed to be best and ? fairest?
Only Dunstall would go closest to fairest in any of those.
The others were great players i am not debating that but fair no.
Matthew?s bought the game into disrepute he was the furthest from fair.
Carey was dirty , Ablett senior wasn?t exactly fair either.
It was called tough back then doesn?t mean it was fair.
My point is if you combine both Pendlebury is up there above them in the fair department and none of us doubt what a great footballer he has been.
We confuse the Brownlow with just best player but fairest is included.
In the last few years sadly it?s just a best midfielder award.

[EasternWest]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Bont. Bont. Bont.

Probably biased, (certainly biased) but Bont is one of the best players I've ever seen. It actually shocks me he hasn't won't at least one Brownlow yet.

Don't get me wrong, the Brownlow is a fool's medal - but while it exists it's a travesty he hasn't won it.

[Happy Days]

Re: Best Players Never to Win a Brownlow

Bont. Bont. Bont.

Probably biased, (certainly biased) but Bont is one of the best players I've ever seen. It actually shocks me he hasn't won't at least one Brownlow yet.

Don't get me wrong, the Brownlow is a fool's medal - but while it exists it's a travesty he hasn't won it.

So close, but Bont has actually won two Brownlows.