With Select Footy's Brownlow Medallist release beginning to arrive to collectors starting tomorrow, we thought it would be interesting to dissect the careers of some of the players who feature with their very own 'Brownlow Booklet'! Select have gone all the way back to 1957 with Brian Gleeson, and even though football looked a bit different to what we are now accustomed to, it doesn't diminish the achievements of some of the games greatest players. Keep reading to learn more about some of the elder statesmen, who make up the amazing checklist for '2024 AFL Brownlow Medallist Series'!
Brian Gleeson
Club: St Kilda Games Played: 70 Goals: 47
Brownlow Winning Year: 1957 Winning Votes: 24 Votes Total Career Votes: 27
Career Highlights: During his high school footballing days, Gleeson once kicked 35 GOALS in a single game against Ballarat High School, at just under 9 goals a quarter!
Interesting Fact : Was appointed the Captain of the St Kilda Football Club at the age of 22 in 1958, seriously injuring his knee and NEVER played another game of senior football again!
Neil Roberts
Club: St Kilda Games Played: 70 Goals: 47
Brownlow Winning Year: 1958 Winning Votes: 20 Votes Total Career Votes: 76
Career Highlights: St Kilda Team Of The Century (CHB), St Kilda Best & Fairest : 1955, 1958, 2015 Australian Football Hall Of Fame Inductee, 11x Victorian State Representative, 1958 All-Australian
Interesting Fact : Growing up, Roberts lived on Elizabeth Street which was the border between the Melbourne and St Kilda recruiting zones. If he lived on the other side of the street, Roberts could’ve been a 5-time Melbourne premiership player!
Bob Skilton
Club: South Melbourne Games Played: 237 Goals: 412
Brownlow Winning Year: 1959/1963/1968 Winning Votes: 20/20/24 Votes Total Career Votes: 180
Career Highlights: St Kilda Best & Fairest, 9x Victorian Representative, 2003 St Kilda Hall Of Fame, 2013 Tasmanian Sport Hall Of Fame, 2016 Australian Football Hall Of Fame
Interesting Fact : At the time of winning his first Brownlow Medal, Skilton was still a plumbing apprentice and was taking his regular class at night school during the count. Upon returning home he was surrounded by neighbors and family who broke to him the stellar news!
Verdun Howell
Club: St Kilda Games Played: 159 Goals: 59
Brownlow Winning Year: 1959 Winning Votes: 20 Votes Total Career Votes: 73
Career Highlights: St Kilda Team Of The Century (CHB), St Kilda Best & Fairest : 1955, 1958, 2015 Australian Football Hall Of Fame Inductee, 11x Victorian State Representative, 1958 All-Australian
Interesting Fact : At the end of the 1959 Brownlow Medal count he was tied with Bob Skilton on 20 votes, and the Medal went to the Swan star on a countback. It was part of St Kilda folklore that Howell may have won outright if he had not been played in the centre in the final game. Thirty years later the VFL saw fit to retrospectively award Verdun Howell his Brownlow Medal.
John Schultz
Club: Footscray Games Played: 188 Goals: 37
Brownlow Winning Year: 1960 Winning Votes: 20 Votes Total Career Votes: 111
Career Highlights: 5x Charles Sutton Medallist (1960, 1962-66)
Interesting Fact : Those who played on Schultz swore he was their toughest opponent. Known as ‘Gentleman John’ he was scrupulously fair, a fine mark and an exceptional palmer of the ball.
Alistair Lord
Club: Geelong Games Played: 122 Goals: 79
Brownlow Winning Year: 1962 Winning Votes: 28 Votes Total Career Votes: 42
Career Highlights: 1962 Carji Greeves Medallist, 1963 Geelong Premiership Player
Interesting Fact : Alistair Lord’s grand-son, Ollie Lord, is currently on Port Adelaide’s AFL list looking to continue his historic family name!
Gordon Collis
Club: Carlton Games Played: 95 Goals: 40
Brownlow Winning Year: 1964 Winning Votes: 27 Votes Total Career Votes: 38
Career Highlights: 1964 Carlton best & Fairest Winner
Interesting Fact : Collis credited his optician for his Brownlow win in 1964, stating prior that he struggled to see in his early seasons and that the addition of contact lenses vastly improved his performance, ultimately winning the league medal.
Noel Teasdale
Club: North Melbourne Games Played: 178 Goals: 71
Brownlow Winning Year: 1965 Winning Votes: 20 Votes Total Career Votes: 65
Career Highlights: 4x Club Best & Fairest 1963-66, 2003 North Melbourne Team Of The Century, 2008 AFL Hall Of Fame Inductee,19x Victorian Representative, North Melbourne Captain 1965-67,
Interesting Fact : Teasdale’s Brownlow winning year was also the first year Teasdale sported his recognisable padded headband, on advice of doctors after he suffered a nasty head clash with a teammate.
Ian Stewart
Club: St Kilda/Richmond Games Played: 218 Goals: 80
Brownlow Winning Year: 1965/66/71 Winning Votes: 20/21/21 Votes Total Career Votes: 139
Career Highlights: 2x VFL Premiership Player, 3x Club Best & Fairest, 1996 Hall Of Fame Inductee, 1997 Legend, St Kilda & Richmond Team Of The Century, St Kilda Hall Of Fame, 2000 Australian Sports Medal
Interesting Fact : Ironically, for someone so compact and poised in everything he did on the field, he was an extremely nervous individual who would often vomit on the field early in a game.
Ross Smith
Club: St Kilda Games Played: 234 Goals: 230
Brownlow Winning Year: 1967 Winning Votes: 24 Votes Total Career Votes: 79
Career Highlights: 1966 St Kilda Premiership Player, 2x Trevor Barker Medallist, St Kilda Captain 1970-72, Victoria State Captain 1972, 2010 Australian Football Hall Of Fame Inductee
Interesting Fact : The opportunity to study a four-year course in just two years over in Perth proved too great an opportunity to pass up, and he spent three years at Subiaco Football Club, captain-coaching the Lions to its first flag in 49 years.
Kevin Murray
Club: Fitzroy Games Played: 333 Goals: 51
Brownlow Winning Year: 1969 Winning Votes: 19 Votes Total Career Votes: 178
Career Highlights: 9x Fitzroy Club Champion, Fitzroy Captain 1963-64, 1967-72, 2x All Australian, AFL Team Of The Century, Australian Football Hall Of Fame Legend, Captain of both Victoria & Western Australia
Interesting Fact : Kevin Murray’s 333 game career was once the benchmark for the VFL ‘Most Games Played’ record, with his 9x Club Champion award record not looking like being overtaken any time soon!
Peter Bedford
Club: South Melbourne/Carlton Games Played: 186 Goals: 229
Brownlow Winning Year: 1970 Winning Votes: 25 Votes Total Career Votes: 89
Career Highlights: 5x Club Best & Fairest, 3x Club Leading Goal-Kicker, South Melbourne Captain 1973-76, South Melbourne Team Of The Century, Victorian Representative (13 games, 11 goals)
Interesting Fact : Supremely skilled and equally courageous, Bedford’s sporting talents quickly caught the attention of various clubs and codes. He even decided to pass on a teaching career when his request for time off to play cricket for Victoria was denied.
Keith Greig
Club: North Melbourne Games Played: 298 Goals: 48
Brownlow Winning Year: 1973/4 Winning Votes: 27/27 Votes Total Career Votes: 165
Career Highlights: VFL Premiership Player, North Melbourne Captain 1973-74, 1980 Syd Barker Medal, Victoria State Captain, 1983 All-Australian Team, 1996 Australian Football Hall Of Fame Inductee, AFL Team Of The Century, British MBE 1975
Interesting Fact : In the 1975 Birthday Honours, Greig was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service to football.
Gary Dempsey
Club: Footscray/North Melbourne Games Played: 329 Goals: 144
Brownlow Winning Year: 1975 Winning Votes: 20 Votes Total Career Votes: 246
Career Highlights: 6x Charles Sutton Medal, 1979 Syd Barker Medal, Footscray Captain (1971-72, 1977-78), Footscray Team Of The Century, North Melbourne Team Of The Century, 1972 All-Australian Team, 1996 AFL Hall Of Fame Inductee
Interesting Fact : Dempsey currently sits 3rd all-time for total Brownlow Medal votes, only behind Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett, solidifying his claim to be one of the medals most decorated players
Graham Moss
Club: Essendon Games Played: 84 Goals: 67
Brownlow Winning Year: 1970 Winning Votes: 48 Votes Total Career Votes: 103
Career Highlights: 3x Critchton Medallist, 1976 Essendon Captain, 1996 Australian Football Hall Of Fame
Interesting Fact : Only playing 89 games for Essendon in the then VFL, Moss is WA footballing royalty, playing 246 games for Claremont as player-coach leading them to their first premiership in 17 years. With that being said, Moss was able to win 3 club champion awards in his relatively short tenure at Essendon.
Graham Teasdale
Club: South Melbourne/Collingwood/Richmond Games Played: 141 Goals: 175
Brownlow Winning Year: 1977 Winning Votes: 59 Votes Total Career Votes: 103
Career Highlights: 1975 South Melbourne Leading Goal-Kicker, 1977 South Melbourne Best & Fairest
Interesting Fact : Teasdale had initial success with the Swans as a full-forward, but struggled again before coach Ian Stewart threw him into the ruck in a match against St Kilda in 1977. Teasdale played brilliantly for the rest of the season and won the Brownlow Medal that year.
Peter Moore
Club: Collingwood/Melbourne Games Played: 249 Goals: 244
Brownlow Winning Year: 1979/84 Winning Votes: 22/24 Votes Total Career Votes: 108
Career Highlights: 2x Brownlow Medallist, 1979 All-Australian, 2x Collingwood Best & Fairest, 2x Collingwood Leading Goal-Kicker, Collingwood Captain 1981-82, Australian Football Hall OF Fame Member
Interesting Fact : Father to now Premiership Captain Darcy Moore, in 1979 with Len Thompson having been shunted off to South Melbourne, Moore moved into the ruck. With the confidence born of a couple of years of regular and successful League football, Moore dominated ruck contests for the next few seasons. He won the Brownlow Medal in 1979 and finished fourth in 1980 (a year in which he still maintains he played the better football).
Kelvin Templeton
Club: Footscray/Melbourne Games Played: 177 Goals: 593
Brownlow Winning Year: 1980 Winning Votes: 23 Votes Total Career Votes: 44
Career Highlights: 2x Coleman Medallist, 2x Charles Sutton Medallist, 5x Footscray Leading Goal-Kicker, 1982 Footscray Captain, 2024 Australian Football Hall OF Fame Inductee
Interesting Fact : Templeton is one of only five players in league history to have topped the goal-kicking table (Coleman Medal), and have won a Brownlow Medal.
Bernie Quinlan
Club: Footscray/Fitzroy Games Played: 366 Goals: 817
Brownlow Winning Year: 1980 Winning Votes: 22 Votes Total Career Votes: 129
Career Highlights:2x Coleman Medallist, 6x Club Leading Goal-Kicker, Fitzroy Team Of The Century, Brisbane Lions Hall Of Fame, 1996 Australian Football Hall OF Fame Inductee
Interesting Fact : Secured by Fitzroy for a $70,000 transfer fee after playing 177 games with the Bulldogs from 1969-77, Quinlan is not just the best Fitzroy import but one of Fitzroy’s very best players and one of the very best imports by any club in AFL history.
Brian Wilson
Club: North Melbourne Games Played: 209 Goals: 246
Brownlow Winning Year: 1982 Winning Votes: 23 Votes Total Career Votes: 56
Career Highlights 1982 Melbourne Leading Goal-Kicker, 3x Victorian Representative
Interesting Fact : Believed to be the only player to have won a Brownlow Medal at his third club. At 20 years of age, he was also the youngest winner since Bob Skilton in 1959.
Ross Glendinning
Club: North Melbourne/West Coast Games Played: 230 Goals: 315
Brownlow Winning Year: 1983 Winning Votes: 24 Votes Total Career Votes:120
Career Highlights 2x Syd Barker Medal, 2x West Coast Leading Goal-Kicker, West Coast Captain, North Melbourne Team Of The Century, 2000 Australian Football Hall Of Fame Inductee
Interesting Fact : The player judged as ‘Best On Ground’ during games between West Coast & Fremantle (WA Derby) are awarded the Ross Glendinning Medal.
Brad Hardie
Club: Footscray/Brisbane Bears/Collingwood Games Played: 150 Goals: 222
Brownlow Winning Year: 1985 Winning Votes: 22 Votes Total Career Votes: 44
Career Highlights: 1986 Charles Sutton Medallist, 2x Brisbane Bears Leading Goal-Kicker, 1986 All-Australian, 1980 WAFL Premiership Player
Interesting Fact : At the age of 15, Hardie suffered burns to 45% of his body in a freak backyard accident. Therefore throughout his playing career, Hardie wore a long-sleeved jumper to hide the burn scars!
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 SOON!
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