By Peter Blucher
Dayne Zorko is poised to head the Queensland vote-count in the Brownlow Medal for the fourth time on Monday night.
The former Lions skipper, who this year became the oldest player in the modern era to win All-Australian selection, is tipped to head the Queensland vote from Adelaide’s Ben Keays and Geelong’s Jack Bowes.
This is the takeaway from a conversion of the 5-4-3-2-1 votes awarded after each game by each coach in the Coach’s Player of the Year Award into notional 3-2-1 Brownlow votes.
Under this system, Zorko polls 8.5 votes from Keays (7) and Bowes (4.5) in a count which delivers a win for Collingwood’s Nick Daicos (30.25) from Sydney’s Isaac Heeney, who is ineligible but under the ‘coachlow’ system polls 29 votes.
Then it’s Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps (28.6) from Brisbane’s Lachie Neale (27.5), Fremantle’s Caleb Serong (23), Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli (22), Port’s Jason Horne-Francis (19.1), Dogs’ Adam Treloar (19), Port’s Zac Butters (18.1) and Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell (18).
Zorko has headed the Queensland vote-count in 2013-19-21 and has a total of 85 votes to sit sixth on the all-time Queensland vote behind St.Kilda great Nick Riewoldt (153), Brisbane triple premiership captain Michael Voss (150), Hawthorn goal-kicking legend Jason Dunstall (129), enigmatic Brisbane/Bulldogs speedster Jason Akermanis (107) and Collingwood/Brisbane ball magnet Dayne Beams (90).
Others with 20 or more career votes are St Kilda’s David Armitage (140), Gold Coast/Port Adelaide power forward Charlie Dixon (39), Keays (25), Collingwood premiership player Gavin Crosisca (24), Brisbane/Adelaide goalsneak Charlie Cameron (24), Fitzroy/Brisbane utility Scott McIvor (22), Adelaide/Sydney forward Kurt Tippett (22), Brisbane 300-gamer Marcus Ashcroft (21), Bulldogs/Gold Coast defender Jarrod Harbrow (21), Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence (20) and the Bulldogs’ Mitch Hahn (20).
Dunstall headed the Queensland vote a staggering 11 times – every year from 1985-94 plus 1998 , while Riewoldt did so five times and shared it once, Voss five times, Beams four times, and Zorko and Akermanis three times.
Seven players headed the Queensland vote once each – Harbrow, Keays, Dixon, Armitage, Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews, and QAFL legend turned Brisbane defender, Danny Dickfos.
Using the ‘Coachlow’ votes as a guide for Monday night’s count, Queenslanders can expect a quiet start to the count, with the first Queensland votes not expected until Round 5.
Bowes, who has enjoyed an excellent second season with Geelong after being traded from the Gold Coast, had 23 possessions and eight clearances in the Cats’ 75-point win over North Melbourne. He polled eight coaches votes as teammate Jeremy Cameron was best afield.
In Round 8, expect Zorko to pick up three votes for his 40 possessions in the Lions’ 34-point Gabba win over the Suns. Andrews, too, is likely to figure after he, too, figured prominently in the coaches votes.
In Round 9, if the coaches votes are any sort of guide, Brisbane defender Jack Payne will poll his first medal votes. He was voted his team’s best in the Adelaide Oval draw with the Crows.
The Lions’ 119-point Round 10 Gabba win over Richmond could deliver more votes for Zorko, who polled two ‘coachlow’ votes for 35 possessions. Charlie Cameron kicked five goals.
Bowes had a team-high 29 possessions in Geelong’s five-goal home win over Richmond in Round 12, when he split the coach’s votes with teammate Max Holmes.
Round 13 could deliver medal votes to three Queenslanders. Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood kicked an equal career-best six goals and a season-high 20 possessions in a 43-point Marvel Stadium win over the Dogs and was rated second-best by the coaches behind Lachie Neale (38 possessions, two goals), while Zorko could be in the minor votes.
And when Gold Coast beat Essendon at Carrara by 11 points Bodhi Uwland, runner-up in the Suns’ best & fairest in his first full season, was among a handful of standouts in a split vote and could poll his first Brownlow votes.
In Round 14, Zorko and Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol are in contention for minor votes, while Hipwood’s five goals in Brisbane’s 79-point Adelaide Oval win over Port Adelaide in Round 15 could see him feature again.
Rounds 17-18-19 will be Keays time, with the Brisbane turned Adelaide utility every chance to poll three weeks in a row. He kicked four against his old side at the Gabba in a narrow loss and was ranked third-best by the coaches, and was voted best afield when the Crows beat StKilda at Adelaide Oval and Essendon at Docklands.
He had 24 possessions (16 contested), eight tackles, five clearances, and a goal against the Saints, and kicked a career-best five goals to go with 22 possessions, eight tackles and five clearances against the Bombers.
Also in Round 19, Dixon’s best performance of the season for Port against Richmond at Adelaide Oval produced four goals and five contested parks, and maximum votes from the coach, and teammate Aliir Aliir was a standout in defence as the Power won by 41 points.
Round 20 saw Zorko have 32 possessions and collect his second Marcus Ashcroft Medal of the year as Brisbane beat Gold Coast in the Q-Clash, and in Round 21, when North Melbourne’s Bailey Scott enjoyed his 12th win in his 98th game, he was among his side’s best with 28 possessions and a goal.
And in Round 22, when Brisbane threw away a five-goal lead against GWS at the Gabba, Will Ashcroft was a clear Lions standout with 29 possessions and rated second-best by the coaches.
