Late Tuesday night, Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League (AFL), joined us on “The Agenda Setters.” He even addressed the campaign still being waged against the integrity of the Brownlow Medal voting process. The program is broadcast on 7Network’s Channel 7. For fans overseas, they can stream it for free on their 7plus, where they can watch live or catch up on-demand.
On the show, Dillon and the co-hosts explored Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera’s highly contentious Brownlow Medal votes. AFL supporters are abuzz over this issue. They’ve raised compelling questions about the upcoming voting process, and they’re right to be curious about whether any proposed rule changes will restore transparency.
Dillon emphasized the importance of maintaining a fair voting system, stating, “We’ll have the conversation with them.” His comments indicate a genuine desire to work with stakeholders on how to best improve the voting mechanism.
Aside from Dillon, AFL Chief Operating Officer Greg Swann and Executive General Manager – Game Development Simon Meredith provided insight into the discussion. As a former player, Swann implied that the use of statistical analysis could give a deeper understanding of how players are performing. He wrote back, “You know if you can get the stats, that would certainly aid us. I’m sure they could be discussed in a joint fashion.” He acknowledged that opinions will always vary regarding player recognitions: “Even if we had stats, there’s going to be a raging opinion about who gets what.”
The discussion got into the importance of keeping the Brownlow Medal vote as pure as possible. Swann unrepentantly declared, “It’d be easier to break into Fort Knox than to rig the Brownlow votes.” His comments served to underscore the real strength of our existing voting protections.
Meredith’s contributions to the conversation went further by discussing possible rule changes. He continued, “I don’t think there’s any controversy around that. So we’d probably hope to do that next year – we (can) work out a mechanism where that can occur.” This shows that there is an openness within AFL leadership to change the rules about how the voting process works.
Dillon’s comments offered a thoughtful perspective on the double-edged sword that is the growing visibility of players in Australian football. He noted that while opinions on specific votes may differ, it is crucial to maintain a consistent process: “You look at the game and go ‘yep, maybe he should have’. But the umpires in that game would have done the exact same process.”
As discussions continue regarding the future of the Brownlow Medal and its voting procedures, fans remain engaged and hopeful for improvements that ensure fairness in recognizing player achievements within the league.
