This dramatic shift in conversation sums up almost 2020. But don’t let it go either: it’s a serious option now.
Matthew Rowell, an 18-year-old midfielder in his first AFL season and team representative who almost unanimously won the wooden spoon last season, is one of the favorites to win the Brownlow medal after just four career games.
When AFL’s newest child prodigy and arguably the best Gold Coast player left Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, he may have been leading the Brownlow count after finishing third on the ground. It seems crazy, but it’s really hard to tell which players would have overtaken Rowell in all three Suns recent victories.
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The latest AFL Coaches’ Association confirms this. Rowell has received 30 out of a possible 30 votes for his efforts against West Coast, Adelaide and Fremantle. Remarkably, it only took four games to get three perfect ten times – the next fastest was Tim Kelly in 31 games.
Dee’s captain Max Gawn explained at Nova Chrissie, Sam & Browny On Monday morning it was “the best three games I’ve seen from a debutant”.
Rowell is also the second largest player in the entire US competition Official AFL player ratings – – Champion data best and truest measure of the impact and value of a player. Only Lions star Lachie Neale is rated higher so far.
Rowell’s Brownlow odds were then lowered in a few weeks from $ 81 to a third favorite of $ 8, just behind Neale ($ 5) and blues captain Patrick Cripps ($ 7).
So this wild thought was just becoming real.
“It’s a crazy conversation,” said three-time all-Australian Nick Dal Santo in Fox Footy’s The First Crack. “But let’s put it this way: If he continues in this form, absolutely. Why can’t he win the Brownlow? “
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Only two players in VFL / AFL history won a Brownlow in their first season: Haydn Bunton from Fitzroy in 1931 and Brad Hardie from Footscray in 1985. Rowell could be the third.
The youngest player to ever win a Brownlow is Essendon’s Dick Reynolds, who was 19 and 90 days old when he won the first of his three medals in 1934. If Rowell won her before September 28th, he would take over the bomber legend.
“It would be a great expectation for him to think he could go on,” said Dal Santo. “But what we have seen in the past three weeks and throughout his junior career and expectations has just been passed on by this child. He is not overwhelmed.
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“In the past three weeks, he’s played against a prime midfield at the West Coast Eagles, done the job against the Crows – and we know they aren’t going well – and then against Freo and Nat Fyfe … why can he do that Not? Who knows?”
Rowell’s influence on the Suns is undisputed to this day and takes first place for the contested ball and Champion dates Ranking points and second for departures, releases, point participations and duels.
This was Rowell’s influence, said Sun’s coach Dew, who has already set the tone for many of his more experienced teammates at the club.
“So good to look at, and the team loves it too,” Dew told reporters Saturday night.
“He has just the time of his life.
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“He dreamed of playing AFL Footy and probably pinching himself out of there.
“I just love that he’s so humble.”
Rowell’s Suns is scheduled to be tested over the next three weeks. Games against Geelong, Hawthorn and Carlton are planned. All three clubs have specialized run-with players – Cam Guthrie (Cats), Liam Shiels (Hawks) and Ed Curnow (Blues) – all of whom could be given an assignment to tag Rowell.
The fact that clubs are even considering marking Rowell is due to the young sun, says Kangaroo David King, who couldn’t remember such hype about a player so early in his career.
Dal Santo said: “Try even comparing him to Sam Walsh, who had high expectations and an excellent year (2019). It feels like a different conversation than the one we had with Walsh last year. “
One thing seems certain, however: Rowell appears to be destined to win this year’s Rising Star Award unless there are unforeseen circumstances.
King said cheekily, “We should try to cancel Rising Star as a feature this year.”
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