Seasoned AFL columnist Caroline Wilson has targeted the Brownlow Medal Ceremony after Lachie Neale was forced to hand out the award from a mantelpiece.
Neale scored a staggering 31 votes in just 17 games, 10 ahead of his closest opponent but was stripped of the usual tradition that the previous year’s winner had the medal around his neck due to COVID-19 restrictions.
While last year’s winner Nat Fyfe was not in the same building as Neale for the ceremony, Wilson argued that someone at Brisbane headquarters should have awarded the medal to Neale instead of having to put it around his neck.
“Trying to find the person who came up with the idea that Lachie Neale would hand over the medal is harder than trying to find the person who is in charge of hotel quarantine,” she told Nine Footy classified.
“Nobody owns this, the next thing I got is, ‘Oh, it was someone in events’.
“Simon Black is the cup ambassador and was in the room and is a Brownlow medalist. Chris Fagan could have done it. Andrew Wellington, the president, could have done it.
“Receiving the Brownlow Medal is one of the most beautiful things to see in a football year.
“Nat Fyfe’s comment, ‘Buddy, I wish I could come over and give you a hug’, I loved all of this.
“Why didn’t they think of it? Nobody puts their hand on one of the big things of this year today. Symbolically, it was terrible.”
