Gary Ablett - 2013 Brownlow medalist

2013 Brownlow Medalist - Gary Ablett

Gold Coast midfield star Gary Ablett won his second Brownlow Medal for the AFL's fairest and best player.

Ablett won a nail biting 2013 count with 28 votes by one vote from former Geelong teammate Joel Selwood, with Collingwood's Dane Swan third a further vote behind.

He has become the first Gold Coast player to win the AFL's most prestigious individual award.

He won his first Brownlow in 2009 when a Geelong player, and becomes only the fifth man to win the medal with different clubs.

Ablett led for most of the count, but Selwood took the lead in a cliffhanger with two rounds of voting remaining.

Selwood held the lead going into the final round.

But he failed to poll in the Cats' final match of the home-and-away season, while Ablett polled the maximum three votes in the Suns' win over Greater Western Sydney.

Swan, also a former Brownlow Medallist, was also in contention going into the final round of voting.

But he too failed to poll in Collingwood's final match.

Ablett, 29, admitted he would have loved to have shared the award with former teammate Selwood - something which looked in prospect for much of the final four nervous rounds of voting.

"I was actually shattered when I got the three (votes in the final round) - because Joel deserves to be up here just as much as I do," Ablett said.

"He's a very good friend and a fantastic leader."

For the Suns, in just their third season in the AFL, it gives them an individual award double after first-year youngster Jaeger O'Meara won the Rising Star award for the competition's best young player.

Ablett, the son of former Geelong superstar forward Gary Ablett senior, also paid tribute to his father - and was at pains to lay to rest any thoughts of comparison between himself and his dad.

"I do (get sick of the comparisons) because there shouldn't be any comparisons. My old man's the best player ever to play the game and he should have won a Brownlow," Ablett junior said.

"Now I've got two, I can give him one."

Geelong star Steve Johnson, who was ineligible for the award after three suspensions during the season, was also high in the polling.

He received 25 votes, which are awarded on a 3-2-1 basis by umpires following each match of the home-and-away season.

But he only played 16 of the 22 home-and-away matches in 2013 - missing four games because of suspension.

Overall standings

1. Gary Ablett, Gold Coast Suns (28 votes)
2. Joel Selwood, Geelong (27 votes)
3. Dane Swan, Collingwood (26 votes)
4. Patrick Dangerfield, Adelaide (22 votes)
Tied 5. Daniel Hannebery, Sydney (21 votes)
T5. Scott Pendlebury, Collingwood (21 votes)
T5. Tom Rockliff, Brisbane (21 votes)
T8. Trent Cotchin, Richmond (19 votes)
T8. Kieren Jack, Sydney (19 votes)
10. Jobe Watson, Essendon (17 votes)
T11. Dustin Martin, Richmond (16 votes)
T11. Sam Mitchell, Hawthorn (16 votes)
T11. David Mundy, Fremantle (16 votes)
T14. Luke Hodge, Hawthorn (15 votes)
T14. Rory Sloane, Adelaide (15 votes)

The 5 Best Matches of 2013

Hawthorn Vs Geelong, Round 1   

Geelong: 13.15 (93) defeated Hawthorn: 12.14 (86)

What  better way to open up a new season on Easter Monday. This was an absolute cracker of a game, mind you every game between these two always is. Two great rivals went at it with a full house at the MCG and it was the Cats taking the chocolates in this one to open up their 2013 season with a win. The cats came back from a 30 point deficit halfway through the 2nd quarter to record a memorable come from behind win. It was Geelong's 10th straight win against Hawthorn as Kennett's curse continued.

  Collingwood Vs Carlton, Round 2 

Collingwood: 17.15 (117) defeated Carlton: 15.10 (100)

Well not much to say about a Collingwood, Carlton game, we all know how big they are, always, no matter where either is on the ladder, you always know games between these two are worth watching even if you don't support either of them. This clash in Round 2 had a little extra spice added to the rivalry with former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse coming up against his old team for the first time. It was pretty much master vs apprentice, and in this case it was the apprentice coming out on top. In a wet weather contest Carlton held a 10 point lead heading into the final quarter, only to be outrun by the brilliance of the star studded Collingwood midfield. Collingwood's last quarter just demonstrated how deadly and strong this team was.

 Hawthorn Vs North Melbourne, Round 5 

Hawthorn: 14.15 (99) defeated Nth. Melbourne: 13.18 (96)

This one was an absolute thriller. The ball was deep in North Melbourne's forward line when the siren went after a long Drew Petrie kick was spoiled at the top of the goal square. You couldn't tell who was going to take control and win the entire game, you couldn't call it until the final second. This turned out to be one of the many close games North Melbourne ended up letting slip away. The two sides played each other once more later on in the season, the second game was a nail biter aswell, but this one was just the better of the two. Probably one of the most exciting matches of the season.

Collingwood Vs Sydney, Round 20  

Collingwood: 14.16 (100) defeated Sydney: 10.11 (71)

For me this was the best game of the season, just an absolute brilliant from Collingwood to defeat the 2012 champions on their home turf. After smashing Essendon the previous round Collingwood defeated a Sydney Swans team that was in red hot form and sent a message to all the other contenders and the football world, showing how good their best actually was. No matter how good Collingwood was in this game, it would be their last ride, many saw a bright light after this win but it turned out being just a consultation win. They suffered their worst finish to a season since 2009 as they were knocked out by Port Adelaide in week 1 of the finals.

Brisbane Vs Geelong, Round 13  

Bisbane: 15.13 (103) defeated Geelong: 14.14 (98)

Well this one went down in the history books as one on the biggest comeback wins the game has ever seen. Brisbane trailed by 52 points with about 5 minutes to go when the start of a long, long comeback was sparked. They kicked 2 goals to end the 3rd quarter trailing by 38 points and even then didn't look like winning, but an avalanche of goals from the Lions in the final quarter saw McGrath kick the goal that won the game after the final siren had already sounded. After Hawkins kicked a steadying goal for the Cats with a minute left in the game, it looked as though the Lions comeback would fall short. Though the Lions were resilient and never gave in. When the final siren sounded, you could clearly read the result but you just couldn't believe what had just happened, that was the sort of atmosphere around the whole stadium. It was one of those games you get every 50 years.

Australian Rules Football - 2013 season in review

A Look back at 2013 - 

What a season 2013 was, there were highs and lows, for some teams 2013 was a step forward in the right direction to improvement, for others it was a season of sheer disappointment. Some were expected to improve on a great 2012, but weren't up to the challenge while others that were expected to struggled showed great glimpses of a bright future. 2013 was also, we might say one of the most controversial seasons in AFL's history, off field more then on it. 2013 went down in the history book's as Essendon's premiership points were stripped off of them at the end of the season as their punishment for taking illegal drug supplements that were made illegal by the AFL after the 2011 season. Essendon's coach James Hird was also handed a penalty financially, next to that he will also be ineligible to coach the team next year. The supplements saga between the AFL and the Essendon Football Club, dragged on from the start of the season right to the very end, it gave the greatest sport in Australia a very bad look, but we know that the AFL will be making much more effort so something like this isn't repeated ever again. On the football side of things, Hawthorn were finally crowned premiers in 2013 after failing to do it in 2012 against Sydney. They came up against Fremantle in the Grand Final this year, it was Hawthorn's 17th Grand Final appearance, while this was Fremantle's first in their short history. Though Hawthorn were triumphant, 2013 went down in Fremantle's history as their best ever and i'm sure they'll be up there among the best in the years to come, with a team full of young of stars and a great coach it's only a matter of time before Fremantle racks up their first ever Premiership Cup.

Here are the last 5 minutes of the 2013 Grand Final between Hawthorn and Fremantle.

Season report cards - Teams that didn't do how we expected

Greater Western Sydney

Wins: 1, Losses: 21, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 18th, %: 51.0

WHAT WENT RIGHT
THE emergence of Jeremy Cameron as the competition’s most exciting forward was a huge positive for the fledgling club. But despite his best efforts, the Giants could only manage one victory – Round 19 against Melbourne. Top draft pick Lachie Whitfield showed positive signs, franked by his willingness to re-sign to the end of 2015. Giants ‘veteran’ Tom Scully had his most consistent year plying his trade both offensively and defensively. Callan Ward led the Giants brilliantly in his second year at the helm. While the Giants competed better, for longer, in 2013 they were still belted by 100 points or more on five occasions.

WHAT WENT WRONG
EIGHTEEN consecutive losses had the Giants tracking towards a winless season – the first team since the 1964 Fitzroy Lions to achieve the feat. Thankfully, the footy gods shone down on the Giants as they swept aside a tired Melbourne outfit with ease in Round 19 at Skoda Stadium. Interestingly, it was in Round 19 last year the Giants secured just their second AFL win by defeating Port Adelaide at the venue. Jonathan Patton’s wretched luck with injury continued with the top draft pick sidelined following a knee reconstruction. Patton ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the Giants’ Round 3 loss to St Kilda. Hard-nosed midfielder Toby Greene felt the second-year blues unable to reach the heights of 2012. Irishman Setanta O’hAilpin was unable to get his body right.
WHAT THEY NEED
THE midfield group is on the up. But the Giants desperately need more avenues to goal to take the pressure off Jezza Cameron. An experienced forward [read: Lance Franklin] could slot into the mix to allow the young guns time to develop. The backline continues to leak goals – needs help. Surely, another ruckman wouldn’t go astray? Rob Warnock, Tom Bellchambers or even Max Bailey – squeezed out of the Hawks rotation with the emergence of the David Hale and Jarryd Roughead double act.

Melbourne F.C.

Wins: 2, Losses: 20, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 17th, %: 54.1

WHAT WENT RIGHT
Not much really. But the clouds may be clearing. It says a lot about the Dees' 2013 season that the biggest news of the season may occur a week or two after round 23. We speak of course of the possible signing of Paul Roos. The off-field appointment of chief executive Peter Jackson also appears to have added some stability at the club.
As for on-field, footy-related matters, Jack Viney looked terrific at times in his debut season although he was hampered at others, while Jesse Hogan - too young for the AFL in 2013 - has supporters' mouths watering with his deeds at VFL level. Colin Garland went to another level, Nathan Jones continued to bleed for the club while the Dees may have unearthed a few hidden gems. It may have been hit and mostly miss with high draft picks in recent times, but some lesser-known names showed they might be able to rise to great heights in coming years. The mature-age Dean Terlich showed he can more than cut it at the top level, while Jack Fitzpatrick, Max Gawn, Dean Kent and Matt Jones all showed glimpses.

WHAT WENT WRONG
Even before the season began, huge fines over Melbourne's role in alleged tanking, discipline problems and brewing boardroom battles spelled trouble.
So when the season started in disastrous fashion on the field with an embarrassing hiding from Port Adelaide, coach Mark Neeld was instantly in the gun. Totally inept losses of 79, 148 and 94 points to start the season pushed Neeld and co. on the back foot - and the Demons never recovered. 
With morale shot to pieces and injuries mounting, the Demons collapsed. A win in Round 4 – with a final-quarter rally against GWS — gave some smiles but the losses kept on coming and Neeld's axing in mid-June had seemed inevitable for some time.
In the wash-up, the club also lost its chief executive and president to cap its annus horribilus.
As for the playing group, the recruitment of some mature-age players from rival clubs had mixed results. Shannon Byrnes played 17 games and probably receives a pass mark, Chris Dawes became the sole key target and did OK after Mitch Clark went down (again!), the jury is out on Cam Pedersen while David Rodan and Tom Gillies were flops.

WHAT THEY NEED
Melbourne is in a similar position to the new expansion clubs in that it could use some older, established stars to help its youngsters. Either that or the new coach has to decide on a complete re-build.
The most pressing need is quality midfielders as some draftees haven't come on as the club had hoped. Nathan Jones, Jack Viney and Jimmy Toumpas will be fine, but outside of that group the Demons need size and speed in the middle as the club has been found out - consistently - for its lack of depth in this area.

St. Kilda Saints

Wins: 5, Losses: 17, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 16th, %: 82.6

WHAT WENT RIGHT

They got games into the kids. Everyone knows the saints are in a hard place regarding their list, which still relies heavily on the stars that almost led the team to glory in 2009-10. With veterans Stephen Milne, Jason Blake and Justin Koschitzke now retired and Lenny Hayes to follow in 12 months, there is a crucial rebuilding window of two to three years while Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna are still around to find the players to lead St Kilda's next finals challenge. One emerged with a bang this year in Jack Steven. And recruits Dylan Roberton and Tom Hickey showed they can play a role. Most of the rest remain up in the air but of the Saints' nine debutants this season, Tom Lee, Tom Curren, Josh Saunders and Nathan Wright look the most promising.

WHAT WENT WRONG
The Saints were taking in pre-season about one last crack at a flag, so to fall from to 16th was clearly not part of the plan. Injuries didn't help, especially to the club's already threadbare tall defensive stocks which were ravaged with Sam Fisher, James Gwilt, Sam Gilbert and Rhys Stanley all going down for lengthy periods. The Saints were competitive most weeks, seriously unlucky in some, but the wheels seriously fell off a few times, most horribly against North Melbourne when they conceded 16 scoring shots to one in the first quarter. Arryn Siposs gets a mention here after one of the club's most talented young players went backwards this season. And the less said about mad Monday the better.

Western Bulldogs

Wins: 8, Losses: 14, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 15th, %: 85.1

WHAT WENT RIGHT
PLENTY. The Dogs’ final two months was as good as any non-finalist, North Melbourne aside. They turned flair and spark scarcely seen previously under Brendan McCartney into the norm, averaging 110 points across the final six rounds. In that time they rolled the Blues, West Coast and Adelaide – the latter two they lost to by a combined 122 points in the first six weeks.The kids stacked away showed stunning potential. Ferocious onballer Nathan Hrovat looks a ripper both on and off the field, Jack Macrae’s got some silk, Jake Stringer already looks a beast and Lachie Hunter improved out of sight with his deadly left foot and goalkicking nous showcased to perfection in Round 23. Add to that the rebirth of Jarrad Grant, Tom Liberatore leapfrogging his way into the game’s elite (even if the All-Australian selectors didn’t notice), Will Minson announcing himself as one of the premier ruckmen and Adam Cooney regaining his devastating speed and there is a lot to like about the Dogs.

WHAT WENT WRONG
THE Dogs recount the Gold Coast loss in Round 8 as a watershed moment, but it was six weeks later when they flopped against Melbourne that the pitfalls were laid bare to the footy public. Again, the major hole in this outfit lay forward of centre.The lack of a power forward again hurt – the Dogs again ranked last for scores once inside 50. That looms as the key area to fix over summer, although Tom Campbell provided a strong target late in the year and Liam Jones still gives McCartney a lot to work with as a centre half-forward in progress.

WHAT THEY NEED
A POWER forward would be the icing and another Rolls Royce midfielder isn’t far behind on the shopping list. Experts believe GWS won’t let Tom Boyd slip out of its clutches at this year’s draft, but with pick No. 4 the Dogs could well add another classy young midfielder to their growing band.

Gold Coast Suns

Wins: 8, Losses: 14, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 14th, %: 91.7

WHAT WENT RIGHT
FOR a start, Gold Coast’s percentage rose more than 30 points. That immediately signals how Guy McKenna’s men went from easy beats to a dangerous menace lurking low on the table.And when you consider Gold Coast entered the year with six wins in two seasons, to produce eight in 2013 screams volume of its improvement. When you consider that batch included triumphs against North Melbourne, Collingwood and a 60-point demolition at the MCG it further underlines the giant strides the Suns took forward.

Charlie Dixon announced himself as a match-winner, booting a bag of 6.2 amid a sparkling start and end to the season and Rory Thompson was in contention for the All-Australian squad of 40 after a year spent lowering the colours of the game’s biggest key forwards. Jaeger was simply brilliant in his Rising Star year, with the smooth-moving all-rounder a midfield jet of the future, while Gary Ablett is expected to win his second Brownlow in two weeks.When you also factor in Dion Prestia justifying his high draft selection with a breakout year as a damaging accumulator and Tom Nicholls coming from the clouds as a promising ruckman, you can expect a summer of bubbling hype around the Suns ahead.

WHAT WENT WRONG
THE Suns still lack the ability to apply knockout punches, an attribute this young side needs to acquire. They couldn’t deliver the killer blow to Brisbane in Round 3, or against West Coast or Port Adelaide late in the season. Zac Smith’s ACL injury might have given Tom Nicholls a platform to launch his AFL career, but it was a devastating blow to a young emerging ruckman with a ton of promise.
It also would have been nice to get more of a look at first-round draftee and bullocking midfielder Jesse Lonergan, but hamstring troubles wrecked his year. The drugs saga that marred the entire 2013 season also affected the Suns, with Nathan Bock investigated by ASADA.

WHAT THEY NEED
NOT much. The Suns seem to have most the tools at their disposal, it’s just a matter of sharpening them up with experience. Last year the cries were for Kurt Tippett but the need for a power forward has dissipated with Dixon and Tom Lynch providing good targets this year.What is easy to forget is that this side which seems destined to explode across the next few years has some ludicrous talent locked away that we have barely seen. First-round pick Jesse Lonergan had his debut season wrecked by injury, while Jack Martin - the Suns mini-draft graduate from last year - was simply electrifying in the NEAFL all year.
He’s eligible to debut in Round 1 next season and you can bank on him doing just that. Experts say he could be even better than Jaeger O’Meara. Oh, and if that’s not enough, master scout Scotty Clayton will also take the No. 5 pick to the draft this year.

West Coast Eagles

Wins: 9, Losses: 13, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 13th, %: 95.3

WHAT WENT RIGHT
Josh Kennedy's return from injury, and his ability to find career-best form, gave the Eagles a focal point, while Jack Darling continued his development into a future AFL star, giving his side yet another big option up forward.

WHAT WENT WRONG
Arguably the biggest disappointment of the AFL season, the Eagles had top-four aspirations but were out of finals contention from the get-go when they lost four of their first five games. Injuries played a big part, with Nic Naitanui, Beau Waters, Daniel Kerr and ex-Collingwood utility Sharrod Wellingham all enduring extended periods on the sidelines.

WHAT THEY NEED
Some midfield silk. With Daniel Kerr gone and Matt Priddis not quite of the same calibre as the AFL's midfield elite, the Eagles need to unearth some genuine talent in the middle if they're to rebuild their way back into the top eight.

PREMIERSHIP CLOCK
The Eagles turned back the clock this year from about 11pm to 6pm, falling out of the premiership window backwards. With veterans Andrew Embley, Adam Selwood and Mark Nicoski gone, Daniel Kerr expected to follow and Darren Glass and Dean Cox on their last legs, West Coast's list needs some urgent renovation. But it won't be a total rebuild - if Nic Naitanui can stay fit and the likes of Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff live up to their potential, the foundation is there for another top-four tilt in the not-too-distant future.

Collingwood

Wins: 14, Losses: 9, Draws: 0, 
Ladder position: 8th, %: 114

WHAT WENT RIGHT
THE Magpies accelerated the development of Nathan Buckley’s next-generation Collingwood by pumping minutes into kids unmatched by most sides. The Pies blooded 12 players who hadn’t previously worn black and white, the equal-most introduction of new troops of any side.And in the process they unveiled some rich talent. We all know nabbing Brodie Grundy at pick 18 was dead-set draft theft last year, while Ben Kennedy looks the goods as a polished small forward. Josh Thomas justified Collingwood’s long-held faith in him with a sizzling season, while the class of Sam Dwyer allowed the Port Melbourne star to slot straight into the starting side and stay there – another recruiting masterstroke after every club repeatedly knocked back the 26-year-old.
On-field, the Pies seemed to peak a month too early. They pumped Essendon in a ruthless Round 19 display before strangling Sydney on a hostile ground in their best win for the season. But after that…..

WHAT WENT WRONG
THE final month of the season will leave a sour taste in the mouths of Pies fans. They petered out with losses to Hawthorn, North Melbourne and the shock elimination finals exit at the hands of Port Adelaide. That night Buckley intensified the focus on his club with a sharp message that the Pies needed to move on from “what they had”.
Buckley stated that from now on the Magpies will be his Magpies, with six players axed two days later and Heath Shaw seemingly placed on the trade table. That followed long-time fitness guru David Buttifant and football manager Geoff Walsh walking out on the Westpac Centre, with mastermind Rocket Eade transformed into Walsh's role. Talk of culture issues have simmered all year, while the mid-season Harry O’Brien saga also put the Magpies in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

WHAT THEY NEED
EXPECT some wholesale change over the summer. Bucks has already flagged a new hard-line on player behaviour, but the Pies’ shopping list doesn’t end there. They need another Ben Reid. Collingwood looked that much more potent when the reliable target was swung into attack this year, with Reid helping boot the Pies to victory against Carlton, West Coast and Essendon and bagging five goals against the Roos in Round 23.
But while that’s a nice wildcard for Buckley to play, Collingwood structurally looked a better team with Reid holding up the backline, similarly to Essendon and Jake Carlisle. The Pies also seem headed for a leadership change with Scott Pendlebury tipped to take the captaincy from Nick Maxwell.

Brisbane Lions

 Wins: 10, Losses: 12, Draws: 0, 
 Ladder position: 12, %: 89.6

WHAT WENT RIGHT
What could have been another year from hell quickly became the start of something special at Lion land. Brisbane started the season where they left off last year, losing eight of their first 11 games, but stormed home to win seven of their last 10 - beating Geelong along the way - to almost snare a finals berth. The emergence of Irish import Pearce Hanley as a future AFL star added further depth to the Lions' growing midfield stocks.

WHAT WENT WRONG
Struggled to get their best team out on the park with anything approaching regularity. Simon Black missed most of the season, Jonathan Brown managed just 15 games and has again gone under the knife, Brent Moloney played only 15 games and Daniel Merrett went down in Round 22, when finals were still possible.

PREMIERSHIP CLOCK
There were promising signs towards the end of the season, but the Lions are still well and truly locked out of their next premiership window. Too often the load has been shared between the team’s ageing gang of veterans, with a lack of consistency the disappointing trademark of the rest in 2013.

WHAT THEY NEED
A big man up front to replace the ailing Jonathan Brown. The Lions have reportedly entered the race for Essendon's Stewart Crameri, who would provide some relief even if Brown manages to drag his battered body around for another season.

Adelaide Crows

Wins: 10, Losses: 12, Draw: 0, 
Ladder position: 11, %: 108.12

WHAT WENT RIGHT
Not a whole lot. One positive from a failed season is the Crows got plenty of experience into their youngsters. Brad Crouch looks a superstar already while Luke Brown, Josh Jenkins, Sam Kerridge and Mitch Grigg all took positive steps. Rory Sloane stepped up into the elite category while Josh Jenkins and Daniel Talia held down key posts successfully for much of the season. The amazing comeback win over North Melbourne in Round 9 was the high point. Finishing outside the eight will also give the club an easier draw come 2014.

WHAT WENT WRONG
Does the Kurt Tippett saga still count? The Crows lost their forward line focal point and a clutch of draft picks as a result and it didn't get much better from there. Taylor Walker then went down with a knee injury in Round 5. Just as they looked to be making their run three straight losses from Round 10-12 put them behind the eight ball and six home defeats overall drove the last nail into the club's coffin. Being sweep by arch-rivals Port Adelaide - in heart-breaking circumstance on both occasions - certainly didn't help their cause. A slide in form from Scott Thompson and Sam Jacobs was also a factor.

WHAT THEY NEED.
Walker will return from a knee injury, Jenkins will be his sidekick rather than the main man and Lynch and Johnston showed plenty. So the forward line is set. The midfield - led by Dangerfield, Sloane and Crouch - looks set. So defence. Rutten is still reliable but can be taken advantage of while Daniel Talia is the only other key back. The club will be looking to strengthen their back line and maybe add some more midfield depth draft day.