September 23, 2014: The papers write themselves...

The day after the Brownlow, and normally the papers write themselves. A few pictures of the winner, a bit of back story, and then opinion pieces about how the Umpires have no idea and that 3-2-1 voting system doesn't work.

This year it was much the same, with the added focus on Gary Ablett potentially winning a third medal and Nat Fyfe winning despite being suspended. The whole thing would have been written and prepared, with a few underpaid interns left to insert the winners name and send it to the printers. Until Matt Priddis had his say.

Priddis came from the clouds to claim football's top prize. No one, least of all Priddis himself, saw the medal sliding awkwardly over his blonde locks - and all of a sudden the entire paper had to be re-written. Fyfe wasn't the third ineligible winner, Gary wasn't a three time champion. All of a sudden, the story of the day was whether the All Australian Selectors should be sacked and excommunicated for failing to include the Brownlow winner in the team.

One images a half-cut Mark Robinson swearing as he jogged along Southbank from Crown back to the Herald Sun towers, cutting a terrifying figure in the Melbourne night. I guess that's footy.

In the news...
Simon Meredith, Matt Stevic and Matthew Nicholls will be the three men in green who ruin Saturday's Grand Final. Chelsea Roffey has missed out on a spot and will be the emergency goal umpire.