The AFL will allow umpires to look at stats before deciding their Brownlow Medal votes in 2026, with new head of footy Greg Swann pushing the change through before the end of the year.

Viewed as the game’s most prestigious award, the Brownlow has faced scrutiny over the last few years, with more votes than ever being funnelled into the top few players.

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps won with a record 45 votes in 2024 from Collingwood star Nick Daicos on 38 votes – which also would have been the most ever polled.

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One year later, Gold Coast midfielder Matt Rowell won with 39 votes. On three occasions the umpires deemed him the best player on the ground in instances where he received zero coaches votes.

Matt Rowell with the Brownlow Medal.  AFL Photos via Getty Images

We also saw one of the more baffling decisions in Brownlow history, where the umpires awarded St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera only two votes, despite kicking the match-winning goal after almost single-handedly dragging the Saints back into the contest in a remarkable fourth quarter performance.

Having access to stats will allow umpires to verify what they have seen out on the field. Their focus is on officiating a high-speed, 360 degree game with a difficult, evolving and complex set of rules, while also running an average of 12km per game.

That is likely the logic behind Swann’s shift, which will allow them access to stats from the game while they deliberate on their voting.

Jimmy Bartel, who won the Brownlow in 2007, is frustrated by the change, labelling it unnecessary.

The Geelong champion likes the unpredictability of the historic award, and doesn’t want to see it tweaked or fiddled with.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson with his player and Brownlow Medal winner Jimmy Bartel.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson with his player and Brownlow Medal winner Jimmy Bartel. Paul Rovere, The Age

“Look, the Brownlow doesn’t need fixing,” Bartel told 3AW’s Wide World of Sports.

“The journos have their template for the year. The Tuesday morning article they have teed up every year saying the Brownlow needs fixing and it’s mind boggling that they keep going down that path and they’ve eventually managed to persuade Greg Swann and his crew down there.”

Bartel believes the league has enough awards determined by statistical insight as it is and the Brownlow was supposed to be its own unique entity.

“There are so many other awards that facilitate the way the game is being planned. With stats, there’s Champion Data, everyone uses them to give votes for different newspaper and radio awards,” he said.

“There’s the AFLPA MVP, there’s the coaches award. Predominantly, it is midfielders who win (those awards too) because the coaches actually value the midfielders higher.

“Forwards get the big pay cheques and the long term deals, midfielders win Brownlows, defenders poll well in best and fairests because they start with votes and lose them depending on how many goals are kicked on them.

“This whole notion that people are laughing at the Brownlow votes, there’s always errors and that is the beauty of the game and that is what makes the Brownlow unpredictable and the count exciting because you don’t know which way it is going to go.

“If you think there is an undeserving winner of the Brownlow, I don’t think there ever has been. Matt Rowell was a deserving winner.

“I just think people are getting their knickers in a knot with the total amount of votes.

“They don’t need stats. I don’t see what is so wrong with the Brownlow and why everyone has to fix it every year because we have an outlier.

“There was one game where people reckon Rowell had like 14 touches and got three votes, but they ignore the fact that he had 15 tackles.”

Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell.  AFL Photos via Getty Images

Rowell came into 2025 as the fifth favourite for the Brownlow according to the betting odds.

Bartel is referring to Rowell’s 15-disposal 17-tackle performance against Essendon in round 17, where he received no Coaches Award votes in the win.

In the same game, teammate Noah Anderson had 30 touches and kicked two goals, Bombers skipper Zach Merrett had 40 possessions and 12 clearances, and Suns defender Joel Jeffrey had 32 touches and kicked a goal.

The umpires would not have known any of those specifics because they didn’t have access to stats, a fact Bartel argues adds to the award, rather than detracting from it.