Melbourne great Max Gawn fears the umpires\u2019 new access to statistics before casting Brownlow Medal votes will strip the award of its \u201caura\u201d.<\/p>\n
Umpires will have access to 17 statistics, including impact areas such as clearances, score involvements, intercept possessions and spoils.<\/p>\n
They will also be privy to more generic statistics such as goals, behinds, disposals and marks.<\/p>\n
But Gawn is against the access and believes it takes away from what is a data-free award.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s lost the whole aura of the Brownlow, but in 15 years that will be the new normal,\u201d he told Triple M\u2019s Mick in the Morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe initial change is the aura is gone. (Umpires) had howlers, but they normally get it right. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Nick) Daicos still came second, so, they get it normally quite right. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are voting for something kinda cool, more how they go about it on the field from the umpire\u2019s point of view rather than numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The change to the process comes after Gold Coast Sun Matt Rowell took out last season\u2019s medal with 39 votes.<\/p>\n
Rowell\u2019s triumph would have been the record in any other year bar the one before, which was swept away by Carlton\u2019s Patrick Cripps with 45.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The umpires came under particular fire last season after a Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera game where Melbourne\u2019s Jack Viney collected best afield.<\/p>\n
St Kilda\u2019s Wanganeen-Milera kicked four goals \u2013 including the winner after the siren \u2013 and had 34 possessions in the best individual performance of the year., but the umpires only gave him two votes.<\/p>\n