The AFL’s decision to retrospectively award the 2012 Brownlow Medal to Trent Cotchin, has snapped a four-decade drought for Richmond with the game’s most prestigious individual honour – the longest of all clubs in the league football competition.
Not since champion centreman Ian Stewart collected the 1971 Brownlow (and a third overall), in his first season at Tigerland, had a Richmond player won the Medal.
Kevin Bartlett (1977) and Maurice Rioli (1983) had gone the closest, with both finishing runner-up.
Stewart, who polled 21 votes to take out the ’71 Brownlow, paid tribute to the latest member of Richmond’s ‘Charlie’ club . . .
“Trent Cotchin is a very, very good player, deserving (Brownlow winner), great captain, leader,” Stewart said on SEN.
“I’ve met him a number of times and he’s a wonderful, young man.”
Forty five years after his Brownlow triumph with the Tigers, Stewart revealed how much more it means to him these days than it did back then.
“As you get older – much older – it really is more significant,” he said.
“I used to be a little bit flippant about it years ago, but now I’m more proud of it than I was while I was playing.”
The full list of Richmond Brownlow Medal winners
1930 – Stan Judkins, four votes
1948 – Bill Morris, 24 votes
1952 – Roy Wright, 21 votes
1954 – Roy Wright, 29 votes
1971 – Ian Stewart, 21 votes
2012 – Trent Cotchin – 26 votes
