Would 23 votes be enough? Probably not given the quality of the leading contenders this season. The likes of Nathan Buckley, Michael Voss, Gavin Wanganeen, Adam Goodes, Robert Harvey, Peter Bell, Shane Crawford and Mark Ricciuto have all had outstanding seasons. A lot of very good players have played a lot of very good football so it would seem Hird is only a rough hope. The $16 being offered by sports’ betting agencies is probably about right.
But even a top five finish for Hird would be a remarkable result given he has basically missed one third of the season. Hird went off early with a corked thigh against Melbourne in Round Two. He was again off early in Round Seven against Richmond with a corked calf – an injury that saw him miss the next five games. A tight hamstring saw him miss the Bombers’ Round 17 clash with Melbourne. That is a lot of football to miss and win a Brownlow Medal.
Other Essendon players likely to poll votes include Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas, Jason Johnson and Mark Johnson. All have enjoyed good consistent seasons and are in the thick of the action so don’t get missed by the umpires.
Tips from website team at Windy Hill.
Robert Shaw
1. A. Simpson (Kangaroos)
2. P. Bell (Fremantle)
3. R. Harvey (St Kilda)
Matthew Lloyd
1. Michael Voss (Brisbane)
2. Gavin Wanganeen (Port Adelaide)
3. Nathan Buckley (Collingwood)
Simon Matthews
1. Michael Voss (Brisbane)
2. Gavin Wanganeen (Port Adelaide)
3. Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide)
Marina Timmins
1. A. Goodes (Sydney)
2. Gavin Wanganeen (Port Adelaide)
3. James Hird (Essendon)
Brad Paton
1. Michael Voss (Brisbane)
2. Adam Goodes (Sydney)
3. James Hird (Essendon)
Darren Snowdon
1. Gavin Wanganeen
2. Nathan Buckley
3. Michael Voss and James Hird
David Thurling
1. Michael Voss
2. Nathan Buckley
3. Warren Tredrea
This week's 3 poll asks you to predict the Essendon player that will poll the most Brownlow votes. Click here to post your vote.
