Adam Cooney is a very good footballer who I rate highly. Adam Cooney is NOT the caliber of a Brownlow-medallist player. His win last night is the biggest disgrace to the Brownlow medal since Shane Woewoedin won it in 2000.

Funnily enough, the winner of this year’s Brownlow was also decided by the same group of men who ridiculously deemed that Will Minson was the closest man to the contest when Brian Lake marked on the siren against Richmond earlier this year; who deemed that Jimmy Bartel was a 10-vote player in 2008; who deemed that Adam Goodes and Simon Black were in the top 5 players of the year; who deemed that Adam Goodes was second-best afield against Geelong in Round 5 when Cameron Ling smashed him; who deemed that Boomer Harvey’s 2007 season was greater than his 2008; and the list goes on and on and on.

I can honestly say that I respect the AFL umpires – people don’t take the time to understand how much pressure they are consistently under and how much flack they cop. Unlike some other sports, they don’t get the benefit of replays: they make their decisions on the spot in a freakishly high-paced sport.

But umpires should not decide the Brownlow, and 2008 is the ‘etch-it-in-stone’ proof.

Adam Cooney would struggle to make the list of 2008’s top 10 AFL players. He was NOT the best and fairest player this year – yes, you’ll encounter opinions everywhere, but just as predominant in today’s society is the importance of facts. This is one of them.

Congratulations to the man, I’d be rapt if I were him. But a part of me would be disappointed; a little self-conscious. “Should I really have this medal around my neck?” is that seed of doubt that over time, will grow in his mind. And the general public’s outrage at his questionable and charitable victory will be the spring rain on that seed.

Dogs fans everywhere would be ecstatic, and Cooney will be written into the history books. But alongside his name on the list of Brownlow medalists, there should be an asterisk: an asterisk that indicates that Adam Cooney is a paper champion – and only a paper champion – just like Woewoedin.

I question the AFL’s integrity. People need to understand that the AFL is as much a business as it is a sport. Try this on: the Dogs have been a struggling franchise for the last decade. What better way to promote its marketability and growth into a profitable franchise, than to whack a Charlie on one of its young guns and future leaders?

Geelong’s stranglehold and dominance of the competition is not healthy for the AFL. If they are continuously raking in dominant wins, premierships, brownlows, MVP awards, etc, then supporters of other clubs will eventually get fed up, lose hope, and wait to spend their hard-earned money until the storm has passed. It’s like the Brisbane era of 2001-’03 which carried over to ‘04. By the end of it, people were tired of seeing the same thing over and over and for a while, had abandoned hope, which equals a loss in $$$ for Mr Demetriou.

I believe the AFL have thrown the Dogs a bone to promote the hope and pride in their long-suffering supporters, and to inspire them to open their wallets. Just look at how proud the Geelong-folk were of Jimmy Bartel last year.

The AFLPA’s MVP award, i.e. the Leigh Matthews trophy, is the new Brownlow medal; the new highest individual honour that a player can receive. It is decided by a large group of people who all eat, sleep and breathe Australian Rules Football. These men know exactly what the game is about and what needs to be done to succeed. They have time to thoroughly scrutinise and mentally digest individual performances, and as a result, accurately crown the best player in the competition – hence Gary Ablett Jr’s back-to-back victories in ‘07 and ‘08.

On the other hand, Brownlow votes are cast on the spur of the moment by impressionable, star-struck men who seem to treat Brownlow votes as if they were SMS votes for their favourite Australian Idol contendor. This has no credibility.

Adam Cooney’s Brownlow medal victory has done to the medal’s prestige, honour and integrity, what paint stripper would do to the Mona Lisa.

Enjoy your gift Adam; but I’d much rather my competitors and own peers respect my football ability, than a group of predisposed puppets of the AFL’s agenda.