As predicted, the SUNS got off to a flyer at Monday night’s Brownlow medal count at Crown Palladium in Melbourne, with midfielder Aaron Hall surging to the lead with three best-on-ground performances in the opening three rounds.
Unfortunately, Gold Coast players were unable to poll votes between rounds five and 11, coinciding with a 10-game losing streak, as Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield surged to his maiden Brownlow medal.
At the end of the night Hall and Tom Lynch sat atop the SUNS leaderboard with 11 votes apiece, ahead of captain and two-time Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett who finished on six. Lynch polled in seven games but surprisingly didn’t register a three-vote game in his All Australian season.
Young gun Brayden Fiorini polled a vote in just his second AFL game against Port Adelaide in round 23, while second-year players Peter Wright and Touk Miller also claimed their first votes on football’s night of nights.
Round 1 v Essendon
3 – Aaron Hall
2 – Tom Lynch
1 – Gary Ablett
Round 2 v Fremantle
3 – Aaron Hall
2 – Tom Lynch
Round 3 v Carlton
3 – Aaron Hall
2 – Tom Lynch
1 – Gary Ablett
Round 4 v Brisbane
2 – Tom Lynch
Round 12 v Richmond
1 – Gary Ablett
Round 14 v Hawthorn
3 – Gary Ablett
1 – Tom Lynch
Round 15 v St Kilda
3 – Michael Rischitelli
2 – Aaron Hall
1 – Tom Lynch
Round 16 v Brisbane
3 – Peter Wright
2 – Jarrod Harbrow
1 – Touk Miller
Round 18 v Fremantle
2 – Steven May
1 – Sam Day
Round 20 v GWS
3 – Steven May
1 – Tom Lynch
Round 21 v Essendon
1 – Touk Miller
Round 23 v Port Adelaide
1 – Brayden Fiorini
Final SUNS Leaderboard
Aaron Hall – 11 votes
Tom Lynch – 11 votes
Gary Ablett – 6 votes
Steven May – 5 votes*
Michael Rischitelli – 3 votes
Peter Wright – 3 votes
Jarrod Harbrow – 2 votes
Touk Miller – 2 votes
Sam Day – 1 vote
Brayden Fiorini – 1 vote
Brownlow: Gold Coast SUNS recap
How the SUNS players fared on football's night of nights.