Geelong captain Joel Selwood thinks his former team-mate Gary Ablett could make even more Brownlow Medal history.
Selwood and Ablett heaped praise on each other after one vote separated them at Monday night’s’s count.
In a nailbiting finish, Ablett won with his best-afield performance in round 23 – the last vote that AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou read out.
Ablett immediately said he wished he could share the medal with Selwood and he also would have been rapt if the Cats star had won it on his own.
Selwood showed his class in return, saying it was easy to lose to Ablett.
The Cats midfielder also would not be surprised if Ablett joins the select group of triple Brownlow Medallists.
“It’s great he gets his second one,” Selwood told AAP.
“Gold Coast will win more games next year and he’s just going to be hard to knock off.
“He’s a star, he gets better each year.
“He’s 29 going on 30 and it’s just scary to think a bloke can keep getting better.”
Only four legendary players have won the Brownlow three times – Fitzroy’s Hayden Bunton, Essendon’s Dick Reynolds, South Melbourne’s Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart (St Kilda and Richmond).
Going into the last round of votes, Selwood was on 27, one ahead of Collingwood’s Dane Swan and two up on Ablett.
Their three faces were shown on a split screen as the votes were read out.
“You feel silly – you saw yourself up there and I thought Gaz was going to get three,” Selwood said.
“I didn’t think I was going to get any.”
Selwood said he is proud of what Ablett has achieved and has no problems with his momentous decision three years ago to leave Geelong for the expansion team.
“He made a decision to go up there, work out what he wanted to do,” Selwood said.
“We don’t hold any grudges at Geelong because he made a decision for him and sometimes you have to do that.
“Friendships last much longer than business.
“He’s a great friend of so many guys down at Geelong and he will always be that, too.”