Brownlow Medal: Should the name be changed to Haydn Bunton Medal?

[Asher87]

Something doesn't have to be broken before you can improve on it.

The national competition is not set in stone yet - its gonna take time to develope national traditions. The AFL will evolve. The next generation will have only ever expereinced a national competition.

Growing AFL profiles in NSW and QLD will alter the power balance that exists now in AFL. There has to be a reduction of number of teams in VIC.

We now have a players and coaches awards - not around years ago. As they will grow in importance, the umpire's award will lose importance.

Brownlow ain't broke but it can and will evolve as the AFL becomes truely national and increasingly loses its VFL character and power base..

 

[Ripper]

Haydn Bunton has links with four states

You could mount an argument for links with 5 states with the Fitzroy connection to the Lions.

Perfect solution the makes one significant award all inclusive.

The VFL can then adopt the Brownlow.

 

[Johnson#26]

No way. What's the point?

 

[Lach72]

Fig, it's not the VFL anymore it's the AFL. Having a player who played just about everywhere and was an ornament to the game makes sense to me... and we all contribute equally to the league and it's promotion...much to your disgust it appears...anyway, who said anything about Tasmanian?

 

[ExpectToWin]

given that the award is derived from umpires votes, shouldnt it be named after an umpire?

 

[pav_is_god]

Do you think the players actually care what name it is? The prestige from winning the award comes from past winners, not who's name is on the medal. As an "interstater" I have no qualms with the Brownlow retaining its name, I couldn't care less what it was called. What I'm more concerned with is the voting system.

 

[Toots Hibbert]

You could mount an argument for links with 5 states with the Fitzroy connection to the Lions.
Perfect solution the makes one significant award all inclusive.

The VFL can then adopt the Brownlow.

Well spotted. The argument just got stronger!

(BTW as Bunton won three Brownlows his name would link nicely to the VFL award and this should help ease the angst of Victorians.)

 

[Benno From Berwick]

If you want to change things, start your own competition.

The AFL is the VFL gone national. The Brownlow medal stands firm. Now POQ back to your little states of no consequence.

Cheers
Benno

 

[TuskenRaider]

I'm not even going to bother reading anyones posts in this thread.

In a word, no.

No further correspondence will be entered into.

 

[Lach72]

Maybe we should...get to play against good opposition each week

 

[Asher87]

If you want to change things, start your own competition.

The AFL is the VFL gone national. The Brownlow medal stands firm. Now POQ back to your little states of no consequence.

Cheers
Benno

Now there is a thought - WA, SA, QLD, NSW, TAS get together to form the NARL (National Aust Rules Leage) and invite two (or 3) Vic franchieses. A comp of 12 - 14 teams - perfect.

 

[Lach72]

Now there is a thought - WA, SA, QLD, NSW, TAS get together to form the NARL (National Aust Rules Leage) and invite two (or 3) Vic franchieses. A comp of 12 - 14 teams - perfect.

...and any team who has to keep coming back to the cash trough get's the a.rse!

 

[mustapha]

Now there is a thought - WA, SA, QLD, NSW, TAS get together to form the NARL (National Aust Rules Leage) and invite two (or 3) Vic franchieses. A comp of 12 - 14 teams - perfect.

Do the Victorian teams get to join the league and try to change the existing traditions of the NARL?

 

[Toots Hibbert]

Now there is a thought - WA, SA, QLD, NSW, TAS get together to form the NARL (National Aust Rules Leage) and invite two (or 3) Vic franchieses. A comp of 12 - 14 teams - perfect.

This is not going to get up if we turn it into a Vic bashing excercise. We need to think outside our petty state horizons and think national. This is about the good of the game.

 

[Lach72]

Do the Victorian teams get to join the league and try to change the existing traditions of the NARL?

Well...they'd be a part of it so why not?

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Arguments from both sides have made valid points. Name changes to traditional trophies happen. How many times have you heard "Sheffield Shield" used in the media in recent years?

Personally, I don't favour a name change. My point in case (it's a fairly loose one at that) is what happened in wrestling (yes, the fake sport).

NWA changed it's name to WCW. It was a gradual progression, but there came a time when the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was renamed as the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. A new championship belt was made to recognise this. This seemed fine at the time, as past NWA champions are still recognised in this linkage.

Several years later, the NWA World Heavyweight championship belt was resurrected as a separate title. Now the confusion begins, as the WCW Championship was linked to PAST NWA champions, while the new NWA title was a new entity.

I think there was a unification down the line, and the WCW title now had two separate championship histories.

Fast forward to the WWF/WWE takeover of the WCW. The WCW World Title has been resurrected again but in the form of the old NWA Championship belt. However it is not called the WCW title or the NWA title, but the World Heavyweight Title (and is linked to the RAW television program), while the regular WWF/E title is linked to the Smackdown! program.

So what history does this "World" title have?

Add to that, a separate organisation, TNA, adopt an even OLDER NWA title as its championship. Confusing huh?

I know this isn't really a direct comparison to what would happen if the Brownlow changed names. If it is just a simple name change, then the history linkage is quite clear. But do we call past Brownlow medallists "former Hayden Bunton medallists"?

And if the VFL (which is already confusing enough to history because it has a different history to the current AFL, which used to be VFL) adopts the Brownlow as its award, then what linkage does it have?

Or maybe it all makes sense. I dunno.

Maybe wait till we're all dead and then they can change it.

Besides, maybe in future will be called the "Coca-Cola Brownlow Medal" and then trimmed down to the "Coca-Cola Medal", and then another sponsor comes along and calls it the "Coles Medal" or the "Toys R Us Medal"....

 

[Mead]

The arguments for changing the name to the Haydn Bunton Medal are pretty much logically infallible- he has strong links to each state, he's a multiple Brownlow medal winner, what more could you ask for?

I guess the problem is that logic isn't really all that enters into this debate, and maybe that's not such a bad thing.

 

[Asher87]

No need the change it.

The traditional medal is the Brownlow - awarded by umpires. This has the prestige because it was the only award.

New awards are:
Coaches Association
and
Players Association

These awards will grown in prominance and overshadow the Brownlow

 

[Quadzilla]

Agree with Toots ...

IT IS A National Competition so therefore a new medal is entirely appropriate and Haydon Buton Snr is a terrific choice as name of the AFL medal.

The VFL competition still goes on so the Brownlow can go to the 2nd tier competition (so it is not lost) along with the medals that remain in all other states 2nd tier competitions.

 

[Benno From Berwick]

Now there is a thought - WA, SA, QLD, NSW, TAS get together to form the NARL (National Aust Rules Leage) and invite two (or 3) Vic franchieses. A comp of 12 - 14 teams - perfect.

Good luck pea brain.

How about you accept with good grace that somethings will stay around for ever.

The Brownlow is here to stay. End of penny section.

Next you want the AFL cup to change to a plate or a diamond incrusted broach.

 

[Benno From Berwick]

No need the change it.

The traditional medal is the Brownlow - awarded by umpires. This has the prestige because it was the only award.

New awards are:
Coaches Association
and
Players Association

These awards will grown in prominance and overshadow the Brownlow

You are on the wrong tram. It will not happen in your life time.

 

[Lach72]

Good luck pea brain.

How about you accept with good grace that somethings will stay around for ever.

The Brownlow is here to stay. End of penny section.

Next you want the AFL cup to change to a plate or a diamond incrusted broach.

Nah half the teams couldn't afford to take it home!

 

[Quadzilla]

If you want to change things, start your own competition.

The AFL is the VFL gone national. The Brownlow medal stands firm. Now POQ back to your little states of no consequence.

Cheers
Benno

That would be to the states that have won the last 5 flags and 7 of the last 9, would it?

While we are at it we will take the money that we paid to prop up a bankrupt VFL? OK?

Good luck, then!

 

[Asher87]

Umpires Award - Brownlow Medal
Players Award - Haydon Buton Medal
Coaches Award - Robert Walls Medal

 

[Lach72]

Umpires Award - Brownlow Medal
Players Award - Haydon Buton Medal
Most Biased Twaddle Award - Robert Walls Medal