In a historic change to the process of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, umpires will now be privy to 17 performance statistics to help with their deliberations.
It will be the first time using stats in the award's 102-year-old history.
After much scrutiny of the former procedure, and questionable outcomes, the AFL will now provide the following through a secure link from Champion Data:
Kicks, handballs, disposals, marks, contested marks, tackles, goals, behinds, goal assists, score involvements, clearances, contested possessions, hitouts, kick-ins, intercept marks, intercept possessions and spoils.
AFL GM of Football Greg Swann said the integrity of the award remains the priority, despite the introduction of stats, which can help with decision-making.
"The Brownlow Medal is the most prestigious individual award in the AFL competition. Field umpires who are entrusted to vote are instructed to take time, care and thoughtfully deliberate before reaching a unanimous decision to ensure the integrity of the award is upheld," Swann said.
"While statistics can provide useful and reliable data, the essence of the award is clearly set out on the ballot paper.
"It is the subjective opinion of the field umpires that will determine the voting for the award and the umpires are acutely aware of the importance of the award and the standing in which Brownlow Medallists are held in the game."
The process will also be applied to the AFLW competition in 2026.
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