After another best-on-ground performance against Hawthorn, Ollie Wines is firming as one of the favourites for the Brownlow Medal.
In a dominant display, he finished the match with 43 disposals (23 contested), 13 clearances, and 7 tackles as he broke open the game. This prevented Shaun Burgoyne from obtaining an upset win in his 400th career match.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
On Nine's AFL Sunday Footy Show, Matthew Lloyd was quick to praise Wines for his performance over the weekend. Lloyd believes that he poses the biggest threat to the prohibitive favourite Marcus Bontempelli.
“I know the favourite for the Brownlow is Marcus Bontempelli, but this guy could go really close – Ollie Wines,” Matthew Lloyd told the panel.
“He’s just getting best on ground, week after week."
“I’m not sure who’s going to take votes off him with the way he’s playing."
"(Wines) gets the job done, week in week out.”
In the 2019 offseason, Wines was linked with a move to Victoria in a bid to lure the star midfielder back home. He opted to stay at Port Adelaide but was demoted from co-captain, as Tom Jonas took the sole leadership.
When talking on Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show, Kane Cornes highlighted how impressive and impactful Wines' career turnaround has been for the player and the club.
“It’s a great story,” Cornes told the Sunday Footy Show.
“He’s had an injury and he had the captaincy and it was taken off him."
“There was talk of (a move to) Carlton, he’s very close to his family in Victoria."
“He stayed loyal, and he’s now on a six-year deal, he’s going to be around for a very long time.”
Wines is repaying that faith of the club, as he is putting together a career-best year for Port Adelaide. On the season, Wines is averaging a career-high 32.5 disposals per game, while also collecting 5.8 clearances.
If Ollie Wines continues his impressive 2021 campaign, he could be Port Adelaide's first Brownlow medallist.
The award has long been considered Marcus Bontempelli's to lose and is the odds on favourite to take home the medal. Clayton Oliver and Ollie Wines come in as 2nd and 3rd most likely to win.
