Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko has called for umpires to be stripped of voting on the Brownlow Medal, coming as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews backed the AFL’s integrity processes.
A Victoria Police investigation is continuing after an AFL umpire was arrested for allegedly leaking Brownlow Medal votes from specific matches of the 2022 season.
Field umpire Michael Pell was one of four men arrested on Monday over suspicious betting that was flagged to the AFL by one of its betting partners. This led to an investigation in which multiple agencies, using their sophisticated algorithms, discovered irregularities in betting on who would poll the maximum three votes in some games.
Field umpire Michael Pell was one of four men arrested following a Victoria Police investigation into suspicious Brownlow betting.Credit:The Age
The sport’s highest individual honour was won by Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps this year, but the AFL says there has been no suggestion of match or spot-fixing and that the breach did not influence the result of the count. Pell officiated and helped cast votes in 16 matches.
The four men were arrested as part of an investigation also involving Sport Integrity Australia and the AFL.
No charges have yet been laid, but Pell’s alleged involvement in the leading of information prompted Zorko, the veteran Lions leader, to declare it’s time for the league to look at having an independent party adjudicate on votes.
“I don’t know how the information gets out or who or what is involved, but it’s not a great look,” Zorko said on SEN Queensland.
“Leave it up to an expert panel to decide, don’t leave it up to the umpires and take that responsibility off them.
“It used to be just one umpire and they’d make their call after the game. Now there’s three (field umpires) and next year there’s going to be four by the sounds of things.
“[Umpires try to watch] everything that goes on with the game, rule changes, decisions in the moment and they’re all in different thirds of the ground, so you’re not actually seeing who is the most influential the whole time, in my opinion.
“I agree – I’d give it (Brownlow voting) to someone who has been watching the game and sitting up high and understands what’s happened throughout the whole game and decide from there.”
The AFL was contacted for comment. One industry figure said while there was merit in Zorko’s comments, an independent panel could mean even more people knew the votes given, and the threat of a leak still existed.
As it stands, three field umpires vote in a private room post match and reach a consensus on the three best players afield, awarding 3, 2, 1 votes. Once they have agreed, and the names recorded on a form, that form is put in an envelope with a tamper-proof seal, and that envelope is put in a plastic bag, with another tamper-proof seal. That bag is then delivered to the AFL and sent to an Armaguard centre. The envelope is not opened until the Brownlow count itself.
Former field umpire Shane McInerney, who stood in a record 502 AFL games between 1994 and 2019, said umpires were warned annually by league integrity officers about the threat of gambling and “the areas where influence could be sought, or knowledge could be leveraged to give any particular individual an advantage on any set bet”.
Something to think about: Dayne Zorko says Brownlow Medal votes should be cast by an independent panel.Credit:Getty Images
However, he predicted this education process would be “scrutinised” once this investigation was completed.
Andrews said on Tuesday he had full faith in league chief Gillon McLachlan and the league’s integrity protocols.
“It’s important that we allow processes that are truly on foot by regulators and indeed potentially by Victoria Police and others to run their course,” Andrews said.
“There’s nothing served by my commenting on that, I don’t think. But I’d be confident with all the conversations I’ve ever had with Gil and with others, they take integrity very seriously. And they want to safeguard our game, and they want to safeguard what is such an important part of our Victorian culture, what is a really big pastime and a really important part of Victorian life, they want to safeguard that. That’s always been of interest. I wouldn’t doubt their commitment to achieving that.”
The bets involved in the case being investigated ranged in size, but were up to several thousand dollars.
Carlton premiership great Justin Madden, now the chief executive of Responsible Wagering Australia, said the importance of a regulated wagering system had been reinforced.
“Australian sport is under constant threat from bad actors, cash betting and illegal offshore companies. The arrests made in connection with the 2022 Brownlow Medal count demonstrate how crucial a strong Australian regulated online wagering industry is to protect the integrity of sport,” Madden said.
