As exhilarating as winning the medal is on Brownlow night, there’s a stack of broadcast media commitments the morning after that come with it.
And 2022 Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps, by his own admission, was a touch worse for wear on Monday morning.
Less than 12 hours after becoming just the sixth Carlton player to win the AFL’s best and fairest award, Cripps fronted up for a flurry of media interviews to reflect on his achievement on footy journey.
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Asked on Channel 9’s The Today Show how hungover he was on a scale of one to 10, Cripps said: “I’d go close to 10. It’s been a long night, but It’s all worth it. It’s been great fun.
“I’ve had a few mates here and family to celebrate. It’s a weird feeling being outside so early, but it’s all worth it.”
The Blues captain’s triumph came just hours after he had to make a quick dash back to Australia from a post-season holiday. The Brownlow was moved forward by one day to Sunday after it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral would be held on Monday night (AEST), consequently giving Cripps little time to recover from jet lag.
Cripps said viewers could “probably tell not a lot (of sleep)” was had prior to his Monday morning media commitments.
“I’m crying out for a bit of sleep right now,” Cripps said with a laugh.
“Nah you’ve got to do it. It’s all worth it when you win the Brownlow. I’ve just got to keep punching out the next few hours then I’ll be hitting the pillow pretty quick.
“Mate, my eyes, once I’ve had two beers I’m done. You can tell my eyes I left my eyes at the count last night.”
Cripps polled three votes in the final home and away round of the season to pip Brisbane star – and hot pre-count favourite – Lachie Neale by a vote.
There were beautiful images posted on social media of Cripps celebrating his achievement with family, friends and Carlton teammates at Crown.
“We‘ve always loved footy growing up,” he said.
“We‘re from a small country town and I always remember watching the Brownlow as a kid. To play AFL is a dream come true – then you win the Brownlow Medal, you never dream of that stuff.
“I‘m always really close to my family and my fiancee. You sort of ride the highs and lows with them together. There’s been a lot of lows in my career, but there’s also been some great highs and last night one was one of those.”
