With the 2012 Brownlow Medal to be awarded tonight in Melbourne, lions.com.au takes a look back and remembers Black’s historic night.
The 2012 Brownlow Medal count will be shown LIVE into Brisbane on 7mate
Simon Black was agitated. Not that you could tell. The usually smiling, ever polite, all-round good guy of the Brisbane Lions kept up appearances at Table No.1 in the Legends Room at the Gabba early on Brownlow Medal night. But he felt lousy.
He was tired, maybe a cold was developing, and it was the last thing he wanted in Grand Final week, with a date against Collingwood just five days away.
By Round 6 of the count, Black had received just five votes, confirming his feelings that he wasn’t really a contender, which in many ways put him at ease.
“I thought the best part of my year was probably early on. After Round 7 I only had five votes and I actually said to (then girlfriend now wife) Cath: I’m absolutely no chance here,” Black said.
“So I just sat back and tried to take it quiet and easy.”
So much for that. At Round 17 all hell broke loose at the Gabba when he hit the front.
By Round 22 the air was electric, just as it was 12 months earlier when Jason Akermanis snared the game’s No.1 individual prize.
Black led the count by two votes from Port Adelaide’s Josh Francou going into the last Round, when the two sides met in the minor premiership decider. It was the perfect climax, with the Medal to be decided by the last card of the night.
Black had 32 possessions and 12 clearances in Round 22 while Shaun Hart tagged Francou out of it. Most in the Legends Room knew that, but it depended how the umpires had seen the game.
“I went into the game and thought I’d been reasonable. It was a close game and the umpires often give votes to the losing side,” Black said.
“When the two votes came out ‘S Black’ my heart ticked about 1000 beats.”
And so it was that the then 23 year-old had proven that nice guys don’t always finish last.
Black had polled 13 votes in the last six round for a total of 25. It was four more than Francou and eight more than teammate Michael Voss, who shared third place with Hawk Shane Crawford and Demon Adem Yze.
Another Lion, Des Headland, shared sixth place with 16 votes with five other players.
It was the first time that the merged Brisbane Lions had produced back-to-back Brownlow Medallists, following a path blazed by Fitzroy legends Haydn Bunton and Wilfred ‘Chicken’ Smallhorn (1932-33) and Bunton and ‘Dinny’ Ryan (1935-36).
When asked whether the Medal would change his life, the ever humble West Australian was typically unflappable.
“I’ve spoken with Aka and Vossy and they said I might get recognised a bit more, for a little while maybe,” he mused.
“The big test comes next year when I have to keep that high, consistent performance level going. All I can do is my best.”
History now tells us that Black won the 2003 Norm Smith Medal 12 months later on a day when the Club celebrated its third straight Premiership.
He also came close to claiming a second Brownlow Medal in both 2007 and 2008, finishing as Runner-Up in both years.
And as for that high, consistent level of performance - he’s now maintained that in each of the 10 years since the Brownlow triumph.
Take a look at lions.com.au's 2012 Brownlow Medal preview and predictions
