Cooney wins Brownlow

Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Cooney has become the first number one draft pick ever to win the AFL's highest individual award - the Brownlow Medal - after narrowly beating 2002 winner Simon Black, hot favourite Gary Ablett and sentimental favourite Matthew Richardson in a thrilling count on Monday night.

Cooney, the number one pick in the 2003 national draft who turns 23 next Tuesday, polled 24 votes to beat Brisbane's Black, who led for most of the night, by one vote with Ablett and Richardson, who at 33 would have been the oldest ever winner of the Brownlow Medal, a further vote back on 22 votes.

His victory continues the Bulldogs' proud tradition in the Brownlow Medal as Cooney becomes the club's tenth winner - joining Allan Hopkins in 1930, Norman Ware (1941), Peter Box (1956), John Schulz (1960), Gary Dempsey (1975), Kelvin Templeton (1980), Brad Hardie (1985), Tony Liberatore (1990) and Stuart Wynd (1992).

Cooney, who polled votes in nine separate games including six three votes for best afield, also showed great courage by carrying a fractured kneecap throughout the finals where not surprisingly he was down on his stellar early season form as the Dogs bowed out in the preliminary final.

The Bulldog star was shocked by his win after drifting from second favourite behind Ablett early in the season to around sixth favourite come Monday night following a quieter second half of the season.

"I haven't really prepared anything because I wasn't expecting this," Cooney said upon accepting his medal.

For most of the night it appeared as though Black would become Brisbane's first dual Brownlow Medalist after he led for most of the count with Cooney not snatching the lead until he polled three votes in Round 21 after gathering 28 disposals against Essendon.

Four players could win the award going into the final round but neither Cooney, Black, Ablett or Richardson polled votes although the crowd at Crown Casino held its breath to see whether the popular Richardson could snatch victory on the last vote of the night but needing three votes or two to tie, the 33-year-old played his worst game of the season in the Round 22 win over Melbourne and did not poll a vote.

After a farcical start to the count when AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou mistakenly read the Round 2 votes out before the Round 1 votes, Cooney and Black were soon at the top of the leader board each polling five votes in the first three rounds.

Cooney polled three votes in the Round 1 win over Adelaide and two in the Round 3 win over St Kilda as well as another two against West Coast in Round 6 and three against West Coast in Round 7.

But Black, a proven vote getter who also equal second last year, polled a staggering 20 votes in the first half of the season alone as the Lions made a great start to the year by winning seven games during that period.

However in the second half of the season, as the Lions struggled in winning just three games, Black's votes dried up and he did not poll again after collecting three in the Round 16 win over West Coast.

At that stage Black held a four-vote lead and he was still four votes clear with just three rounds remaining - although Sydney's