‘More than stats’: Brownlow winner backs the umpires… but admits one decision shocked him

The AFL umpires have a backer in newly minted Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell.

In the wake of his win on Monday night, the Gold Coast Suns star said stats aren’t everything and is happy for umpires to keep being in charge of votes despite an outcry over the three-vote snubbing of St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera for one of the best performances of 2025.

Rowell raced past Collingwood star and short-priced favourite Nick Daicos with a blistering start, netting four best on grounds in as many games with less appealing statistics than others.

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His stunning victory, and haul of 39 votes, ignited the annual debate over whether umpires should have access to statistics before voting after only handing out two votes for Wanganeen-Milera’s unbelievable 34-disposal, four goal effort to take down Melbourne in round 20.

But the morning after he joined some of the game’s greatest names as a Brownlow winner, Rowell was unsure if the adjudicators needed the numbers and said the statistics may not be a complete reflection of a player’s impact.

“I am not sure, I don’t think stats is everything, I am a big believer in that,” he said.

“I think you can have someone with 30 possessions, it might not be a true indication of their impact on the game.

“The game is a lot more than just about stats and you can have a lot more impact ways, so not necessarily.”

There was widespread disbelief in the room when Wanganeen-Milera missed the three-votes, which even surprised the winner.

“Yeah, like most people’s (reaction), I remember I watched that game live and he did some pretty special things that day,” he said.

“You can never really predict it though, can you?”

But the night belonged to Rowell, who was expected by some to poll less votes than his teammate and close friend Noah Anderson before he burst out of the blocks.

He said the eye-opening start caught him by surprise and he needed to “switch on” for the rest of the count.

“I probably wasn’t expecting that sort of start, I probably had to switch on after that,” he said.

“I had a good table of good mates, so it was good fun, just a surreal moment really to start like that and hold on to win.”