CARLTON captain Patrick Cripps has won the 2022 Brownlow Medal, with the brilliant midfielder winning the game's highest individual honour in a thrilling count on Sunday night.
Cripps polled 29 votes to win from 2020 medallist Lachie Neale (28), Gold Coast star Touk Miller (27) and Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw (25) who were all chances heading into in the final round.
Melbourne pair Clayton Oliver (25) and Christian Petracca (24) finished in equal fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Cripps polled the maximum three votes in the Blues' round 23 loss to Collingwood to claim the medal.
He made a hot start to lead with 16 votes after round eight and turned the count on its head in round 20 when he collected three votes in Carlton's loss to Adelaide with a career-best 41 disposals.
The 27-year-old from Northampton in Western Australia, who finished third in the 2019 Brownlow Medal won by Nat Fyfe, becomes Carlton's first winner since Chris Judd in 2010 and the sixth in the club's history.
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He was almost ineligible to win the medal after being suspended for two matches for a high bump on Brisbane's Callum Ah Chee in round 21, only to successfully appeal the ban in a marathon Tribunal hearing.
Recruited with pick No.13 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, Cripps played arguably the best football of his career in the first half of the season, earning the maximum three votes five times in the first eight rounds.
He earned his third All-Australian blazer after averaging 28.1 disposals, with his 7.7 clearances and 15.3 contested possessions each ranking No.3 in the AFL this season.
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry," Cripps said on stage at Crown Palladium, Melbourne, after accepting the Medal from 2021 winner Ollie Wines.
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"I loved footy growing up as a kid, and I still remember being at boarding school back in WA, and I used to always ask my mum, 'Make sure you sign me out, give me leave on Brownlow night', because I used to love watching it.
"My older brother Daniel used to sign me out and we always used to watch it together … I can't put it into words at the moment but it's a massive honour and I'm absolutely pumped.
"My parents, my brothers, they mean everything to me, but most importantly my fiancée Mon. They're all the backbone of what I do, and you can't play high level sport without a good backbone."
Cripps, who has resisted overtures to return to Western Australia, said he was indebted to Carlton for the opportunity the club gave him and thanked new coach and fellow Brownlow medallist Michael Voss for his guidance in 2022.
Cripps also opened up on the lowest point of his career, which came following former coach Brendon Bolton's sacking after round 11 in 2019 and led to the realisation about the importance of mental preparation.
The midfielder said he had been too "mentally fried" to play after Bolton's departure, but discussions with his family and manager eventually led to him producing what he regarded as the best game of his career.
"Before that game, I’d had a stinker and got tagged out of it, and I think it was the week that 'Bolts' got the sack," Cripps said.
"I was really fried mentally. I talked to my manager and my family, and I said, ‘Look I don’t think I’ll play this week’.
"They said, ‘Just give it to the day of the game’. The day of the game I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to play this game … I’m a leader of this club, I’m going to put my best foot forward. I’m going to have a lot of fun, I’m going to play footy’.
"It was probably the best game I’ve ever played of my career, and it led me down the path of realising how important the mental side of the game is. No matter what you are going through, you can still perform at a high level."
Cripps was among the leading contenders in a Brownlow Medal that proved to be dominated by the pre-count favourites, who filled the top six spots.
Neale looked the likely winner at the halfway point of the count and moved four votes clear of Brayshaw and the chasing pack after round 16.
Brayshaw, Miller and Cripps all took their turn to lead thereafter, before Neale and Miller drew level on 27 votes after round 22.
Neale was awarded one vote in the Lions' round 23 loss to Melbourne, while Miller and Brayshaw did not poll in the final game of the season, leaving the path clear for Cripps.
Geelong key forward Jeremy Cameron (19) polled well, while Sydney midfielder Callum Mills (21) and Richmond premiership onballer Dion Prestia (19) finished in the top 10.
