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Rowell opens up on relationship with umpires after Brownlow domination
SEN • September 23rd, 2025 11:25 am
Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell is clearly a favourite of the umpires around the AFL.
The Gold Coast midfielder didn’t just win Monday’s count as a slight outsider, but dominated it, winning with 39 votes, seven ahead of Collingwood’s Nick Daicos on 32.
Rowell easily eclipsed his teammate Noah Anderson, who finished on 25 votes, and it’s now the second-straight year that the 24-year-old has finished inside the top 10.
With the umpires clearly rating the way Rowell goes about it and his impact on games, the midfielder himself was asked by Garry Lyon and Tim Watson about his relationship with those officiating the game and handing out the votes.
While Rowell admits he doesn’t have much time to backchat, he says his connection to the officials is limited even though he’s received four fines in the last two years for making umpire contact.
“I'd say it'd be a pretty limited relationship with the umpires,” Rowell told SEN Breakfast.
“I don't tend to back chat or talk with the umpires too much.
“When I grew up as a junior, it was about respecting the umpires and whatever call they make, then that's what they make.
“With the way the game's going, I don't have too much energy to back chat the umpires as well. It's a very quick game.
“But it's nice that they've given me a few votes and have noticed me."
Rowell’s win was set up by an early flurry when he notched six three-vote games in Gold Coast’s first eight matches.
After receiving more than 10 votes in that short period than many were expecting, that’s when Rowell admits the nerves started to kick in before realising late on that he’d probably be too far ahead for Daicos to catch.
“It was probably still pretty late in the night,” Rowell said.
“I obviously got a few votes early, you know, and when I was on top of the leaderboard in probably the middle of the year, I knew that I'd had a few good games late in the year, that's when a few nerves started to kick in.
“But I didn’t really think about it that I would win it until really late, and it still hasn’t really sunk in, to be honest.”
Listen to Rowell’s full chat with Lyon and Watson after winning the Brownlow below.
