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"WHAT will be will be... if he gets enough votes then he will have earned it".
That's the approach Tony Wines is taking into Sunday night's Brownlow Medal - a count in which his son, Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines, will go in as favourite.
Wines has produced a stellar season in the midfield for the Power and if the umpires have adjudged him the best and fairest player in the AFL this year, the 26-year-old would become the second player drafted from the Bendigo Pioneers to win the Brownlow Medal.
The first was Richmond star Dustin Martin in 2017.
From Echuca, bullocking midfielder Wines was drafted to the Power from the Pioneers with selection No.7 in the 2012 National Draft and 182 games on is expected to fight out the AFL's highest individual accolade with the likes of Melbourne's Clayton Oliver (who played three games as a bottom-age player with the Pioneers in 2014), Western Bulldogs' captain Marcus Bontempelli and St Kilda's Jack Steele.
Although Wines is carrying the favourite tag into the count, which will be held in Perth, Tony certainly isn't getting caught up in any of the hype surrounding his son's Brownlow chances.
"I'm not feeling nervous and I'm not excited. What will be will be... if he gets enough votes then he will have earned it," Tony said this week.
"Ollie isn't a player who plays football for individual awards; he never has. I don't think he's ever won a best and fairest or anything like that.
"I'm probably the hardest critic on him... I think he had a good, consistent year."
"Consistent" Wines certainly was for a Power side that finished second on the ladder, belted Geelong in their qualifying final, but was blown away by the Western Bulldogs in their preliminary final last Saturday night when beaten by 71 points - the third time in his AFL career Wines has fallen one game short of playing in a grand final.
Vice-captain Wines played all 22 home and away games for the Power averaging 32.0 disposals, 4.1 marks, 4.4 tackles and 6.0 clearances.
The quality and consistency of his season has already been recognised by Wines' first All-Australian selection when named in the centre, but he was also the equal runner-up alongside Bontempelli to Oliver in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year.
Both coaches cast votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis after each game, with Wines earning votes in 17 games, including five where he was awarded the maximum 10 - vs St Kilda (round 6); vs Fremantle (round 11); vs Gold Coast (round 14); vs Hawthorn (round 16) and vs St Kilda (round 18).
"I think the one thing Ollie has now is he knows exactly what he is and who he is," Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley told The Footy Show in June after accurately predicting in February Wines would take his game to the next level in 2021.
"Ollie was one of those players we put probably a lot of hype and pressure around and he wanted to be absolutely everything to everyone.
"What he now knows really well is that he knows exactly what he brings to our football club. He's done it unbelievably well every week this year, he's in great form and he knows how to play the game that suits Ollie best.
"He's doing all those things you want your best players to do and he's doing it for four quarters flat out every week."
While Wines has prospered into one of the AFL's elite talents in 2021 with his career-best year, a decade ago in 2011 he was a developing bottom-aged player in a Pioneers' TAC Cup side coached by Mark Ellis.
"The biggest thing for us as a club at the time was just what a quality kid Ollie was," Ellis said this week.
"He comes from a great family and was just very respectful.
"As a footballer he was always very clean with his hands and what struck me initially was his awareness of what was going on around him.
"He looked very quick because whenever he got the ball he'd then get it to someone else in a good position... he knew where the ball needed to go before he got it.
"He was one of those players at that age who had those attributes that you know are going to stand him in really good stead in whatever he does, even if it wasn't footy.
"There's a lot of talk these days about being resilient and you look at Ollie back then. Here's a guy who is living in Echuca, going to school in Shepparton and coming to Bendigo for football training twice a week.
"You look at that and have got to say, 'this kid is determined and disciplined' and to have a family who was prepared to do that for him was never lost on him."
He was one of those players at that age who had those attributes that you know are going to stand him in really good stead in whatever he does, even if it wasn't footy
- Mark Ellis
Those days of the week where school at Goulburn Valley Grammar was combined with Pioneers' training meant the best part of 280kms of travel for Wines - Echuca to Shepparton (70kms); Shepparton to Bendigo (119kms); and Bendigo to Echuca (88kms).
"He'd catch the bus to Shepparton in the morning and then two days a week we'd drive over to pick him up to bring him to training in Bendigo and then drive back to Echuca," Tony said.
"His grandfather Leo Butler (father of Tony's wife Jane) would share the driving with us. He'd often drive to Shepp and take Ollie to Bendigo and then back to Echuca."
Following the 2011 season in which he was runner-up to Sam Heavyside in the Pioneers' Neville Strauch Memorial Club Champion, Wines was elevated to captain of the team in 2012 under new coach David Newett.
Wines' draft stocks rose throughout the course of the 2012 season, culminating in his selection in the centre in the All-Australian team following the Under-18 National Championships, as well as in the centre in the TAC Cup Team of the Year.
In July that year Newett predicted Wines could comfortably make the step-up to AFL the following year and Wines proved him right, debuting for the Power in round one of 2013 with 24 disposals and a goal on the MCG in a 79-point thrashing of Melbourne.
"He was fortunate that he had the body where he could go in and play AFL straight out of the TAC Cup," Newett said this week.
"His consistency and determination to play to the highest level... it has been a pleasure to be able to sit back and watch his development.
"He showed those characteristics of determination from a young age when he was with the Pioneers and he was exemplary in terms of his commitment levels with the travel he had to do and that's testament to his family as well.
He showed those characteristics of determination from a young age when he was with the Pioneers and he was exemplary in terms of his commitment levels with the travel he had to do and that's testament to his family as well
- David Newett
"He was a great leader for us. Whenever he'd pull the jumper on the boys would get behind him and we've seen that through his Port Adelaide days as well.
"Those leadership traits were there from his TAC Cup years and one of the reasons why Port was so keen to get him at an early pick.
"As for the Brownlow Medal on Sunday night, it would be great if he could win it.
"There's a lot of players who have had amazing years, but one thing that has stood out with Ollie is his consistency and every win Port has had, Ollie has rated really highly, so he should figure prominently."
IS THIS A BROWNLOW MEDAL SEASON?
ROUND 1: 17.15 (117) def North Melbourne 9.11 (65)
Disposals: 30 (15/5)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 2 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 3
............................................
ROUND 2: 18.11 (119) def Essendon 9.11 (65)
Disposals: 38 (17/21)
Marks: 0 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 5 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 5
............................................
ROUND 3: 11.5 (71) lt West Coast 16.12 (108)
Disposals: 26 (10/16)
Marks: 2 Clearances: 3
Tackles: 6 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: -
............................................
ROUND 4: 11.13 (79) def Richmond 11.11 (77)
Disposals: 27 (11/16)
Marks: 4 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 4 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 5
............................................
ROUND 5: 15.6 (96) def Carlton 9.14 (68)
Disposals: 32 (12/20)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 7
Tackles: 3 Scores: 0.1
Coaches votes: 8
............................................
ROUND 6: 14.9 (93) def St Kilda 5.9 (39)
Disposals: 36 (16/20)
Marks: 7 Clearances: 8
Tackles: 5 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 10
............................................
ROUND 7: 5.14 (44) lt Brisbane 13.15 (93)
Disposals: 37 (15/22)
Marks: 7 Clearances: 4
Tackles: 3 Scores: 1.1
Coaches votes: 3
............................................
ROUND 8: 12.15 (87) def Adelaide 5.8 (38)
Disposals: 24 (13/11)
Marks: 2 Clearances: 4
Tackles: 1 Scores: 0.1
Coaches votes: -
............................................
ROUND 9: 12.5 (77) lt Western Bulldogs 15.6 (96)
Disposals: 32 (10/22)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 8 Scores: 1.0
Coaches votes: 2
............................................
ROUND 10: 8.11 (59) def Collingwood 8.10 (58)
Disposals: 27 (17/10)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 2
Tackles: 3 Scores: 1.1
Coaches votes: -
............................................
ROUND 11: 18.7 (115) def Fremantle 9.15 (69)
Disposals: 35 (11/24)
Marks: 3 Clearances: 8
Tackles: 7 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 10
............................................
ROUND 13: 14.7 (91) lt Geelong 17.10 (112)
Disposals: 29 (15/14)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 7
Tackles: 6 Scores: 1.0
Coaches votes: 4
............................................
ROUND 14: 12.9 (81) def Gold Coast 4.7 (31)
Disposals: 43 (24/19)
Marks: 8 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 6 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 10
............................................
ROUND 15: 12.9 (81) def Sydney 10.11 (71)
Disposals: 29 (16/13)
Marks: 3 Clearances: 7
Tackles: 3 Scores: 0.1
Coaches votes: -
............................................
ROUND 16: 13.9 (87) def Hawthorn 7.11 (53)
Disposals: 43 (26/17)
Marks: 3 Clearances: 14
Tackles: 7 Scores: 0.1
Coaches votes: 10
............................................
ROUND 17: 8.7 (55) lt Melbourne 12.14 (86)
Disposals: 33 (14/19)
Marks: 3 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 2 Scores: 1.1
Coaches votes: -
............................................
ROUND 18: 10.14 (74) def St Kilda 8.13 (61)
Disposals: 36 (22/14)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 11
Tackles: 5 Scores: 1.1
Coaches votes: 10
............................................
ROUND 19: 14.13 (97) def Collingwood 10.9 (69)
Disposals: 30 (17/13)
Marks: 3 Clearances: 8
Tackles: 2 Scores: 1.1
Coaches votes: 3
............................................
ROUND 20: 15.10 (100) def GWS Giants 11.7 (73)
Disposals: 28 (14/14)
Marks: 6 Clearances: 4
Tackles: 3 Scores: 0.0
Coaches votes: 6
............................................
ROUND 21: 7.13 (55) def Adelaide 7.9 (51)
Disposals: 26 (15/11)
Marks: 5 Clearances: 6
Tackles: 1 Scores: 1.3
Coaches votes: 2
............................................
ROUND 22: 21.14 (140) def Carlton 5.15 (45)
Disposals: 31 (13/18)
Marks: 4 Clearances: 5
Tackles: 7 Scores: 0.1
Coaches votes: 2
............................................
ROUND 23: 9.12 (66) def Western Bulldogs 10.4 (64)
Disposals: 34 (14/20)
Marks: 2 Clearances: 4
Tackles: 9 Scores: 1.0
Coaches votes: 8
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