The Brownlow Bolter: Furphy Unbelievable Club Stories...

There aren’t many stories quite like that of former Demon, Shane Woewodin.

If we take you back to the beginning of Woewodin’s AFL journey, it didn’t start in the most conventional of ways.

As a teenager he was over-looked twice at the national draft and it wasn’t until pre-season of 1997 that his AFL career officially started, with Melbourne taking a chance on the 20-year-old.

“I wasn’t an exceptional junior at all and I was told I wasn’t really physically and mentally ready as an 18-year-old,” Woewodin told Melbourne Media.

“But I wanted an opportunity and Melbourne provided that.”

Former teammate and club great Russell Robertson explained that he wasn’t overly impressed by the 20-year-old who arrived at the club in 1997.

“My first impressions of Shane Woeowdin when he came over, was not much,” Robertson told Melbourne Media.

“He just looked like a typical West Australian, I didn’t think he was much of a threat.

“But he was very serious about his footy and his training.”

Making the most of the opportunity given to him by Melbourne, Woewodin dedicated his time to football and was determined to become the best player he could be.

Debuting in Round 1 of the 1997 season, Woewodin played every game in his first three years in the red and blue before his break-out moment in 2000.

The then 23-year-old was put into the midfield at the beginning of the season and much to many people’s surprise, turned into one of the league’s best on-ballers, averaging 22 disposals and kicking 20 goals.

“I started in a different role in the first two weeks of the year, thrust into the midfield in Round 3 because of injury,” Woewodin said.

“My goal was never to become the best player in the team I just wanted to be able to do what I could to be a player within the starting 22.”

Woewodin began that year with the odds of winning the Brownlow at 200:1, but his perseverance to improve his game soon proved those odds wrong.

“I’ve never seen a more prepared professional player than Woey in that year, he was going to the nth degree with absolutely everything,” Robertson said.

As Melbourne prepared to face Essendon in the 2000 Grand Final, neither Woewodin himself nor his teammates thought he was a chance to snap up the elusive award.

“It’s interesting, that year 2000, we had a great year at the Melbourne Football Club and Woey being at the middle of the ground, he had a solid year too,” Robertson said.

“But I don’t think any of us thought he’d win the Brownlow Medal, which was a phenomenal hill to climb.”

The Melbourne midfielder was up against the likes of Scott West and Andrew McLeod, favourites for the award heading into the night.

“When you had West, McLeod, Koutoufides, Voss, Buckley, all those favourites, knowing they all had wonderful years, the nerves are there, but I was never in the running,” Woewodin said.

“My focus was on the grand final in five days’ time.”

As the night went on, the 24-year-old began to get closer to achieving the highest individual honour in the AFL.
 
“With a few rounds to go it was all getting a bit tight and knowing my last two or three games were going to be possible votes, that I was still in the hunt, that was exciting,” Woewodin said.

“On the night all the cameras start panning round the table with two or three rounds to go, so you start to think, I might actually be a shot here.”

Against all odds, Woewodin went on to make history, being crowned the 2000 Brownlow medallist with 24 votes.

“To be etched in history as part of the club is the moment I cherish the most,” Woewodin said.

“I’ll reflect heavily [on the moment] with the family in years to come.”