Jonathan Brown
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Brown is an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er playing for the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

 in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. Widely regarded as one of the premier players in the competition, Brown is a three-time club best and fairest winner, two time All Australian (2007 and 2009), one time Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...

list and three time premiership player for the Lions.

As of September 2011 Brown is one of only two players (the other being Simon Black
Simon Black
Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...

) from the 2001–2003 Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

 premiership-winning sides still playing in the AFL today.

Early career

Hailing from Emmanuel College Warrnambool
Emmanuel College Warrnambool
Emmanuel College is a Catholic, co-educational, secondary college in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. The College is situated on two campuses in Warrnambool, located at the end of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria’s Western District. A third Campus is currently under construction...

 in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

's south west, Brown was drafted by the Brisbane Lions in the 1999 AFL Draft
1999 AFL Draft
The 1999 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 1999 there...

 under the Father-Son Rule
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...

. He subsequently made the move to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

 and was immediately groomed as the club's centre half forward. The next year he played his first senior game for the Lions as an 18 year old, against the Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....

, in Round 5 of 2000. Brown failed to register a statistic in that game and his best game in his opening year came against Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

 in the final round of the season when he had 23 disposals and two goals.

2001 to 2004

Playing in a team that included three Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

ists; (Michael Voss
Michael Voss
Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....

, Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...

 and Simon Black
Simon Black
Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...

), Brown participated in four consecutive AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...

s and was a part of three consecutive premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Touted as the next Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey
Wayne Carey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne and Adelaide Football Clubs in the Australian Football League ....

 early in his career, Brown was an unspectacular but consistent contributor during his first few seasons and, at 195 cm and 105 kg, was an imposing target across half forward. In Round 6 of 2001, Brown kicked 7 goals to go with 9 marks and 19 disposals in his first dominant performance in front of goals. For the season he averaged 6 marks, 14 disposals and 1.5 goals per game. His season tally of 157 marks was a team high and his 38 goals was third best of Brisbane players.

Plagued by injury and regular meetings with the AFL Tribunal
AFL Tribunal
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League .-Points system:Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook...

 during the next three seasons, Brown's development was hampered until 2004, when he had his best season to date, averaging an impressive 8 marks, 16 disposals and 2.3 goals per game. Despite missing 8 games through injury and suspension, Brown kicked a career high 39 goals and again lead the Lions in marks, with 140. His progress was punctuated in the Qualifying Final against St Kilda when he turned on a best afield 6 goal performance. The season ended very unfortunately for Brown as he was reported for striking Port Adelaide's Josh Carr
Josh Carr
Joshua "Josh" Carr is a former Australian rules footballer who played as a midfielder for Port Adelaide and Fremantle in the Australian Football League. After originally being drafted by Port Adelaide and playing in their 2004 premiership side he returned to Western Australia to play with his...

 during the Lions 40 point Grand Final loss. The report saw Brown suspended for the first five games of the 2005 season.

2005

Brown made his return from suspension in Round 6 of 2005 against Essendon and exploded for 14 marks and 8 goals, in what was the best game of his career and an ominous sign for the rest of the competition. The following week, Brown kicked another five goals, and in round 10 against the Kangaroos Brown had 12 marks, 27 disposals and 5 goals, followed by a career high 29 disposals in round 11. Injury again cut his season short, but, 2005 was clearly Brown's best individual season as he averaged 8 marks, 18 disposals and 2.8 goals per game during the 12 games he played prior to round 17, before a severe bout of osteitis pubis prevented him from having any influence in his last two games.

In May 2005, Brown was targeted by Collingwood in a deal reportedly worth $6 million over the next four seasons, but he was quick to announce that he had no plans to leave Brisbane. Two months later he officially signed a contract committing himself to the Brisbane Lions until the end of the 2008 season in a deal reportedly worth $2 million over three years.

2006

2006 was the year that Brown first stamped his authority on the AFL competition. Mid-way through the season, Brown seemed certain to claim almost every individual award on offer at the end of the year, as he dominated in the air and in front of goals on a weekly basis. Brown's form hit a peak between rounds 7 and 10, when over four games he averaged 11 marks, 20 disposals and 6.5 goals per game, including performances of seven or more goals in three successive games. Tragically injury yet again proved the spoiler as round 10 ended up being Brown's last of the season. In the 2006 Brownlow Medal count, Brown polled 13 votes, enough to secure a top 10 finish despite only playing 10 games out of a possible 22. He was leading the count easily before he became injured.

Captaincy

Brown was promoted to the Lions' leadership group in 2005. Following the retirement of longtime captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...

 Michael Voss
Michael Voss
Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....

 in 2006, Brown was strongly favoured to replace Voss as captain. Nevertheless, when the captaincy was announced on 20 March 2007, Brown was named as co-captain alongside Simon Black
Simon Black
Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...

, Chris Johnson
Chris L. Johnson
Christopher Lloyd Johnson is a former professional Australian rules footballer.His career highlights as an Australian Football League player include three premierships with Brisbane, All-Australian selection, captain of the Australian International Rules team and inclusion in the Indigenous Team...

, Nigel Lappin
Nigel Lappin
Nigel Lappin is a former professional Australian rules footballer.Lappin was born in Corowa, New South Wales, but grew up in Chiltern, Victoria and was drafted to play for the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League in 1993, playing his first AFL game the following year...

, and Luke Power
Luke Power
Luke Power is an Australian rules footballer. He is currently contracted to play for Greater Western Sydney. He was a part of the Brisbane Lions's 2001, 2002, and 2003 premierships. He is known for his effective use of the ball disposals, rare mistakes and his deadly accurate left foot. Many AFL...

. Brown had previously acted as co-captain for the Lions in the 2007 NAB Cup Grand Final, alongside Black, Johnson, and Power, with Lappin out injured.

2007

Desperate for an injury free season, 2007 delivered just that for Brown, and what resulted was the uninhibited Brown that fans had been waiting to see for six long years. Brown had his best ever year, averaging 9 marks and 16 disposals, and kicked 77 goals at 3.5 per game in 2007. In round 16 against Carlton, he became the first Brisbane player to kick 10 goals in a game, and he finished the year with 7 goals against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 to secure the Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...

 as the seasons leading goal kicker. That year Brown took the most contested marks in the competition to go with his first Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...

. He also won his first club best and fairest award
Merrett-Murray Medal
The Merrett–Murray Medal has been awarded annually since 1997, to the player adjudged the Brisbane Lions Club Champion over the immediately preceding AFL season...

, the AFLPA Best Captain Award, the Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player, was runner up in the Leigh Matthews Trophy
Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...

 as League MVP and was named vice captain of the All Australian team. At seasons end Brown was regarded by many, including AFL guru Mike Sheahan
Mike Sheahan
Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...

 as the number one player in the competition.

2008

Brown started the 2008 season slowly by his lofty standards, and was rested for one game in round seven due to some minor injury concerns. He then returned to his best with three consecutive six goal performances and combined with Daniel Bradshaw
Daniel Bradshaw
Daniel Mark Bradshaw is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League....

 to be one of the most formidable forward duos in the league in the second half of the season. In the 15 games after his week off, Brown averaged 9 marks, 16 disposals and 3.7 goals per game, although his season stats we down on the previous year. Brown captained Victoria
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....

 in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football....

 against the Dream Team
Dream Team Australian rules football team
The Dream Team was an AFL representative team created to take part in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match against a Victorian representative team....

, and a mark taken over Matthew Richardson
Matthew Richardson (Australian rules footballer)
Matthew "Richo" Richardson , is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Australian Football League...

 in that game is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport. He was named the AFLPA Most courageous player at the end of the 2008 season by his fellow peers, for the second year in a row, however he missed out on a second All-Australian selection. Brown's 2008 season was capped off by winning his second club best & fairest award in a row.

At the completion of round 22 of the 2008 season, Brown announced he had signed a 4 year contract that would see him remain a Lion until he is at least 31. On 27 October 2008, Lions coach Michael Voss
Michael Voss
Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....

 announced Brown's appointment as sole-captain of the club.

2009

Named as sole captain of the Lions prior to the season, 2009 was Brown's most consistent year to date, being kept goaless just once and kicking two or more goals in a club record 17 consecutive games. In round 6, Brown had 13 marks, 24 disposals and five goals against Essendon, and in round 17, he kicked 8 goals against North Melbourne, including his 400th career goal, he also had 21 disposals and 12 marks. He placed second in the Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...

 at seasons end, 8 goals behind winner Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola is a professional Australian rules footballer. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League....

, and took the most contested marks in the league. He finished the year with a career high, and Brisbane Lions record, 85 goals and averaged 8.5 marks and 16 disposals per game. His 19 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 votes placed him fourth overall and he concluded the year with his third consecutive best and fairest medal, second All Australian selection and the AFLPA Best Captain Award.

2010

Brown was hampered by injury throughout the 2010 season, causing him to miss six games for the Lions. After a promising start to 2010, Brown and other key players for Brisbane were struck by injury and the team finished the season in 13th position on the ladder. Despite missing six games and the introduction of controversial Coleman Medallist Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola is a professional Australian rules footballer. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League....

 to the team, Brown was again the Lions leading goalkicker, with 53 for the season, and he came third in Brisbane's Best and Fairest, behind Michael Rischitelli
Michael Rischitelli
Michael Rischitelli is an Australian rules footballer, a former Brisbane Lion player, currently contracted with the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Brisbane Lions :...

 and Simon Black
Simon Black
Simon Black is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.Black is a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill...

. Brown was named the Members' Player of the Year and polled almost have of his Best an Fairest votes in the first four rounds, showing that if he had not been struck down by injury he would have been likely to win his fourth Merrett-Murray Medal
Merrett-Murray Medal
The Merrett–Murray Medal has been awarded annually since 1997, to the player adjudged the Brisbane Lions Club Champion over the immediately preceding AFL season...

.

2011

Brown suffered a horrific facial injury in the first game of the 2011 season against Fremantle after he was kneed in the head by defender Luke Mcpharlin in a marking attempt.

Brown suffered a second horrific facial injury in round 17 of the 2011 season.

Career statistics

Season Team No. Games Disposals Kicks
Kick (football)
Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:* Association football* Australian rules football* International rules football* American football* Canadian football* Gaelic football* Rugby league* Rugby union...

Handballs
Handball (Australian rules football)
Handball is a term in the sport of Australian rules football which describes a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand. It is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball...

Marks
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....

Tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

Hit Outs Goals Behinds
2000 Brisbane 16 13 123 82 41 47 11 22 5 2
2001
2001 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:Port Adelaide defeated Brisbane Lions 17.9 to 3.8 in the Final....

Brisbane 16 25 347 217 130 157 31 17 38 22
2002
2002 AFL season
-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176...

Brisbane 16 19 230 143 87 97 20 8 14 14
2003
2003 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

Brisbane 16 19 286 173 113 126 31 9 27 15
2004
2004 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St...

Brisbane 16 17 274 173 101 140 27 8 39 21
2005
2005 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

Brisbane 16 14 238 142 96 103 19 2 33 19
2006
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...

Brisbane 16 10 189 133 56 103 13 5 35 18
2007
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...

Brisbane 16 22 353 239 114 195 22 4 77 38
2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...

Brisbane 16 21 307 223 84 167 18 3 70 47
2009
2009 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...

Brisbane 16 24 385 281 104 204 25 12 85 52
Career Totals 184 2732 1806 926 1339 217 90 423 258

Personal life

Brown's father, Brian Brown
Brian Brown (footballer)
Brian Brown is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and Essendon in the Victorian Football League ....

  played football with Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

 and Jonathan was recruited to the Lions under the father son rule. He is also the nephew of former Fitzroy player Noel Mugavin
Noel Mugavin
Noel Mugavin is a former Australian rules footballer who played his short but bright career with Fitzroy and Richmond in the Victorian Football League ....

, nephew of former Collingwood player Billy Picken and cousin of Western Bulldogs player, Liam Picken
Liam Picken
Liam Picken is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League . Picken previously completed a pre-season with Collingwood and two with the Bulldogs, before becoming the Williamstown Seagulls best and fairest player of 2008 in the VFL and earning...

.

On 25 October 2008 Brown married Kylie Adams. In October 2009, his wife gave birth to a girl named Olivia Marie.

Media appearances

Brown has been a regular guest panelist on The AFL Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...

.

In 2009 he featured in the official advertisement for the AFL, playing Australian rules with opponent Chad Cornes
Chad Cornes
Chad Studley Cornes is a Australian rules footballer, who is contracted to play for Greater Western Sydney in 2012, in the Australian Football League...

 in a boxing ring
Boxing ring
A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...

 and breaking the tackles of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 players.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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