"Just woke up": Rowell's big night after Brownlow domination

Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell enjoyed a big night after being crowned the 2025 winner.

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 his mum, dad and sister joining him for celebrations after the count, a somewhat weary Rowell joined Garry and Tim to discuss his night.

"Not too much boys," he told SEN Breakfast when asked how much sleep he had. "I have to admit. I just woke up not too long ago.

"Mum and dad got into Crown soon after I won the award which was cool. My sister Maggie as well. My other sister who lives in London was on Facetime.

"To have my family there to celebrate was really special and something I will remember forever."

Asked if he had received an endless stream of congratulatory messages, Rowell added: "I haven’t looked at my phone once since waking up, I got up and went on TV, I don’t even know where my phone is.

"I’ll get to those messages later. I’m just taking it as it comes this morning."

Rowell is clearly a favourite of the umpires around the AFL.

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 continued.

“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.