Ablett Jr wins Brownlow medal

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Geelong's Gary Ablett is awarded the 2009 Brownlow Medal. [ABC]

Last Updated: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:59:00 +1000

The son of one of Australian rules football's greatest players has won the AFL's best and fairest award for 2009.

Gary Ablett Jr won the AFL's Brownlow medal Monday night, becoming the first player to miss several games of the AFL season with injury and still win the league's highest individual award.

His father, Gary Ablett Sr, played for the Geelong Football Club in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was voted as Geelong's greatest player of all time.

Gary Ablett Jr led the 2009 Brownlow medal field from the start of the count to win the league's top award by eight votes.

In his third consecutive year as the favourite, Ablett polled 30 points, ahead of 2004 winner Chris Judd on 22 and St Kilda's Lenny Hayes on 20 votes.

Ablett will play with his Geelong teammates in the grand final against St Kilda on Saturday.