IN A THRILLING count where several players put together incredible bursts of votes, Dane Swan won the 2011 Brownlow Medal thanks to his consistency over the entire season.

After his highly publicised mid-season trip to Arizona, Swan (34 votes) was expected to come home strongly.

But his polling in the first half of the count was what set him up to narrowly beat ineligible Hawthorn midfielder Sam Mitchell (30 votes) and St Kilda's Nick Dal Santo (28 votes).

Unlike in 2010 when Swan entered the count as a heavily-backed favourite but went unrewarded by the umpires in several big matches, this year the Magpie received votes in every match he was expected to, and more.

The hard-running ball magnet picked up two votes in round one against Port Adelaide, and then an expected three the following week when he had 40 touches against North Melbourne.

He took the lead for the first time in round four with a best on ground performance against Richmond, where he booted four goals and had 33 disposals.

Two votes against the Western Bulldogs and three in a losing team against Geelong either side of the club's round seven bye came as somewhat of a surprise, and put Swan on 13 votes after round eight, well clear of most pre-count projections.

A brief form slump when carrying a thigh injury between rounds nine and 11 delivered no votes, and then followed the fortnight-long fitness camp in Arizona.

But by that stage, the 27-year-old had put himself in position to win.

Ahead of round 14, his first game after the USA trip, Swan trailed teammate Scott Pendlebury by three votes.

Both had strong finishes to the season, but Swan's would prove far stronger.

He polled votes in nine of his last 11 matches, skipping clear of all competition except for Mitchell, who couldn't win the medal due to his round five reprimand for a high bump on Geelong's Steve Johnson.

The bulk of Mitchell's 30 votes came in an amazing run between rounds 11 and 20.

Having tallied just five votes over the opening 10 rounds, he attracted the umpires' attention with three successive 38-possession games between rounds 12 and 14.

Not surprisingly, he was awarded best afield honours in all three matches, and by the end of round 16 he'd polled 14 votes in six rounds, putting him equal with Swan on 20 votes.

The 2008 premiership captain was adjudged best afield in three more games - another hot streak between rounds 18 and 21, but finally fell short of Swan when the winner polled two votes in round 23 while Mitchell rested up as his Hawks beat the Bulldogs.

Others enjoyed similarly impressive purple patches.

Dal Santo didn't poll a single vote in the first nine rounds.

But once he opened his account - with three votes for a 30-possession effort in the Saints' 46-point win over Fremantle in round 10 - he didn't stop.

Between rounds 15 and 20, he racked up 16 votes.

West Coast Eagle Matt Priddis was another slow starter, not troubling the scorers in the first five rounds.

But he polled votes in seven of his 10 games between rounds six and 16 to loom as a shock challenger.

The Eagle could poll only one more vote in the run home though, and finished ninth with 19 votes.

Carlton's two big hopes - hot favourite Chris Judd and his midfield deputy Marc Murphy - were both out of calculations mid-count.

Perhaps mindful of their love of the Blues skipper in his win last year, umpires failed to recognise the dual Brownlow medallist for his super round one effort in the win over Richmond, nor his 29 touches against Gold Coast the following week.

Judd picked up the three votes for his astounding 15 clearance effort in the wet at the SCG in round six, but by that time - at which he was installed as Brownlow favourite - he only had five votes to his name.

A late run of three vote games saw the former Eagle finish on 23 votes, but he never seriously threatened the leaders.

Murphy polled three votes in both of Carlton's first two games and polled in a total of 12 matches, but was adjudged best afield just once more (against the Western Bulldogs in round 16).

He missed out altogether in the three-point loss to Geelong in round nine despite 32 disposals and a goal, and five times received one vote in games where Judd received two or three.

Sydney Swans champion Adam Goodes surged late as expected, but was barely seen beforehand.

Of his 19 votes, 13 came in round 18 or later.

By then, it was a three-way battle between a Saint, an ineligible Hawk, and the tattooed, quietly spoken Magpie.