It was a minor detail in a Brownlow Medal count dominated by Matt Rowell and some of the AFL ’s top midfielders.

But the lack of an ‘X’, indicating ineligible, next to Adelaide forward Izak Rankine’s name did not go unnoticed after his high-profile ban for a homophobic slur dominated headlines last month .

The 25-year-old copped four matches from the AFL and missed the Crows’ finals campaign after they lost in straight sets.

The controversy overshadowed what had been a strong season for Rankine, who received his first All Australian squad call-up before missing the final team.

His efforts were rewarded further on Brownlow night with an impressive 15 votes from just six games, polling the maximum on three occasions.

But each time his name was called fans questioned just why he wa

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