ADAM Cooney wasn't the only one who was left reeling at the news of his Brownlow Medal win on Monday night.

His fiancée Haylea MacCann was shocked beyond belief at the result, and was still shaking as she waited for Cooney to fulfil media commitments directly after the presentation.

"I am absolutely shocked. I really was shocked," she said, at Crown Palladium.

"At the end, I could see his face and he was just pale, and he was squeezing my hand and saying, 'Haylea, Haylea'.

"I couldn't help him at all. I was in shock and I didn't know what to say."

MacCann, who is a big football fan and Cooney's self-confessed biggest critic, said she tipped a handful of players to finish above her man.

"I can absolutely tell you from the bottom of my heart this is the biggest shock for both of us," she said.

"We just didn't think it would happen.

"I thought there were a good five or six players that would have gotten there before him. I really didn't think he would win, but I'm very, very proud."

MacCann, who became engaged to Cooney a few weeks ago, said she had a collection of thoughts whirling around her head as the final rounds were read out.

"I was thinking he's had too much to drink and he's not going to know what to say in his speech," she laughed.

"He was at Mad Monday all day so you can imagine the state he was in after a long day, and a long year."

MacCann has known Cooney since he was 16 and playing for West Adelaide in the SANFL. She was a part of his life when he was met with a sad 12 months, when a fellow junior footballer from the Bloods in Jake Watson died suddenly on the football field.

The tragedy was then compounded when another two West Adelaide juniors in Glenn Knott and Ben Mitchell died in a car crash later the same year.

"The two boys who have passed away were mutual friends of ours, which is sort of where I met Adam," MacCann explained.

"It was a pretty hard year and he went through some really tough times."

MacCann is Cooney's biggest fan, and has previously confessed to watching him and only him during his games.  

When asked what has been the difference during her future husband's historic season, MacCann said it all goes back to his sustainability during the summer months.

Well, that and her on-going support. 

"My cooking and me doing the night feeds and letting him sleep has been the difference," she laughed.

"No, I think he's tried a lot harder this year and he has a full pre-season behind him as well, which I think has made a difference.

"In past pre-seasons, he's not been able to run with the other blokes because he's been in the rehab group, but this year, he's been able to train with the team and it's made all the difference."