His Brownlow Medal winning year was built on flair and individual brilliance, but when Adam Cooney reflects on 2008 it's with a level of modesty and humility.

Achieving the AFL's ultimate individual accolade ahead of Gary Ablett Jr, Simon Black and Matthew Richardson on that Monday night in 2008, the Bulldog champion still harbours feelings of disbelief and shock that his name sits on the Brownlow honour roll alongside some of the greatest to have every played the game. 

“I think (the significance of winning a Brownlow) definitely grows, the first 12 months was more shock than anything else,” Cooney said on Fox Footy's 'Open Mike'.

“I still pinch myself sometimes that I have won it and I think a lot of it is embarrassment too from my end.

“There were so many great players that year and I certainly wasn’t the favourite that night – so sometimes I don’t feel like I’m a worthy winner but I certainly won’t be handing it back.”

Asked if he had fancied his chances ahead of the vote count five years ago, Cooney said he knew he had to get off to a good start if he was to be any chance.

A glitch in the initial calling of votes - in which the second round was read out before the first – had Cooney writing his chances off early.

“Honestly I thought I could win… I thought Gary Ablett would win but I thought I would be around the mark,” he said.

 “I remember thinking I played pretty well round one, so if I don’t get three votes… I was no chance to win.

“So after that I thought ‘well there we go, if I haven’t started the year off well, I don’t think I can win’ but they eventually replayed it and I think I got three against Adelaide [in round one].”

 Polling 19 votes just after the halfway mark, Cooney was the early favourite however his lead was threatened with a number of fast finishing contenders.

Eventually holding off Black by one vote and Ablett and Richardson by just two, the then 22-year-old was announced the league’s best and fairest player.

 “I wasn’t really too nervous until about round 18 where I think my face started to go pale and I think I hid under the table for a couple of rounds,” he said.

The Brownlow Medal, which Cooney joked was akin to receiving “the key to the city”, is not regularly out on show but the Bulldogs midfielder said he would feel more inclined to show-off his achievement when his playing career is behind him.