Question: The 1939 Brownlow Medal was the 16th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season, which Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling how many votes during the 1939 VFL season?
Context: The 1940 Brownlow Medal was the 17th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Des Fothergill of the Collingwood Football Club and Herbie Matthews of the South Melbourne Football Club both won the medal by polling thirty-two votes during the 1940 VFL season. Marcus Joseph Whelan (27 June 1914 – 31 August 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The 1939 Brownlow Medal was the 16th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Marcus Whelan of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-three votes during the 1939 VFL season. The 1930 Brownlow Medal was the seventh year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Harry Collier of the Collingwood Football Club, Allan Hopkins of the Footscray Football Club, and Stan Judkins of the Richmond Football Club all won the medal by polling four votes during the 1930 VFL season.  It was the first time the medal was won by more than one player in the same season. The 1976 Brownlow Medal was the 49th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Graham Moss of the Essendon Football Club won the medal by polling forty-eight votes during the 1976 VFL season.  The count was the first of two occasions in which the two field umpires independently voted for the best players on the ground under the 3-2-1 system.  This meant that the winner of the Brownlow had a higher number of votes than usual.  From 1978 onwards, the field umpires conferred after each game and awarded a single set of votes, rather than voting independently. The 1977 Brownlow Medal was the 50th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Graham Teasdale of the South Melbourne Football Club won the medal by polling fifty-nine votes during the 1977 VFL season.  The count was the second of two occasions in which the two field umpires independently voted for the best players on the ground under the 3-2-1 system.  This meant that the winner of the Brownlow had a higher number of votes than usual, and Teasdale's fifty-nine votes set and holds the record for the most votes ever polled in a single season.  From 1978 onwards, the field umpires conferred after each game and awarded a single set of votes, rather than voting independently. The 1927 Brownlow Medal was the fourth year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Syd Coventry of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling seven votes during the 1927 VFL season. The 1972 Brownlow Medal was the 45th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Len Thompson of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-five votes during the 1972 VFL season. The 1979 Brownlow Medal was the 52nd year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Peter Moore of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-two votes during the 1979 VFL season. The 1929 Brownlow Medal was the sixth year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season.  Albert Collier of the Collingwood Football Club won the medal by polling six votes during the 1929 VFL season.
Answer: twenty-three