Carlton captain Patrick Cripps' historic Brownlow Medal win may provide the blueprint for this year's winner of the AFL's most prestigious award.
Cripps took out last year's Brownlow with 29 votes after pipping Brisbane's Lachie Neale to the medal by polling three votes in the final match of the home and away season.
The Carlton skipper was able to win the award courtesy of his ability to poll votes in his team's losses, something this year's contenders will have to rely on in what is an incredibly even field.
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Carlton lost three of Cripps' seven three-vote games last year, including the final two in round 20 and round 23, these massive games allowed him to hold off late charges from both Neale and Gold Coast's Touk Miller.
Collingwood's Nick Daicos is expected to be the runaway leader early on, and will hope he has enough votes banked after missing the last few weeks with a knee injury.
The other two contenders in the top three, Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli and Port's Zak Butters, saw their teams limp to the finish line.
Despite their teams' scratchy form, both players finished off their seasons strong, and will be hoping to emulate Cripps' formula.
Ahead of the AFL's night of nights, here is everything you need to know about this year's Brownlow Medal:
What is the Brownlow Medal?
Awarded every season since 1924, the Brownlow Medal is given to the best and fairest player during the AFL's home and away season.
Where will the Brownlow ceremony be held?
This year's Brownlow Medal ceremony will be held at Melbourne's Crown Palladium.
When is the Brownlow Medal ceremony?
This year's Brownlow Medal ceremony will be held on Monday, September 25, the week of the AFL grand final.
It returns to the traditional Monday night slot after being shifted to Sunday last year due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The broadcast will begin at 7.30pm AEST with the official count to begin at 8pm.
How is the Brownlow Medal decided?
Umpires vote on a 3-2-1 basis after every match and the player with the most votes at the end of the regular season is crowned the winner.
Players who are suspended during the season are ineligible for the award, and players who finish on the same number of votes are declared joint winners.
Who are the favourites for this year's Brownlow Medal?
Nick Daicos (Collingwood) – $2.80 odds per SportsBet (correct at time of publishing)
Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) – $3.00
Zak Butters (Port Adelaide) – $5.50
Christian Petracca (Melbourne) – $7.00
Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions) – $13.00
Where will this year's Brownlow likely be won?
Every year we see the Brownlow Medal winner have a stretch of games that puts some space between them and the rest of the pack. For the top three favourites, here's where we think they could stake their respective claims.
Nick Daicos (Rounds 1-6) – 36.7 disposals per game, team had 5-1 record in that period
The second-year phenomenon was arguably the game's most unstoppable force to start the season.
Daicos wreaked havoc quarterbacking the Magpies' offence from the halfback flank as teams were left clueless as to how to deal with him.
The 20-year-old will no doubt be the runaway leader in the first half of the count, but whether he's able to hold on after missing the final few rounds due to a knee injury is the big question.
Daicos' signature game in this run was a 40-disposal, two-goal game on Anzac Day against Essendon when the Pies overturned a 28-point three-quarter-time deficit to win.
Marcus Bontempelli (Round 4-10) – 26.4 disposals per game, team had 6-1 record in that period
The Western Bulldogs skipper had a remarkably consistent season, keeping his standards high despite his team's shaky form.
If Bontempelli is to take out this year's Brownlow, the most likely path to the win is if he's able to follow the blueprint set by last year's winner, Patrick Cripps.
Like the Bulldogs, Cripps' Blues came out of the gates on fire and the skipper was able to rack up a ton of early votes before holding on late as his team faded.
Bontempelli was highly influential when the Bulldogs stormed out to a 7-3 record to start the season, with his best game coming against Fremantle in round six when he tallied 31 disposals, 10 tackles and two goals.
Zak Butters (Rounds 8-13) – 31.7 disposals per game, team had 6-0 record in that period
Butters put his name up in lights during Port Adelaide's incredible 13-game winning streak in the middle of the season.
It's been a steady rise for Butters since he made his debut in 2019, but 2023 saw his arrival as one of the AFL's bona fide A-grade midfielders.
The 23-year-old posted career-bests in a number of major statistics, but took it to another level as Port ran riot through the middle of the season.
His dominance was never more apparent than when he masterminded a win over Melbourne in round 10 with 41 disposals, two goals and a season-high 10 clearances
Recent Brownlow Medal winners
2022 – Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
2021 – Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide)
2020 – Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions)
2019 – Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
2018 – Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
2017 – Dustin Martin (Richmond)
2016 – Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
2015 – Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
Who has won the most Brownlow Medals?
Four players are tied having won three Brownlow Medals. Fremantle's Nat Fyfe is the only current player to have won the award on multiple occasions.
Haydn Bunton Sr (Fitzroy) – 1931, 1932, 1935
Dick Reynolds (Essendon) – 1934, 1937, 1938
Bob Skilton (South Melbourne) – 1959, 1963, 1968
Ian Stewart (St Kilda/Richmond) – 1965, 1966, 1971
Who has the record for most Brownlow votes in a season?
Richmond's Dustin Martin and Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines hold the record for most votes under the 3-2-1 voting system, with 36 apiece in 2017 and 2021.
South Melbourne's Graham Teasdale holds the record for most votes under any voting system, having racked up 59 to win the award in 1977.
Who has the most career Brownlow Medal votes?
Geelong icon Gary Ablett Jr was a constant presence near the top of the Brownlow count during his illustrious career.
Ablett's 262 career votes are the most of any player in VFL/AFL history.
Ablett's former teammate Patrick Dangerfield leads all active players in all-time Brownlow votes, with 236 to date.
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