A Collingwood superstar has the chance to make history when the Brownlow Medal is awarded to the AFL’s fairest and best player on Monday evening at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.
Nick Daicos will become the Club’s 10th winner of the coveted award should he poll the most votes in this evening’s count.
Remarkably the Brownlow Medal is not the only award on offer for Daicos and two other Collingwood teammates, with two other Magpies players joining him as Goal and Mark of the Year finalists which will be awarded at Football’s night of nights.
All your questions are answered ahead of what could be a fruitful evening for the Pies.
Could Nick Daicos win the Brownlow?
The 21-year-old has had another season to remember in what was just his third season at the highest level.
Averaging 30.7 disposals (No.4 in the AFL), 7.7 clearances (No.3), 5.5 inside 50s (No.7) and a total of 20 goals, Daicos has already taken home a suite of awards in 2024 including the AFL Coach’s Association’s Champion Player, a spot on the wing in the All-Australian team plus fourth place in the AFL Player’s Association’s Most Valuable Player Award.
Daicos collected 30 or more disposals on 14 occasions and in Rounds 10, 20 and 24 he had over 40.
Arguably his best performance of the year came in Round 24 against the Demons where collected 40 disposals and kicked two goals, while in Round Eight against Carlton he kicked the match winning goal along with 32 disposals and another major.
The 21-year-old finished third in last years Brownlow Medal count with 28 votes, behind winner Lachie Neale (31 votes) and Patrick Cripps (29 votes).
Many pundits have the dynamic midfielder as their pick to take home ‘Charlie’, but it’s the game’s umpires who will decide.
How is the winner crowned?
After every home and away fixture, the officiating umpires vote on who they deem to be the fairest and best player afield in each game in a three (best), two (second best) and one (third best) format. The votes are then locked away and kept secret until they’re read out by AFL CEO Andrew Dillion in tonight’s vote count.
How many times has a Collingwood player won the award?
Collingwood’s most recent winner of the Brownlow Medal was newly crowned Australian Football Hall of Famer Dane Swan in 2011. The fan favourite polled 34 votes in a year that saw the Magpies finish as Runners Up to Premiers Geelong.
In 2003 Nathan Buckley was involved in a three-way tie alongside Adelaide’s Mark Ricciuto and Sydney’s Adam Goodes. This victory came 262 days after the birth of tonight’s favourite Nick Daicos.
24 years before Buckley, Peter Moore, the father of Collingwood’s current AFL Captain Darcy, won the award in 1979 with 22 votes. Fellow Ruck Len Thompson took home the award seven years prior with 25 votes.
32 years prior in 1940, Des Fothergill won the award on 32 votes, tying with South Melbourne’s Herbie Matthew. The year prior in 1939 Marcus Whelan won with 23 votes.
In 1929 and 1930 the famous Collier brothers clinched a Brownlow back-to-back with Albert (1929) and Harry (1930) becoming the only two brothers to win the famous award. Their league best and fairest performances came as part of the Club’s famous four-peat of Premierships by the side dubbed ‘the Machine’.
Syd Coventry’s 1927 victory was the first time a Collingwood player won the award, with it first being awarded four years prior in 1924. The Hall of Famer polled seven votes in his victory.
Collingwood Midfielder Tom Mitchell is the only current Magpie to have won a ‘Charlie’, having out polled Steele Sidebottom (second place) to win the 2018 award whilst playing his trade at Hawthorn.
Should Daicos win the award and become Collingwood’s 10th winner, it will take the Magpies into equal spot with St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs for most winners by Club. Only South Melbourne/Sydney have more with 13.
Who else is a chance?
After stellar seasons for their respective Clubs, Western Bulldogs’ Captain Marcus Bontempelli, Carlton Skipper Patrick Cripps and two-time winner and last year’s champion Lachie Neale are all touted as potential winners alongside Daicos by those in the media.
If two or more players finish on the same number of votes, a tie could be declared for the first time since 2012 when Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell won on a countback.
Who’s nominated for Mark of the Year?
Dynamic forward duo Jamie Elliott and Bobby Hill have both been announced as finalists for the 2024 Virgin Australia AFL Mark of the Year.
Both players took to the skies during 2024 to take incredible leaps worthy of the award, but there can only be one winner.
Jamie Elliott landed ‘An ANZAC Day spectacular’ to quote Channel Seven Commentator James Brayshaw, when the 32-year-old leaped on the shoulders of Essendon’s Ben McKay. Midway through the third term of what was eventually the first of two draws in Collingwood’s season, Elliott took the mark 45 metres out from Collingwood’s goal as he got on the end of a perfect forward entry from Jordan De Goey.
Elliott is no stranger to big moments, after winning the Mark of the Year award in in 2013 and most pundits thought the award was once again his until good mate and fellow forward Bobby Hill almost hit the roof at Marvel Stadium in Round 14 against North Melbourne.
Jack Crisp kicked the ball to the top of the goal square late in the third term, before Hill used two North Melbourne players and teammate Billy Frampton as a step ladder to pull down a grab that will seriously contend with Elliott’s. What made Hill’s mark extra special was the second ‘spring’ the 24-year-old seemed to gain whilst in the air.
The 2024 Virgin Australia Mark of the Year winner will receive $50,000 and two million Velocity Points – enough Points for two people to redeem return Business Class Reward Seats to over 500 destinations around the world.
The winner will be determined through a combination of votes from the public and the All-Australian selection panel.
Collingwood has had three past winners of the official award:
- Jamie Elliott (2013)
- Andrew Krakouer (2011)
- Chris Tarrant (2003)
Who’s nominated for Goal of the Year?
As well as being a strong chance to take home the Brownlow Medal, Nick Daicos has been selected as a NAB Goal of the Year finalist for two separate efforts.
The 21-year-old midfielder has been nominated for his Round 16 major versus the Gold Coast SUNS and Round 23 goal versus the Brisbane Lions.
Should Nick triumph in the 2024 NAB Goal of the Year, he will join both his father Peter (1991) and brother Josh (2020) as winners of the award.
Both goals involve incredible running efforts and clinical finishes.
The Round 16 goal against the Gold Coast sees Nick involved in a chain of possessions from the middle of the ground, collecting the ball three separate times before ducking and weaving between opponents before kicking the goal midway through the fourth quarter.
What records are up for grabs?
Former Captain Scott Pendlebury has polled 221 career Brownlow votes, the most of any Magpie, fifth most votes of all time and second most votes of any current player (Patrick Dangerfield of Geelong has the most on 248) Pendlebury will need just six votes to equal Sam Mitchell for fourth most votes of all time
Pendlebury has polled the most votes of anyone in V/AFL history to not win the award, which is especially remarkable given he has five Copeland Trophies, six All-Australian jackets and a Norm Smith Medal to his name from his 403 game career.
How can I watch?
The 2024 Brownlow Medal will be streamed for free on 7+ Sport and broadcast live on Channel Seven from 7:30pm.
