On the eve of the 2014 Brownlow Medal, collingwoodfc.com.auhas compiled a two-minute guide to the Magpies’ chances on football’s night of nights.

The 2014 Brownlow Medal
Where is it held?
The Brownlow Medal count will again be held at the Crown Palladium. The Palladium has been the home to the Brownlow in all bar two years since the venue opened in 1997.

Fact: The last time the Brownlow was held at a venue other than the Crown Palladium was in 2002, when it was staged on at the Docklands Stadium, then trading under the name of Colonial Stadium.

When does it start, and who is broadcasting it?
Channel Seven’s red carpet special will begin at 7.30pm (AEST). Master of ceremonies Bruce McAvaney will begin the coverage of the vote count from 8.15pm. For those who can’t watch, the count will be aired on radio SEN 1116.

Which Magpies will be in attendance?
Captain Scott Pendlebury and teammates Nick Maxwell, Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke and Dayne Beams will all be seated at the club’s table inside the Palladium.

What about Swanny?
The 2011 Brownlow Medallist won’t be in attendance at this year’s count. As a previous winner, he is invited each year, but he won’t be among those in the room this evening.

What are Pendles chances?
Strong. There are plenty of factors in his favour:
- He has polled 81 votes in his past four seasons at an average of 20.25 votes per year
- He plays in a fashion that appeals to the umpires. He received 38 free kicks and only conceded 10 this season – no teammate came close to achieving that sort of record
- 2014 marked the first year of his captaincy. Does this mean anything? Potentially. Three of the past four winners (Chris Judd, Jobe Watson and Gary Ablett Junior) were all captains.
- Dane Swan was below his usual high-powered best in 2014. He has outpolled Pendlebury in each of the last four years. With Swan’s output lowered to some degree, it opens the door for Pendlebury to claim more threes than twos as he may have in previous years.
- What might be against him is the fact he was a member of 10 losing teams. It’s not calamitous, but he polled just two votes in eight losses last season.

Who is the best of the rest?
Dayne Beams enjoyed another outstanding season, culminating in his selection in the preliminary 40-man All-Australian squad. While he did not make the final team, his ability to win the contested ball and hit the scoreboard (he kicked 23 goals in 2014) make him one of the most noticeable players in the competition. Add to that his tattoos and reputation as one of the game’s best ball winners, and you have a man who is every chance of winning votes.

Jamie Elliott polled just three votes in his first 35 senior games but should expect to earn a few more tonight. His best chance appears to be against Geelong in round three, when he kicked five goals and took one of the Marks of the Year in a losing side. His four-goal hauls against St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs may also receive the nod from the umpires.

Do we have a smokey?
Not as such. The last genuine smokey was Swan himself, when he polled 20 votes in 2007 despite missing out on an invitation to attend the count, while Ben Johnson polled 11 votes in 2006 and was among the leaders early on.

Who are our three-vote certainties?
Expect these players to come very close to polling three votes in these games later this evening…
Scott Pendlebury – Round 2 v Sydney
33 disposals (23 kicks, 10 handballs), 10 tackles, 11 inside 50s

Dane Swan – Round 6 v Essendon (ANZAC Day)
26 disposals (15 kicks, 11 handballs), 4 goals, 5 tackles and the ANZAC Day Medal.

Josh Thomas – Round 22 v Greater Western Sydney
29 disposals (15 kicks, 14 handballs), 3 goals, 8 tackles, 3 clearances

Any surprises in store?
Many will be keeping an ear out for Jack Frost and Brent Macaffer’s names. Traditionally, taggers and key defenders don’t poll well. Just ask Fremantle’s Ryan Crowley, who polled just five games in 164 games prior to this season.

But Frost’s closing speed and total commitment to his craft against some of the game’s biggest names means he must surely have been noted by the umpires, while Macaffer’s role places him under their noses around the stoppages as he tries to quell the opposition’s best.

Will he get a vote for putting the clamps on Richmond’s Trent Cotchin in round four?

Give us a quirky fact…
Once upon a time, making the finals was almost a prerequisite for a Brownlow Medallist. From 2000 until 2011, each winner was a part of a finals-bound outfit. But in the past two years, Jobe Watson and Gary Ablett won despite their teams missing the finals. Could Pendlebury join them in 2014?