The football night of nights is almost here.
The game’s highest individual honor will be decided at the Brownlow Medal on Monday evening, in what will be one of the most intriguing events in recent history.
Below is everything you need to know about the 2024 Brownlow Medal.
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Candidates for Mark of the Year 2024 | 01:25
WHEN IS THE BROWNLOW MEDAL?
The Brownlow Medal will be held on Monday 23 September, the traditional slot at the start of the week leading up to the grand final.
Coverage begins at 7:30 PM (AEST), with broadcast starting at 8:00 PM.
WHERE IS THE BROWNLOW MEDAL HELD?
The Brownlow Medal count will be held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE BROWNLOW MEDAL COUNT?
All coverage of the event can be followed foxfooty.com.au. It includes the red carpet, every vote in our live Brownlow Tracker, all the news – including the Goal of the Year and Mark of the Year winners – plus the washing up the next morning.
You can tune into Brownlow Medal on Channel 7 from 7.30pm (AEST) in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and stream it on 7Plus or via the AFL Live app.
HOW IS THE BROWNLOW MEDAL DETERMINED?
Referees vote 3-2-1 for the best and fairest players in each match. The player who receives the most votes at the end of the home and away season is declared the winner.
If two or more players take the lead in a tie, multiple winners will be crowned.
Players who are suspended are deemed ineligible.
WHEN WILL THE GOAL OF THE YEAR AND THE WINNERS OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED?
Both the Goal of the Year and Mark of the Year winners will be announced during the count on Brownlow Medal evening.
Port fined for Hinkley argument | 00:31
HOW MANY VOTES DO YOU NEED TO WIN THE BROWNLOW?
In recent years, players have generally had to collect more than 30 votes to eliminate “Charlie.”
Since 2015, the winner has averaged around 32 votes, with Tom Mitchell in 2018 (28 votes) and Patrick Cripps in 2022 (29 votes) the only winners in that period to vote under 30.
That includes Lachie Neale who polled 31 votes in the Covid-19 shortened season, which on average (1.8 votes per match) was the most of any player and would have polled 40 votes in a regular campaign.
Both Dustin Martin (2017) and Ollie Wines (2021) hold the record for the most votes in a season under the current system with 36.
Four players remarkably received more than 30 votes in 2021: winner Wines plus Marcus Bontempelli (33), Clayton Oliver (31) and Sam Walsh (30).
WHO ARE THE BROWNLOW MEDAL FAVORITES?
The 2024 race, like last year, is wide open.
There are still four clear leaders in two levels – with Carlton’s Patrick Cripps and Collingwoods Nick Daicos before Brisbane Lachie Neale and Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli.
Cripps is aiming for his second Brownlow and Neale his third, while Daicos, in his third season, and Bontempelli are yet to claim the AFL’s top individual honours.
Neale would be in a rare mood as he saluted again, joining Haydn Bunton (Fitzroy), Dick Reynolds (Essendon), Bob Skilton (South Melbourne) and Ian Stewart (St Kilda and Richmond) as the only players to win three Brownlows . Only eight other players have won two Brownlows.
It seems very likely that it will be a two-horse race between Cripps and Daicos, with even a draw possible. At the very least, it would have to come down to the final rounds, and Daicos ended the year with a bang.
In other AFL honours, Bontempelli won the Leigh Matthews Trophy (AFL Players’ Association MVP) for the third time, while Daicos topped Sydney’s lead. Isaac Heeney to win the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year.
It is also a rare season where a genuine Brownlow candidate, Heeney, is ineligible due to suspension. Heeney is expected to receive the most votes of any Swans player in a season that saw the club claim the minor premiership.
Heeney’s ban – and the general crackdown on strikes and high contact – led to calls for the AFL to change the Brownlow criteria and remove the ‘fairest’ element, but the league said it has no plans to do so.
“Tell him to calm down!” Neale on Fagan | 01:46
BROWNLOW MEDAL WINNER ODDS
Nick Daicos (Collingwood) $2.50
Patrick Cripps (Carlton) $2.50
Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions) $9
Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) $15
More available
All odds via Pointsbet, correct as of Monday 4 p.m
WHO IS INVITED TO THE BROWNLOW MEDAL COUNT?
TBA
WHICH PLAYERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE? (When they were no longer eligible)
Adelaide
Matt Crouch (Round 5), Izak Rankine (Round 17)
Brisbane
Eric Hipwood (round 10)
Carlton
Lachie Fogarty (round 4), Matt Owies (round 24)
Collingwood
Lachie Schultz (round 8)
Essendon
Mason Redman (Round 1), Peter Wright (Round 2), Harrison Jones (Round 10)
Fremantle
Nat Fyfe (round 20), Tom Emmett (round 21)
Geelong
Gary Rohan (Round 4), Brad Close (Round 8), Mitch Duncan (Round 23)
Gold Coast
Malcolm Rosas (Round 1 and Round 18), Wil Powell (Round 8), Alex Davies (Round 18)
GWS
Toby Greene (Round 6), Callum Brown (Round 8), Lachie Ash (Round 23)
Hawthorn
Mabior Chol (Round 7), Jack Scrimshaw (Round 9)
Melbourne
Kysaiah Pickett (Round 4)
North Melbourne
Kallan Dawson (round 14)
Port Adelaide
Jeremy Finlayson (Round 4), Mitch Georgiades (Round 17), Dan Houston (Round 23)
Richmond
Liam Baker (round 3)
Saint Kilda
Max King (Round 2), Marcus Windhager (Round 3), Jack Higgins (Round 7)
Sydney
Isaac Heeney (round 17)
West Coast
Tom Barrass (lap 6), Harley Reid (lap 12), Jack Petruccelle (lap 20), Jack Hutchison (lap 20)
Western Bulldogs
James Harmes (Round 1), Rhylee West (Round 7), Tom Liberatore (Round 8), Sam Darcy (Round 12)
Lions achieve miraculous victory in final term! | 03:57
WHO ARE THE PREVIOUS WINNERS?
2010: Chris Judd (Carlton) [30 votes]
2011: Deen Zwaan (Collingwood) [34 votes]
2012: Trent Cotchin (Richmond) and Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) [26 votes] (Jobe Watson 30 votes stripped of medal)
2013: Gary Ablett (Gold Coast) [28 votes]
2014: Matt Priddis (west coast) [26 votes]
2015: Nat Fyfe (Fremantle) [31 votes]
2016: Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) [35 votes]
2017: Dustin Martin (Richmond) [36 votes]
2018: Tom Mitchell (hawthorn) [28 votes]
2019: Nat Fyfe (Fremantle) [33 votes]
2020: Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions) [31 votes, shortened season]
2021: Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide) [36 votes]
2022: Patrick Cripps (Carlton) [29 votes]
2023: Lachie Neale (Brisbane Lions) [31 votes]
