Brownlow Medal: Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos romps to victory in record-breaking fashion

For Nick Daicos, Monday night’s Brownlow Medal count was a case of better late than never.

Already widely regarded as the AFL’s best player, the Collingwood superstar finally added the competition’s highest honour to his lengthy list of awards by winning his first in record-breaking fashion.

Daicos came into 2024’s count among the most prominent hopefuls, before Carlton captain Patrick Cripps did what no player had done before in polling 45 votes.

Last year, he figured as the hot favourite, only to be toppled by Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell in a shock boilover.

But the two-time runner-up was not to be denied the third time around, justifying his status as the shortest-priced favourite among bookmakers in the award’s history by surpassing Cripps’ mark with 47 votes.

Daicos said he was relieved to have claimed his first Brownlow and joked he had “learnt not to trust the betting markets”.

“I can’t believe I’m a Brownlow medallist, to be honest,” Daicos said.

“I feel like I’ve always prided myself on working really hard. It definitely never feels easy out there.

“I go into every game, there’s always the butterflies and a little bit of nerves.

“Truly, I am a bit lost for words to be up here, to be honest. It’s a massive honour and I’m so grateful.”

The son of Collingwood champion Peter also opened up on the expectations which have come with his famous surname and being forecast to become an AFL superstar since his teenage years.

“Pretty quickly, it did get a little bit overwhelming, playing for Collingwood and having had Josh play, Dad play, being in the spotlight all the time,” Daicos said.

“That’s something I’ve pushed away as the years have gone on and shied away from . . . I’ve definitely battled with it at times.

“At the same time, I’m so bloody privlleged to be in the position I’m in.”

Remarkably, the 23-year-old was adjudged by the umpires as the best player afield in 13 of his 22 appearances throughout a season in which he averaged 34.8 disposals per game and added 24 goals.

For the first half of the count, Daicos was run relatively close by Western Bulldogs champion Marcus Bontempelli, as well as Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters and Geelong’s Bailey Smith.

After Collingwood’s mid-season bye, he rattled off 18 votes across six games in a remarkable sequence which erased any small semblance of doubt over whose neck the medal would be placed around.

Fremantle’s players and their partners watched the competition’s night of nights from the other side of the country, taking in proceedings from Crown Melbourne from one of Optus Stadium’s function rooms.

But none of the Dockers’ stars minded in the slightest, given they were forced to remain at home due to their side qualifying for their second-ever grand final.

Accompanied by his partner Kelsey Browne, superstar Dockers ruckman Luke Jackson said the fact they had qualified for the season decider had still not yet quite sunk in.

“It’s definitely where you want to be this time of year, so I couldn’t be happier,” Jackson told Seven.

“It’s a dream come true to make a grand final for Freo.”

Jackson finished as Fremantle’s leading vote-getter with 19, beating out Shai Bolton, Murphy Reid (both 15 votes) and Caleb Serong (14 votes) in an even spread for the minor premiers.

Harley Reid was far and away West Coast’s most prominent poller with 15 votes, but the West Coast star was eligible for the award or in the room for the count after being handed a suspension for a dangerous tackle in the last round of the home and away season.

A Fremantle player also came away with a win from the night, with veteran Bailey Banfield claiming the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.

After being recognised for his work with the Starlight Children’s Foundation, Worthy Australia and Purple Hands foundation, Banfield said being associated with the late Melbourne champion and administrator’s legacy was an “incredible honour”.

“The people that are at these organisations, they’re doing the really hard work, day-to-day, and they give us the opportunity to give back,” Banfield said.

“Footy has given me so much. To be able to have this platform to give back a little bit of what I’ve got now through this sport is an incredible honour.”

Dockers star Shai Bolton was beaten to the mark of the year award by Hawthorn’s Nick Watson, who claimed the prize for the stunning screamer he reeled in over West Coast’s co-captain Liam Baker on a wet night in Perth.

The goal of the year award was won by Brisbane’s Conor McKenna for the improbable soccer he swung through the narrowest of gaps in Brisbane’s win over Collingwood in round 24.