AFL Brownlow 2024: The wash-up from football’s night of nights
No Brownlow Medal is without its quirks, and the biggest on Monday night was the discrepancy between Nick and Josh Daicos’ vote tallies. JOSH BARNES takes you behind the scenes of footy’s night of nights.
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Most footy fans can tell the Daicos brothers apart.
Maybe the umpires can’t.
Perhaps the biggest slip of Monday’s Brownlow Medal count came in round 13.
Nick Daicos polled one vote that day for a 15 disposal effort that ended with the star in the sub vest.
His brother Josh had 34 touches and no votes.
The Daicos’ were sitting next to each other and both chuckled at that one.
Let’s say that was a slip of the votes, much like in 1930 when the umpires entered a vote for “Collier”.
Nobody was ever 100 per cent sure if that was supposed to be Harry or Albert Collier, and Harry ended the night tied at the top.
Marcus Bontempelli was a warm favourite among those in the room heading into Monday night and his chances may have been spoiled on the red carpet.
Heads were on a swivel looking for Bontempelli votes at round 11 when he sat on a paltry four.
But those that watched the red carpet coverage knew that was coming when Amanda Dillon – wife of AFL boss Andrew – said “I’ve been told he’s (Bontempelli) maybe not in the mix”.
Whoops.
Let’s say it was a slip of the tongue, but it was an extremely prophetic slip.
That is what Brownlow night is all about – the bizarre and the unusual.
One unusual issue at Crown on Monday night came thanks to the men’s room.
You have to time it right on Brownlow night.
At the first ad break – the doors to exit Crown’s Palladium only open for TV ad breaks and anybody caught outside when Channel 7 returns is locked out until the next string of commercials – the nearest male toilets were locked shut with water all over the floor.
Big poller Caleb Serong was the first player at the toilets around the corner – a good move as he was back in the room to poll three votes in round 4 and get on the telly.
Others weren’t so lucky.
Bradley Hill was also caught outside before the Gather Round votes and marched over to a group of players declaring he would get the BOG.
The Saint was bang on and the cheer outside the main room was bigger than inside.
As one high ranking club media officer quipped – it was about time the males were on the receiving end of a line at the toilets.
Remember when Ben Cousins won the 2005 count with 20 votes?
The Eagle was in the room on Monday and his tally was passed by Patrick Cripps in round 12.
Swan Isaac Heeney soared to 21 votes by round 10 – which was record pace.
Nick Daicos polled in 10 games in a row – another record – but was still eight votes behind at the end of that streak.
And then he passed the previous record held by Dustin Martin and Ollie Wines yet finished seven short of Cripps.
It is a different count these days.
The numbers boggle.
Perhaps Lachie Neale used up his umpire luck last year.
Take in these games – 35 disposals in round 3, 37 disposals in round 13 and 36 touches and 3 goals in round 17.
All of that earned him six votes.
It was different with Dillon reading the votes for the first time.
The new boss was on song – he was just a little fast early on.
But he did ease his way into some pauses later in the night to the pleasure of those still hoping for late drama.
A good debut.
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