Brownlow Medal 2024: Front runners to win AFL’s top award kicking big home goals
While the AFLs best all vie for footy’s top award — we look at the contenders that are making winning moves away from the field.
A two-time Brownlow Medal winner is among the top picks to bring home the coveted AFL umpire’s prize Monday evening, and they’re ready for it.
The Charles Brownlow Medal black tie event is one of the most-popular televised events in the country, with a live vote count running late into the evening to find a winner of the award for “the best and fairest player at the end of each season”, with almost as much attention stolen by WAGs and other partners on the night.
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Brisbane Lions co-captain Lachie Neale, who helped drive his team to an epic 95-85 preliminary final win against the Geelong Cats over the weekend, has been named in the top three of the league website’s Brownlow Predictor.
The 31-year-old is at 32 votes on the predictor, but is currently pipped by a two-way tie between Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps and Collingwood’s Nick Daicos both on 33 on the AI-driven system.
Mr Neale, who is the reining winner of the Brownlow Medal landed 31 votes on awards night 2023 having led the predictions table on 32 votes last year, taking it back to Seven Hills in Brisbane where he is kicking goals on the home front.
Locked in to the Lions to the end of 2026, Mr Neale earns an estimated $850,000 to $950,000 a year which is eight to nine times the average salary in Queensland – something he and wife Jules have put to work in real estate.
Mr Neale, who was born in South Australia, was pulled to Brisbane from the Fremantle Dockers after the 2018 season, sinking his salary into a $1.77m house in Coorparoo in Brisbane’s inner south in November that year.
In the five years and nine months since, he has sold that property in 2022 for a massive $2.6m – gaining what amounts to almost a year’s salary more than the price he paid.
His first house has just resold in the last month for an undisclosed price, but it’s certain to be substantial given the 70 per cent-plus rise in home prices across Brisbane since the pandemic.
The star Lions midfielder played it safe, not selling the first home until two months after buying his second one – his five bedroom Hamptons’ style dream home bought for $2.43m in Seven Hills where they have close family nearby.
The five bedroom house has a 696sq m block with a lawn that Mr Neale has found a solution for – going into partnership with Husqvarna for an automower to keep the grass down when he’s busy training, but also handy the couple announcing three months ago that Jules is pregnant with their second child.
While Mr Neale’s salary had him 23rd in News’ AFL 100 this year, Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps was 10th on an estimated $1m to $1.1m salary – the highest in his club, and he already has one Brownlow Medal in his cabinet.
The 29-year-old midfielder is also the picture of domestic bliss regardless of not making it further into the season. He and wife Monique – both from Western Australia – their baby Koda who was born in the past year plus furbaby Ron often happy to share their home with thousands of followers online.
Among the upgrades put in to their Melbourne backyard in the months leading to Koda’s birth was a stunning outdoor barrel-shaped sauna next to the above ground pool.
With Melbourne home prices falling -1.5 per cent in the past year to $797,000, he can easily afford to upsize if needed in any suburb in the Victorian capital city – even Toorak.
Of the three top contenders for the Brownlow Medal this year, 21-year-old Nick Daicos is the youngest and the only one yet to add the honour to his belt – though he has acquired an array of personal gongs in the lead up including the AFL Coaches’ Association Champion Player of the Year award.
He would be the first in his family to hold the Brownlow honour if he wins Monday night – his father Peter is a legend for Collingwood playing VFL/AFL until the 1990s, and brother Josh is also on the team.
The family is tight-knit with he and brother Josh buying a house together two years ago and putting it through upgrades, and they also have a joint TikTok account plotting their adventures. His nickname Whisper is also his Instagram account name which is private.
The Collingwood midfielder was on News’ AFL Richlist below the other two top Brownlow contenders in 27th spot on an estimated $850,000 to $950,000 year salary – which means he can pretty much also afford to buy anywhere he chooses – especially if his package hits seven digits in 2025.
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Originally published as Brownlow Medal 2024: Front runners to win AFL’s top award kicking big home goals