Collingwood player Nick Daicos has emerged as the favorite to win the Brownlow Medal, an award presented to the Australian Football League's (AFL) best and fairest player as determined by umpires. This marks the third consecutive year Daicos has been considered the frontrunner for the prestigious award.
The Brownlow Medal ceremony, held at Crown Melbourne, began at 8 p.m. on Monday, with AFL figures arriving from 5:30 p.m.
Daicos narrowly missed out on the medal in recent seasons, finishing seven votes behind Gold Coast's Matt Rowell in 2025 and seven votes behind Carlton's Patrick Cripps in 2024. The voting system involves umpires awarding three votes to the best player, two to the second-best, and one to the third-best in each game, excluding finals matches. The vote tallies are kept confidential until the ceremony.
Players suspended for a week or more are ineligible for the medal. However, this rule was implemented too late to exclude Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice, and James Jordon, with Heeney noted as a potential top-10 contender.
Despite potential competition, betting platforms indicate Daicos as a strong favorite, with odds as low as $1.01 for his victory. Daicos has already achieved significant accolades this year, securing the 2026 AFL Coaches Association Champion Player award with a record 147 votes and the Leigh Matthews Trophy. He was also named to the All-Australian team for the fourth consecutive year.
Other top contenders have considerably higher odds. Geelong's Bailey Smith is listed at $67, followed by Western Bulldogs' Marcus Bontempelli at $81, and Carlton's Patrick Cripps at $101.