The Brownlow Medal is every AFL players dream. Here are the top 10 lead contenders for it in 2024.
This year, the 97th Brownlow Medal will be handed out.
The first medal was awarded a century ago, in 1924, to Edward Greeves Jr from Geelong.
It’s every players dream to have it draped around their neck, but only one player earns that right.
Last year, Brisbane Lions midfielder Lachie Neale came out of the clouds to claim his second Brownlow Medal with a total of 31 votes, beating Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli by two votes in the final round to win it.
Both are highly ranked favourites to win it 2024, with plenty of young talent such as Collingwood’s Nick Daicos and Sydney’s Errol Gulden hot on their heels.
So let’s dive in — here are the top 10 Brownlow Medal contenders for 2024.
Top 10 AFL Brownlow Medal contenders for 2024
1. Nick Daicos
Collingwood’s coming off a breakthrough premiership and is the odds-on favourite to go back-to-back in 2024. Nick Daicos is central to that, primed to finally take that next step to becoming a club great by winning a Brownlow Medal.
Only two seasons in the AFL, Daicos has racked in 39 Brownlow votes across those years including finishing third last season with an impressive 28 votes.
2. Marcus Bontempelli
People are on the fence as to what the Bulldogs can achieve in 2024. They quite shockingly missed the finals last year, despite Bontempelli having a career best season, averaging 27.7 disposals per game, along with 7.5 tackles and 7.6 clearances.
For someone who hasn’t worn the medal yet, he sure has racked up the votes, sitting on a total of 169 across his career. The Bont has been runner-up twice in 2021 and 2023. Can he go one better this season?
3. Christian Petracca
Christian Petracca could possibly be the best AFL player in the competition, starring for the Demons weekly in the midfield. He has an innate ability to push up forward and bag a goals when required, too.
With slight uncertainty surrounding teammate Clayton Oliver, Petracca may be in line to have a career best season amid even more week-to-week involvement. He’s already tallied up 98 Brownlow votes, but has never finished higher than third.
4. Errol Gulden
The Sydney Swans have been crying out for a Brownlow Medallist since Adam Goodes and Gulden seems to be shaping as their best bet since Josh Kennedy, who never managed to secure it. Gulden finished equal-fourth in last year’s voting, so there’s no question the umpires notice his production.
Coming into last season, he had just five Brownlow votes across two years. But now he has 32 to his name and that number will only keep climbing in 2024.
5. Lachie Neale
Gunning for a record-equalling third Brownlow Medal this season, you can’t count out Lachie Neale, who still doesn’t seem to have too many teammates stealing votes off him, despite playing in a side that is undoubtedly premiership worthy.
In his career, Neale has tallied 187 votes, winning it in 2020 and 2023, finishing runner-up once, and third once as well in 2019. The consistency is off the charts.
6. Tom Green
Many people are expecting GWS to have an extremely strong season considering the run of form they went on to make a Prelim appearance last season and Tom Green will play an integral role.
Green had a breakout season last year and will be looking to back it up with an even stronger showing in 2024. He only got 16 votes in ’23, so there is plenty of room to improve on the Brownlow front.
7. Clayton Oliver
For someone who is a four-time club Best & Fairest winner, it’s insane to think the highest he’s ever finished in Brownlow voting is third.
Clayton Oliver is a part of the 100-plus votes club, with a total of 116, but only managed six last year with his campaign derailed by injuries and off-field issues.
8. Zak Butters
Port Adelaide look like they’ve built well for the 2024 season, with young midfielders Zak Butters and Connor Rozee set to take the league by storm with their one-two punch.
Surprisingly, Butters only had six Brownlow votes in his career before last season, where he took his total up to 33, and we’re sure he’ll get close to doubling that this year.
9. Patrick Cripps
You can never count out a previous Brownlow Medal winner and Patrick Cripps has been an incredible player, year-in-year-out, so he can almost certainly claim a second ‘Charlie’.
Cripps has amassed a whopping 141 votes across his 10 year career. And with Carlton poised to be serious title contenders, it only strengthens his chances of running it back.
10. Sam Walsh
Rounding out the top 10 is another Carlton player in Sam Walsh. The potential is sky-high, but injuries have continued to restrict us all from witnessing it — hopefully 2024 is the year we see him push for it.
Walsh has polled 63 total votes in his career at an average of 12.6 a season, so he’ll need to double that average and more if he wants to take out the 2024 Brownlow Medal.
