Nick Daicos Wins 2026 Brownlow Medal With a Record 47 Votes
Collingwood midfielder Nick Daicos won the 2026 Brownlow Medal at the count on Monday 21 September, polling a record 47 votes. The total beat the previous mark of 45 set by Carlton’s Patrick Cripps in 2024. Geelong’s Bailey Smith finished second with 36 votes and the Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli third with 34.
The final leaderboard
The top of the 2026 count, as published by AFL.com.au:
- Nick Daicos (Collingwood) – 47
- Bailey Smith (Geelong) – 36
- Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) – 34
- Max Gawn (Melbourne) – 28
- Will Ashcroft (Brisbane), Patrick Cripps (Carlton) and Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne) – 27 each
Daicos polled in 18 of his 22 games and received the maximum three votes 13 times. According to AAP, he had nine votes after three rounds, led from round 11, was judged best on ground in six straight games between rounds 15 and 20, and had the medal sealed by round 21. Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters briefly led after round 10 and finished on 26.
West Coast’s Harley Reid polled 15 votes but was ineligible after a suspension for a dangerous tackle.
Favourite for a fourth year
The win ended a run of near misses. Daicos finished eighth in his debut year of 2022, third in 2023 and second in both 2024 and 2025. AAP reported that 2026 was the fourth consecutive year he started favourite, and 7NEWS reported that bookmakers had made him the shortest-priced favourite in the award’s history this time. In 2025 he lost to Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell.
Asked about his favouritism, Daicos said he had “learnt not to trust the betting markets”. It is a fair point for anyone who bets on the count. Brownlow votes are awarded by the field umpires after each game, and nobody outside the AFL knows them until they are read out. Media predictors and bookmaker markets are educated estimates based on statistics and match reviews, not inside information. This year AFL.com.au’s predictor had Daicos on 47 before the count and was right on the number; in 2025 the market favourite lost.
Why the Brownlow is a different kind of market
Brownlow markets open months before the count and are among the longest-running futures bets in Australian sport. That creates specific risks:
- Your money is tied up for the whole season, and a suspension can make a player ineligible regardless of how many votes he polls, as Harley Reid’s case showed this year.
- “Top 3”, “most votes at each club” and head-to-head vote markets each carry their own bookmaker margin, so the combined margin across several of these bets is higher than on a single head-to-head match bet.
- The count is a long television event with live markets open, which makes it easy to keep betting on impulse.
If you bet on awards nights, set a fixed budget before the count starts. Our guides to budgeting for gambling and understanding odds and expected value explain how to work out what a price implies.
Other awards on the night
Fremantle’s Bailey Banfield received the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award. Hawthorn’s Nick Watson won Mark of the Year and Brisbane’s Conor McKenna took Goal of the Year for his goal in the round 24 win over Collingwood.
Daicos polled 47 votes, a Brownlow record, beating the 45 votes Patrick Cripps polled in 2024.
Geelong’s Bailey Smith finished second with 36 votes. Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs was third with 34.
No. A player suspended during the season is ineligible. West Coast’s Harley Reid polled 15 votes in 2026 but was ineligible after a suspension for a dangerous tackle.
Sources
- AFL.com.au: 2026 Brownlow Medal club-by-club votes and leaderboard
- Canberra Times (AAP): No nicking this one, Daicos claims first Brownlow (22 September 2026)
- The Nightly (7NEWS): Nick Daicos romps to victory in record-breaking fashion
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Header photo: Melbourne Cricket Ground 01 by Leighhubbard, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.