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AFL faces awkward 27-year first with Isaac Heeney amid Patrick Cripps Brownlow Medal detail

Heeney is expected to receive a lot of votes despite being ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal.

andrew reid
·4-min read

The AFL will be hoping Errol Gulden takes some crucial votes off Sydney Swans teammate Isaac Heeney in the Brownlow Medal count, to prevent an awkward 27-year first on Monday night. Patrick Cripps is a slight favourite to claim the AFL's highest individual honour, with the Carlton captain almost neck-and-neck in betting with Collingwood's Nick Daicos.

Despite being tipped to poll one of the highest numbers of votes, Heeney is ineligible to claim the coveted prize after his one-game ban for striking in round 17. Heeney unsuccessfully tried to appeal the charge but he has consistently been touted amongst the game's best players in 2024 and could become the first man since Chris Grant in 1997 to poll the most votes but fail to win the Brownlow Medal.

Pictured left to right, Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney and Carlton captain Patrick Cripps.
Sydney's Isaac Heeney and Carlton captain Patrick Cripps are expected to be high on the leaderboard in Brownlow Medal voting. Pic: Getty

Former Western Bulldogs star Grant and North Melbourne ruck-forward Corey McKernan (1996) are the only two previously ineligible players to top the Brownlow count and Heeney could become the third. The very prospect of Heeney potentially winning the prize has renewed debate about changing the eligibility criteria and it's a situation the AFL would be desperate to avoid.

Heeney was the favourite in the Brownlow betting until his suspension and the popular thinking is that he will lead the count through the halfway point of the season. Sydney's All Australian star finished third in the Coaches' Association player of the year award, behind top Brownlow favourites Daicos and Cripps.

But Swans star Gulden also enjoyed a strong season and finished seventh in the Coaches' Association voting. And the league will surely be rapt if Gulden can take some votes off his Sydney teammate to avoid what would be a deflating Brownlow ceremony if one of the other players scoops the top prize, despite Heeney topping the count. Jobe Watson was another player that won the Brownlow in 2012 but was later stripped of the prize due to the Essendon supplements scandal.

If the bookies are right and Cripps wins the AFL's top individual honour this season, the Carlton superstar would become a two-time Brownlow Medallist. Cripps, who last won in 2022, was central to the Blues' run to the AFL finals this year after racking up 30 or more disposals in 10 regular season games, to go with the seven matches where he had 10+ clearances.

Daicos is also a strong contender after being a rare shining light for Collingwood in what was a massively disappointing defence of last year's premiership for the Magpies. The 21-year-old is chasing his first Brownlow Medal and started the season slowly but hit his straps after Collingwood's first bye of the season. Daicos enjoyed back-to-back best on grounds in his final two games of the season and will be hoping to claim the top prize after injury cruelled his hopes last season.

Pictured left to right, Nick Daicos and Patrick Cripps.
Nick Daicos and Patrick Cripps are favourites to win the AFL's Brownlow Medal in 2024. Pic: Getty

Last year's winner Lachie Neale is the next favourite and is curiously at shorter odds than he was in 2023 when he claimed a second Brownlow Medal. If the Brisbane Lions star wins again he will become only the fifth player to claim the prestigious honour three times, ahead of the Lions' grand final showdown with Sydney on Saturday.

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Western Bulldogs star and All Australian captain Marcus Bontempelli is another one of the top contenders for the award but is likely to be affected by his side's indifferent form. Bontempelli had seven games of 30 or more possessions and booted two or more goals in six games but all but one of those resulted in defeats for his team.

There have been no joint-winners of the Brownlow Medal since 2003, when Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto, Collingwood's Nathan Buckley and Swans great Adam Goodes had their three-way tie. Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell and Richmond's Trent Cotchin were retrospectively awarded the 2012 medal after the Essendon supplements scandal saw Watson stripped of his Brownlow Medal.

with AAP