COULD we have our first tie on Brownlow Medal night in more than 20 years?
According to AFL.com.au's Brownlow Predictor, which correctly tipped Brisbane star Lachie Neale to claim the prize last year, Monday night's count could be the closest in some time and could even feature dual winners.
Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos are predicted to share the Brownlow Medal on 33 votes, just one vote clear of what could be a third honour for Neale.
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It would be the first time the medal has been shared since Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin were crowned joint winners of the 2012 award. But that only occurred four years after the count itself, when original winner Jobe Watson was stripped of the medal due to his involvement in the Essendon supplements saga.
Before that, there had only been two ties in the AFL era; in 2003 (Nathan Buckley, Mark Ricciuto and Adam Goodes) and 1996 (James Hird and Michael Voss).
Sydney's Isaac Heeney, who is ineligible due to a suspension, is tipped to race clear from the outset, with the Brownlow Predictor expecting him to be eight votes ahead of anyone else at round 10 before the chasing pack catches up.
Port Adelaide duo Connor Rozee and Zak Butters are also expected to be among the leading vote-getters in the early stages of the night, though Neale and Daicos will be the pair to watch when they come storming home at the end.
Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli and Sydney stars Errol Gulden and Heeney are tipped to be some way back on 26 votes each, while Essendon skipper Zach Merrett is predicted to poll 25 votes.
Cripps is tipped to be the most consistent vote-winner across the course of the evening, predicted to poll in 15 of 23 games, while Daicos is billed to have the most three-vote performances with eight.
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AFL.com.au's Brownlow Predictor
33 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
33 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
32 Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
26 Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
26 Errol Gulden (Sydney)
26 Isaac Heeney (Sydney)*
25 Zach Merrett (Essendon)
Brownlow Predictor: After R6
12 Isaac Heeney (Sydney)*
12 Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide)
9 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
9 Matt Rowell (Gold Coast)
8 Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
Brownlow Predictor: After R10
22 Isaac Heeney (Sydney)*
14 Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
13 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
12 Matt Rowell (Gold Coast)
12 Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide)
12 Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
Brownlow Predictor: After R15
22 Isaac Heeney (Sydney)*
19 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
18 Errol Gulden (Sydney)
17 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
16 Chad Warner (Sydney)
16 Zach Merrett (Essendon)
Most votes last eight rounds
15 Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
14 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
11 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
11 Tom Green (GWS Giants)
10 Rowan Marshall (St Kilda)
10 Jesse Hogan (GWS Giants)
Most three-vote games
8 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
7 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
7 Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
6 Isaac Heeney (Sydney)*
6 Tom Green (GWS Giants)
Most games polling a vote
15 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
14 Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
14 Zach Merrett (Essendon)
13 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
13 Errol Gulden (Sydney)
12 Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
Highest polling first-year player
8 Harley Reid (West Coast)*
3 Darcy Wilson (St Kilda)
2 Colby McKercher (North Melbourne)
2 Caleb Windsor (Melbourne)
1 Sam Clohesy (Gold Coast)
Highest polling former Brownlow winners
33 Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
32 Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
17 Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide)
9 Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
4 Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)*
2 Dustin Martin (Richmond)
Highest polling clubs
102 Sydney
88 Brisbane
88 Western Bulldogs
85 Port Adelaide
82 GWS Giants
82 Hawthorn
81 Fremantle
80 Carlton
73 Geelong
69 Collingwood
69 Essendon
67 Gold Coast
65 St Kilda
62 Melbourne
53 Adelaide
38 North Melbourne
30 Richmond
28 West Coast
