Collingwood young star Nick Daicos has made a strong start in his bid to become the fourth-youngest player to ever win a Brownlow Medal — but he’s got stiff competition.
The eyes of the football world are on Crown Palladium for the 2023 Brownlow Medal count where the winner of the AFL’s highest individual award will be revealed.
Daicos, who came into the count as the strong favourite, polled 13 of a possible 18 votes across the first first six rounds, including best-on-ground performances against Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Essendon.
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But Melbourne’s Christian Petracca and Brisbane’s Lachie Neale also polled well in the first seven rounds, accumulating 12 votes each by Round 7.
Neale was awarded three votes against the Giants in Round 6 for his 20-disposal game, despite Charlie Cameron kicking seven goals and Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio and Brent Daniels having monster games for the Giants.
Petracca took the outright lead in Round 8 with a three-vote performance against Gold Coast, before Neale usurped the Demons star after a best-on-ground game in the Q-Clash.
Daicos, according to PointsBet, is the favourite to win at $2.75, just ahead of Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli ($3.10). Petracca ($6.25), Zak Butters ($6.50) and Neale ($13) round out the top five.
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Daicos was as short as $1.62 before getting injured in Round 20, leading to his odds blowing out to $6 while sidelined. But punters have put their faith in recent weeks in Daicos, who at 20 years and 265 days could become the fourth-youngest winner after Essendon’s Dick Reynolds (19y 91d in 1934), Fitzroy’s Haydn Bunton Sr (approx 20y 73d in 1931) and dual premiership player Gavin Wanganeen (20y 96d in 1993.)
Watching on in the room will be Eagles great and 2005 Brownlow Medallist Ben Cousins, who’ll make his first appearance at the AFL’s night of nights in Melbourne in more than a decade.
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After his 270-game career — which yielded a premiership and six All-Australians — Cousins’ life spiralled out of control, leading to a public battle with drugs and legal issues, including serving a 12-month prison sentence in 2017 for stalking the mother of his children Maylea Tinecheff.
But in more recent times, Cousins appeared fit and healthy. He’s also been open about his recovery from drug addiction.
While Cousins attended the 2021 Brownlow count in Perth, this year marks the first time since he won the prestigious award in 2005 that he’s returned to Victoria for the ceremony.
“I’m somebody that hasn’t been given a second chance. I’ve been given a third, fourth and fifth for whatever reason. But that’s what it’s taken,” Cousins told The Australian.
“I want to make sure that other people in that sort of position are going to get the same understanding I do and the same help along the way I did.”
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