He really was inevitable.
Going into the Brownlow Medal as favourite for the fourth time, Nick Daicos finally claimed the award he was destined to win, with a record-setting 47 votes to top the 2026 count.
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It’s not as if his rivals didn’t have great seasons – Bailey Smith’s 36 votes would’ve been enough to win every medal before 2024, and Marcus Bontempelli’s 34 would’ve won most of those as well.
But Daicos is simply a football robot, constructed to earn best-on-grounds, enabled by a Collingwood system that revolves around him with good reason.
These are the Talking Points from the 2026 Brownlow Medal!
See the Talking Points from the 2026 Brownlow Medal count.Source: FOX SPORTS
THE RECORDS NICK SMASHED ON WILD NIGHT
He couldn’t quite reach the magical 50-vote mark, but Nick Daicos broke almost every possible record on route to his 2026 Brownlow triumph.
He started the season brilliantly with three consecutive three-vote games, and claimed another 10 from there – including a staggering eight best-on-grounds between Rounds 15 and 23.
His six consecutive three-vote games between Rounds 15 and 20 are the most consecutively recorded in V/AFL history, surpassing five players who were best-on-ground five times in a row; most recently Matt Rowell across late 2024 and early 2025.
That brought him to a record total of 47 votes, surpassing Patrick Cripps’ 45 from the 2024 season – the year Daicos polled 38 (which would’ve been the record without Cripps) and finished second.
It was the equal-biggest winning margin in Brownlow history.
Daicos’ total of 13 best-on-grounds surpassed Cripps’ 2024 record tally of 12.
For his career, Daicos now has 38 three-vote games, the sixth-most in Brownlow history. That’s despite playing just 110 home and away matches.
Every other player in the top 10 for the most three-vote games has played more than twice as many matches as Daicos.
The second half of Daicos’ 2026 season was, according to the Brownlow votes at least, the greatest patch of form in footy history.
He polled a staggering 31 votes from Round 11 onwards – meaning he could’ve been overseas until mid-May and still would’ve made the podium on Brownlow night.
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BONT’S UNWANTED HISTORY
Nick Daicos’ maiden Brownlow Medal triumph will only go further to shine an unwanted light on Marcus Bontempelli.
The Western Bulldogs superstar has long been considered the best, most well-rounded player in the competition, yet still hasn’t been recognised with a Charlie.
It will continue to feel like one of the great footy injustices as far as individual accolades go.
And on Monday night, he officially claimed the title of most votes in Brownlow history without winning the medal.
He has polled 247 career votes, surpassing Scott Pendlebury (230) and Joel Selwood (214).
The Dogs’ captain polled 33 votes in 2021 to finish three behind Ollie Wines, 29 in 2023 to finish two behind Lachie Neale, 25 last year, and a career-best 34 on Monday night – only to finish 13 votes behind Daicos.
By the end of next year Bontempelli could have the all-time Brownlow vote record – he’s 15 behind equal-record holders Gary Ablett Jr and Patrick Dangerfield – and yet not have a Brownlow.
Though with Zak Butters on his way to the Kennel this offseason, that’s another star – along with Ed Richards – set to take votes off him going forward.
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ROGUE VOTES
Monday night’s count was rightly all about Nick Daicos.
But the superstar’s three-vote game in Collingwood’s Round 1 loss to Adelaide drew the ire of fans across social media.
Despite the 14-point margin, the Magpies never really threatened in the second half at the MCG, but Daicos still recorded 33 disposals and two goals.
It was a performance worthy of recognition, but three? Maybe, maybe not.
Umpires couldn’t find a single vote for Crows halfback Wayne Milera, who had 34 disposals and 673 metres gained.
But it was far from the only game to raise the eyebrows of those watching from home.
North Melbourne’s Harry Sheezel deservedly polled well at Crown Palladium, and would have benefited from the umpires’ access to stats.
But his three votes against the Eagles in the Roos’ Round 2 loss wasn’t received overly well by those in blue and gold.
Sheezel tallied 39 disposals and eight clearances in the 17-point loss, but didn’t poll any votes from the coaches.
The Kangaroos standout also earned recognition in the Round 7 loss to the Giants, receiving two votes for his 32 disposals and a goal.
Initially tipped to be in a close race with Luke Davies-Uniacke for most North Melbourne votes, Sheezel comfortably took that mantle.
Sheezel racked up the most Brownlow votes from a Roos player since Ross Glendinning won in 1983.
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COUNT THAT BROUGHT SMILE TO DOGS’ FACES… AND FEAR FOR THE COMP
They were the Andrew Dillon words that would have had Bulldogs fans smiling from ear to ear on Monday night.
In the Dogs’ two-point Round 9 win over Port Adelaide, the polling read: One vote; Ed Richards, two votes; Zak Butters; three votes; Marcus Bontempelli.
And Butters couldn’t help but crack a smile when cameras panned to him, sitting on the Port Adelaide table.
Because he, and every other Dogs fan, knows that’ll be the club’s starting midfield combination next season, after Butters officially nominated his childhood club as his free agency destination.
And it’s yet another scary reminder to the rest of the competition that this engine room will be the cream of the competition next year.
Bontempelli’s craft and versatility, Richards’ top-line speed, and Butters’ contested nature and explosion from stoppage.
It’s going to be incredibly hard to stop, as the umpires noted on that night at Adelaide Oval early in the season.
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NO HARD FEELINGS BETWEEN NICK AND ZAK?
Given how things went over the ensuing week, it was a bit of a surprise to see Zak Butters poll in the Gather Round loss to St Kilda.
That was the game where the Tribunal found he had sledged umpire Nick Foot – later overturned on appeal due to a juror-in-the-car technicality.
Foot and his fellow umpires came together after the game to decide who deserved the votes, and it’s good to see Foot didn’t let any potential personal feelings get in the way of his judgement.
Butters had been expected to poll one vote by most Brownlow trackers and did just that.
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FREO’S SNEAKY GRAND FINAL RECRUIT?
Always nice when you can add another midfielder just before the Grand Final.
Fremantle fans, and Carlton fans too, would’ve been surprised when Andrew Dillon announced in Round 7 that “Fremantle, S.Walsh” had polled one vote.
Sam Walsh happens to be contracted until the end of 2034, making it a particularly unlikely move.