Brownlow mega-guide: Expert tips, the contenders round by round, and the roughies

Tipping the Brownlow winner should not be too difficult, at least if you trust our experts. Ten of The Age’s 13 tipsters have selected Nick Daicos, the silky son of a Magpie great, to claim football’s highest individual honour in 2024. But what if you look beyond the favourites, for a roughie capable of upstaging the superstar midfielders of the competition? (And let’s be honest, it’s not dubbed the midfielder’s medal for nothing.)

On the sixth line of betting is an All-Australian from the west who figures in the selections of four of our experts. Emma Kearney, Sam McClure and Jon Pierik chose Fremantle star Caleb Serong as their roughie, while Marnie Vinall thinks he will finish second in the count at Crown Palladium on Monday night.

Clockwise from top left: The bookmakers’ Brownlow top four in Patrick Cripps, Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli and Lachie Neale. Credit: Getty Images/Marija Ercegovac

While fellow Dockers Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young will also attract the umpires’ attention, Serong could bolt out of the blocks with maximum votes in the opening two rounds, and is forecast to poll in another 12 rounds after that.

There are some other interesting names among our experts’ predictions, too. Kane Cornes has a Port tough nut in the mix, while Peter Ryan thinks a quick Cat is worth a look.

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