The AFL's night of nights is expected to return to its previous form, with the league being relatively impact-free of COVID-19.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2022 Brownlow Medal.
WHEN IS THE 2022 BROWNLOW MEDAL?
The 2022 Charles Brownlow Medal Count will be on Sunday, September 18 at 7:30pm (AEST).
Broadcasting will begin at 7:00pm (AEST), beginning with the Virgin Australia Runway.
The event was originally due to be held on Monday but was moved so as not to clash with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
MORE: Brownlow Medal 2022 Betting Guide
WHERE IS THE BROWNLOW MEDAL CEREMONY?
Following two years away from the AFL's capital, the Brownlow Medal Count will return to the Crown Palladium in Melbourne's CBD.
HOW TO WATCH THE BROWNLOW MEDAL IN 2022
The Seven network will broadcast the Brownlow Medal ceremony LIVE from 7:00pm (AEST).
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth will be able to watch on 7, while it will be aired on 7mate in Sydney and Brisbane.
The coverage will be hosted by Hamish McLachlan and Rebecca Maddern.
2022 BROWNLOW MEDAL ODDS
| Lachie Neale | $3.00 |
| Clayton Oliver | $3.75 |
| Patrick Cripps | $5.00 |
| Touk Miller | $10 |
| Andrew Brayshaw | $9.00 |
| Christian Petracca | $12 |
| Rory Laird | $67 |
| Sam Walsh | $81 |
| Callum Mills | $81 |
Odds via TAB, correct as of September 18.
2022 BROWNLOW PREDICTOR
Want the inside word on who's set to take out Charlie this year? Look no further.
Throughout the season, your pals at Sporting News have, just like the umpires, given a 3-2-1 for every game.
Take a look at the business end of our leaderboard below.
| Name | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Cripps | Carlton | 29 |
| Clayton Oliver | Melbourne | 28 |
| Rory Laird | Adelaide | 27 |
| Andrew Brayshaw | Fremantle | 25 |
| Lachie Neale | Brisbane | 25 |
| Christian Petracca | Melbourne | 21 |
| Touk Miller | Gold Coast | 21 |
| Jeremy Cameron | Geelong | 20 |
| Connor Rozee | Port Adelaide | 20 |
| Zach Merrett | Essendon | 20 |
Carlton's Patrick Cripps is tipped to win the 2022 Brownlow Medal.
After a strong start to the season, of which Cripps is expected to poll eight times in the first 10 rounds, the Blues skipper makes his move late in the year after relinquishing the lead.
Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw and Melbourne's Clayton Oliver share the lead at times, while surprise packet Rory Laird is also predicted to poll well.
Jeremy Cameron leads the charge for big men in the game, after a stellar season which resulted in another All-Australian jacket.
WHICH PLAYERS ARE INELIGIBLE TO WIN THE BROWNLOW?
Any player suspended for a week or more is ineligible for the Brownlow Medal.
Adelaide Crows: N/A
Brisbane Lions: Mitch Robinson (Round 1), Oscar McInerney (Round 3), Noah Answerth (Round 23), Cam Rayner (Round 23)
Carlton: Liam Stocker (Round 7), Will Hayes (Round 19)
Collingwood: Brayden Maynard (AAMI Community Series), Nathan Kreuger (AAMI Community Series), Jordan De Goey (Round 3)
Essendon: Mason Redman (Round 10)
Fremantle: Sam Switkowski (Round 10)
Geelong Cats: Tom Stewart (Round 15)
Gold Coast SUNS: N/A
GWS GIANTS: Braydon Preuss (AAMI Community Series/Round 4/Round 14)
Hawthorn: Sam Frost (Round 11), Will Day (Round 16), Changkuoth Jiath (Round 20)
Melbourne: Ben Brown (Round 4), Kade Chandler (Round 9)
North Melbourne: Ben McKay (Round 6), Nick Larkey (Round 7), Lachie Young (Round 13), Jason Horne-Francis (Round 13), Flynn Perez (Round 19)
Port Adelaide: N/A
Richmond: Rhyan Mansell (Round 8), Marlion Pickett (Round 9), Nick Vlastuin (Round 16)
St Kilda: Paddy Ryder (Round 4), Brad Crouch (Round 22
Sydney Swans: James Rowbottom (Round 9), Josh Kennedy (Round 10), Lance Franklin (Round 11), Peter Ladhams (Round 14)
West Coast Eagles: Alex Witherden (AAMI Community Series), Liam Ryan (Round 9), Jai Culley (Round 20), Tim Kelly (Round 21)
Western Bulldogs: Bailey Smith (Round 12)
BRAYSHAW WINS AFLPA MVP
Andrew Brayshaw was awarded with the AFLPA MVP, becoming the youngest player to ever win at 22 years of age.
Brayshaw averaged 29 touches, six tackles, four clearances and four marks a game in 2022, joining some of the elite midfielders in the competition.
Ahead of Clayton Oliver and Shai Bolton, the young Docker proved to be a catalyst for the dramatic rise of Fremantle, with the club finishing fifth and returning to finals for the first time since 2015.
AFLPA MVP top five
- Andrew Brayshaw
- Clayton Oliver
- Shai Bolton
- Lachie Neale
- Jeremy Cameron
BROWNLOW MEDAL HISTORY
The Brownlow Medal, or 'The Charles Brownlow Trophy', is awarded to the AFL's best and fairest player.
It was first awarded in 1924 and has been awarded every season since, barring 1942-45 because of World War II.
The medal is named after Charles Brownlow, a former Geelong Football Club footballer (1880-1891), club secretary (1885-1923), and VFL president (1918-19), who died in January 1924 after an extended illness.
Cats player Edward 'Carji' Greeves won the inaugural medal on a total of seven votes, with just a single vote given from each game to the player the umpire thought was best on ground.
The lowest winning tally has been four which secured Richmond's Stan Judkins the medal in 1930 (later shared with Allan Hopkins of Footscray and Collingwood's Harry Collier on countback), while Dustin Martin (2017) and Ollie Wine's (2021) 36 votes is the record highest total under the current system.
Four players have won the medal three times: Haydn Bunton (Fitzroy 1931, '32, '35), Dick Reynolds (Essendon 1934, '37, '38), Bob Skilton (South Melbourne 1959, '63, '68) and Ian Stewart (St Kilda 1965, '66, Richmond 1971).
Nat Fyfe is the only current player to have won it more than once.
HOW DOES BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTING WORK?
At the end of each game in the home-and-away season, the umpires award three votes to the best player, two to the second-best player, and one to the third-best player.
The votes are tallied and revealed on the night of the ceremony, with the player with the most votes receiving the Brownlow Medal (subject to eligibility).
The fairest component of the medal is achieved by making any player ineligible who is suspended by the AFL Tribunal during the home-and-away season.
An ineligible player can't win the Brownlow Medal, regardless of the number of votes he has received.
This came into play in 1996, 1997 and 2012, when Corey McKernan, Chris Grant and Jobe Watson were all ineligible to win the Brownlow.
PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE BROWNLOW MEDAL
Here's who's won the Brownlow Medal since 2010, showcasing the dominance of midfielders in the award.
| Year | Player | Votes |
| 2021 | Ollie Wines | 36 |
| 2020 | Lachie Neale | 31 |
| 2019 | Nat Fyfe | 33 |
| 2018 | Tom Mitchell | 28 |
| 2017 | Dustin Martin | 36 |
| 2016 | Patrick Dangerfield | 35 |
| 2015 | Nat Fyfe | 31 |
| 2014 | Matt Priddis | 26 |
| 2013 | Gary Ablett Jnr | 28 |
| 2012 | Trent Cotchin/Sam Mitchell | 26 |
| 2011 | Dane Swan | 34 |
| 2010 | Chris Judd | 30 |
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