Brownlow Medal 2024 LIVE updates: Daicos favourite to win; red ...

After what seems like the longest afternoon of waiting (thank goodness for caffeine and chocolate!), we are finally starting to see some gowns.

And, one of the first to share their look is Abbey Gelmi, who tonight has hosting duties for Channel 7, and is heavily pregnant.

Gelmi’s black-and-white strapless gown, by Melbourne couturier Sonia Cappellazzo, leans into the bubble hem trend that was big on the catwalk at Australian Fashion Week in May.

Under that hem she is supposedly wearing shoes by her stylist, Lana Wilkinson, but she could be wearing trainers for all we know.

Brodie Ryan, in Sean Rentero.Credit: Justin McManus

Hopefully for Gelmi’s sake she doesn’t have to chase any camera-shy players down the red carpet – this dress is not made for walking.

And while it’s still early days, it seems shades of ivory, cream and blush are an early trend. Did someone say bridal inspiration?

No one misses the COVID-19 days when the Brownlow was held not once, but twice, remotely.

However, one result was stylists’ ability to work with clients long distances, something Meggy Smith keeps in her arsenal to this day. So, what’s the key to dressing someone for an event in an outfit worth thousands of dollars when you can’t physically help them into the gown?

Dayne and Talia Zorko at the 2022 Brownlow.Credit: Getty

“Communication and trust,” Smith tells me as she rushes to put the finishing touches on her clients today.

And many fittings. Though working with interstate players and partners – especially when there’s a chance of them making the Grand Final and not travelling to Melbourne for the Brownlow – has its downside: not as many people will see the gowns, as the functions in other cities rarely capture as much attention.

That is, unless you are the winner’s partner, as was the case last year with Jules Neale, wife of Lachie Neale. Smith and Neale are working together again this year, with the added challenge of Neale being pregnant (see earlier post).

But this is neither woman’s first rodeo. Smith is also styling another Grand Finalist’s partner, Dayne Zorko’s wife, Talia.

The most well-known field umpire – yet now retired as of this season – in the game, Ray Chamberlain says those who vote for the coveted Brownlow care deeply about it.

Here’s what he told Collingwood’s Tom Mitchell on the Ball Magnets podcast:

Do we get every week right? No. Does any human get everything right? No. Do we care about it? Immensely, yeah.

We understand that while it’s a unique thing, the award carries great weight, and people care about it. We definitely care about it.

AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain.Credit: Dylan Burns, Getty Images

Chamberlain said all four field umpires must agree on the votes, and they aren’t given any stats to help. “We always have questions like ‘who did we see have a role today?’” said Chamberlain.

Here’s a little more of what he said:

So generally, what we do throughout the game … you’ll get your pen, and you might jot something down on a piece of paper and have that tucked away… [For example] Flips killing it on the wing, hit the scoreboard again with that penetrating left foot.

So, you know, you’ll make a note of that or whatever the case may be. And then at the end we’ll do a process of elimination. That’s how I start. Who wouldn’t be in consideration and why.

Then, those votes are put into a sealed envelope and delivered to Armaguard.

To get you in the mood for tonight’s event, here’s a quick Q & A with Caroline Wilson, who tells us why she loves the Brownlow so much.

Brownlow dates, I’ve had a few. Corrie Perkin, Jake Niall, Sam McClure, Peter Ryan and all three of my children Rose, Ned and Clementine.

But my favourite is my husband, Brendan, and he’ll be there this year. Each year our friend Jo comes around for a pre-count champagne and then drops us off at Crown where we try to avoid the red carpet.

Brendan loves the quaint nod to history when the AFL boss starts the night by announcing the evening is a “properly constituted meeting of the AFL”. We alway think it’s overkill when the security guys deliver the votes to the stage carrying guns.

I’m looking forward to seeing our leader Chloe Saltau’s new gown and the crème de la crème of the footy community. Football people are a great crew generally speaking - although the perils of the job means there’s usually some to be avoided - and everyone except those from the losing preliminary finals teams are in a great mood.

Pregnancies on a red carpet are always cause for (extra) celebration – remember how excited everyone was when Rihanna rocked up to the 2023 Met Gala bearing her baby bump? The Brownlow is no exception, and tonight we should see several expecting mums strut the carpet.

Alexandra Merrett, wife of Essendon captain Zach Merrett, announced their soon-to-be baby Bomber on Instagram last month. She will be dressed by Cappellazzo Couture, and Chantelle Baker will do her make-up.

Toby Greene and Georgia Stirton pose at last year’s Brownlow.Credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Lachie Neale’s partner, Julie, announced in June that they are expecting their second child. She will wear Kyha Studios and Anton jewellery to the Lions’ function in Brisbane.

Spring, aka the off-season, is generally peak baby season for the AFL’s couples. Nadia Bartel attended the Brownlow twice – in 2015 and 2018 – while pregnant. Haylea Cooney, Adam Cooney’s wife, was pregnant at the 2011 Brownlow. She wrote for the Herald Sun in 2016: “I can’t imagine what the count would be like if you didn’t like footy. Boring, I guess. Pregnant and don’t like footy? Killer.”

Last year’s expecting mothers included Georgia Stirton, GWS Giants’ Toby Greene’s partner, Lincoln McCarthy’s partner Tayla Fromm and Stephen Coniglio’s wife Rebecca Demlakian.

Finally, Max Gawn’s wife Jessica also stopped the show, as her long sequinned dress gently hugged her growing bump.

Can you say you’ve walked a red carpet before breathing your first gulp of air? How iconic.

Our chief football writer Jake Niall will be in the ballroom tonight and he has a sentimental choice for tonight’s award.

This afternoon, The Age is inside Crown’s glamour suites, where Joey Scandizzo and his salon team are working their magic. Clouds of hairspray are everywhere, and curlers and straighteners decorate the floor.

Annalise Dalins walks into the room and receives a chorus of whoops and cheers.

Annalise Dalins gets ready for tonight.Credit: Justin McManus

The model and fiancee of Collingwood star Josh Daicos has become one of the most talked about stars on the red carpet.

At first glance, she’s forsaking her trademark blonde bob tonight in favour of some long extensions. But her stylist promptly snips the extensions. Annalise will be rocking a lob tonight.

So, did the model have any tips for red-carpet newbies? “I think it’s all about perspective,” she said. “Try your best to enjoy it and be present.”

A week is a long time in football, and when it comes to a player’s Brownlow prospects, the pendulum can swing from one part of the season to the next. So, what does this have to do with fashion?

Well, in some cases, the invitations to players and their partners don’t land until a couple of weeks before the Brownlow. And, with custom suits taking upwards of six weeks from measurements to finish, designers must often take a punt on who will be there on the night.

The Western Bulldogs’ Cody Weightman being fitted by stylists.Credit: Justin McManus

MNDATORY’s Brian Huynh is one such designer who had to play the odds on six players being there on Brownlow night. He measured the group for suits in July, but not all attend the count. “For those who aren’t [attending], they’ll at least have a tux or dinner suit that has pride of place in their wardrobe,” he said.

Well, it certainly beats a last-minute dash to the suit-hire shop. Indeed, men’s fashion is getting more attention this year, with many using professional stylists. Read today’s story about the fresh focus on men’s fashion at the Brownlow.