Brownlow Medal — when is it, how to watch and who are the ...

The traditional start to AFL grand final week is nearly here, as the Brownlow Medal will be awarded on Monday night to the league's best-and-fairest player for 2024.

It promises to be an intriguing night, with a number of past winners in contention for the league's highest individual honour, along with one established champion and one potential great of the game who are both seeking their first win.

The fashion on display beforehand on the red carpet will also be a big focus of attention.

Here's what you need to know about the AFL's night of nights.

The Brownlow Medal count will be held on Monday, September 23, starting at 8pm AEST (or 7:30pm ACST in Darwin and Adelaide, or 6pm AWST in Perth).

The event will be broadcast live on the Seven Network and streamed via 7Plus from 7:30pm AEST.

You can also follow the count on ABC Sport's live blog on the night.

Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps has a good chance of adding a second Brownlow Medal to the one he won in 2022. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Michael Willson)

This year there are a couple of favourites, with a few other legitimate challengers.

The two main favourites are Carlton's Patrick Cripps and Collingwood's Nick Daicos.

Blues skipper Cripps won the Brownlow in 2022 and he has had an excellent season for Carlton, averaging 28.7 disposals, eight clearances and 15.6 contested possessions a game.

Collingwood young gun Daicos was the favourite for last year's medal for most of the year, before injury ended his chances.

This season, he has had another brilliant year, averaging 30.7 disposals, 13.9 contested possessions and 7.7 clearances a game.

Daicos also has two of the three goals that are finalists for AFL goal of the year, which will be announced earlier in the night before the Brownlow is awarded.

Other players who are right in the mix are Western Bulldogs star and skipper Marcus Bontempelli, not to mention Brisbane captain Lachie Neale, who could earn his third Brownlow after wins in 2020 and 2023.

Sydney's Isaac Heeney had a great season, including kicking 28 goals — but his one-match ban for striking makes him ineligible for the Brownlow. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

Unlike other awards, the Brownlow Medal is decided by the votes of the umpires.

For every game of the home-and-away season (not counting finals), umpires award votes to the three best players on the field.

The best player is given three votes, the second-best two votes and the third-best one vote.

The votes are kept secret and are revealed round-by-round at the ceremony.

The player who ends with the most votes at the end of the season is crowned the Brownlow Medal winner.

The award is for the fairest and best players, so those who have been suspended for a week or more during the season are ineligible.

One of the players who is likely to pool very well, and could even come close to leading the count, is Sydney star Isaac Heeney.

Heeney came third in this year's AFL Coaches Association Champion Player award, behind Nick Daicos and Patrick Cripps.

However, Heeney is ineligible to win this year's Brownlow after he was suspended for one match for striking St Kilda's Jimmy Webster in round 17.

If he tops the count, then whoever comes second will be the Brownlow winner.

In the event of a tie, the Brownlow can be shared, as was the case in 2003 when Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto, Collingwood's Nathan Buckley and Sydney's Adam Goodes shared the medal.