Live: Daicos favourite to end Brownlow wait on AFL's night of nights

Is tonight the night Nick Daicos finally gets his hands on a Brownlow Medal? Or will a surprise winner make for another thrilling count?Follow the updates live from the AFL's night of nights.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:40pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:40pmAre the suspending Sydney Swans players eligible to win the Brownlow?(Getty Images)The answer is yes, each of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon are eligible to win the award tonight.They were of course suspended after events at the Pullman Hotel last month, but that was a club suspension and not a league one, so their Brownlow status is unaffected.They are not, however, able to attend tonight's event in Melbourne.Should one of them win the award (unlikely, but not impossible in the case of Heeney) it is expected a club official will accept the medal on the player's behalf.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:30pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:30pmWhy is Nick Daicos such a strong favourite?(Getty Images)Because he had an absolutely fantastic season as the standout superstar in his team. He was incredibly consistent, strong in wins and defeats, and is unlikely to have many votes stolen off him by other star teammates.It should be said that Daicos was a heavy favourite last year too and fell seven votes short of winner Matt Rowell. But in response to that shock, the AFL changed rules which now allow the umpires to see player stats after the game, something which is presumed will help Daicos's cause.It should ALSO be said that Daicos has already been named the player of the year by the coaches and his fellow players. He would clearly be a very deserving Brownlow Medallist.(Getty Images)Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:29pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:29pmA couple of Swans make their way inA lot of eyes will be on the Swans cohort that is in the building tonight.Tom McCartin and Logan McDonald have just made their way in with their partners, and a few more are expected to roll through as well.The Swans table will be a very interesting watch should Isaac Heeney get near the top of the leaderboard at the pointy end of the night.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:20pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:20pmEverything you need to know about the Brownlow tonightWe've cooked up a handy cheat-sheet with all the who, when and whats you need to know tonight.The most important thing to note is that the main event and the count itself begins at 8pm AEST.But for everything else, check out the explainer below:Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:18pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:18pmA couple of Hawks in the building(Getty Images)Not 48 hours after that crushing, incredible preliminary final defeat to Brisbane we have a few Hawthorn stars in the house.(Getty Images)James Sicily and Jai Newcombe, still no doubt smarting from Saturday night, have put on a brave face.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:13pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:13pmHird makes his way in before Dons cohortIt is unclear whether Essendon has made any progress on getting James Hird to the club, at least tonight.Hird made his way in earlier and the man who beat him in Essendon’s coaching race, Mark McVeigh, and Essendon president Andrew Welsh have just arrived together with their wives.I wonder if there will be much interaction between the trio tonight.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:06pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:06pmDaicos makes his way into the buildingNick Daicos, tonight’s hot favourite, is here on the red carpet and says the nerves are pretty good.The Pies champ says he had lunch with Patrick Dangerfield this afternoon.I wonder if Danger gave him some tips on making the winner’s speech.Daicos says he’s got no notes on him if he wins, saying: “I just want it to be authentic”.Mon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:00pmMon 21 Sep 2026 at 6:00pmWelcome to the 2026 Brownlow Medal(Getty Images)Good evening and welcome to ABC Sport's live blog coverage of the 2026 Brownlow Medal. Tonight we will look back on and celebrate the many highlights from the 2026 AFL season and present its most prestigious award to its best and fairest player.Who will it be?!? It'll be Nick Daicos. But could it be someone else?!? No. Surely it's at least possible it could be someone else?!? No it is not possible. But surely for the sake of drawing and maintaining interest in a five-hour live blog it could be someone else?!? Why, of course it could be someone else! Anything could happen!Myself and Chris De Silva will be bringing you all the goings on from footy's night of nights as grand final week officially begins. Stick around, hit up the comments and keep us company.