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Last Chances, Phantom Brownlow, Favourites and Roughies, Round-by-round guide; AFL finals 2024

Posted on by Vaseline

EXPERT TIPS

Jake Niall

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Marcus Bontempelli
Rough: Zach Merrett
Nick Daicos was my pre-season pick, and he stood out even more this year than he did last year. It’s hard to see him missing out on the podium. Like many, I’ll be backing The Bont, with the only question being whether Adam Treloar can steal votes from the champions. Zach Merrett is Essendon’s best player almost every time they win.

Emma Kearney

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Patrick Cripps
Rough: Kaleb Serong
All three midfielders had excellent years and were the dominant mids of their teams. Daicos has had a consistent year and is very noticeable to the umpires due to his class on the outside.

Greg Baum

Winner: Marcus Bontempelli
Second place: Nick Daicos
Rough: Jason Horne-Francis
Bontempelli’s best games were outliers, and the Bulldogs won enough games to consistently give him other votes. Carlton’s late-season collapse will damage Patrick Cripps’ hopes.

Andrew Wu

Winner: Patrick Cripps and Nick Daicos
Second place: Lachie Neale
Rough: Errol Gulden
I am giving a joint winner on the night for the first time since 2003. Both midfielders have been outstanding in teams that have won more than they have lost and have rarely been beaten by large margins. Lachie Neale always scores well in the polls and Errol Gulden has been as productive this year as he was last year.

Sam McClure

Winner: Patrick Cripps
Second place: Lachie Neale
Rough: Kaleb Serong
Patrick Cripps had an epic season individually, only to be under the radar due to his team’s catastrophic fall. Lachie Neale will storm home, but I expect the Blues captain to win his second.

Peter Ryan

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Lachie Neale
Rough: Max Holmes
When Nick Daicos plays well he dominates, which means he will score three-pointers. Lachie Neale’s middle part of the season was exceptional, with Patrick Cripps also close. Holmes was Geelong’s best player and will be well-regarded in the polls.

Marc McGowan

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Patrick Cripps
Rough: Tom Green
Daicos was brilliant again in 2024, with a knee injury likely to stop him winning last year. Cripps is a clear threat, while Green has won a stack of Sherrin.

Kane Cornes

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Lachie Neale
Rough: Bag of Butters
Daicos is the obvious choice and because he was injured last year, the referees will favour him when tossing him over other influential players on match day. More midfield minutes this season means more votes.

Michael Gleeson

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Marcus Bontempelli
Rough: Jai Newcombe
Daicos’ final game of the year in the dead-rubber win over Melbourne, when he was running around and certain of three votes, could give him the edge. Patrick Cripps had a good year but the Blues’ late-season wind-down makes things tough. The Dogs won enough for The Bont to get votes.

Jon Pierik

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Patrick Cripps
Rough: Kaleb Serong
This is an extremely close battle between Daicos and Cripps, and we may well have joint winners. Cripps will start well, before Daicos gets going between rounds eight and twelve. There could be four best on grounds for the Magpie from round 18 (Cripps may have three), which may be enough for Daicos to salute.

Libby Berk

Winner: Patrick Cripps
Second place: Marcus Bontempelli
Rough: Jason Horne-Francis
In a year where Carlton stumbled, Cripps held his own consistently and was a standout performer, particularly in the second half of the year.

Marnie Vinall

Winner: Nick Daicos
Second place: Kaleb Serong
Rough: Zach Merrett
While it’s hard not to include Marcus Bontempelli on that list, Nick Daicos had a great year. It was hard to miss him last year due to a late injury. Essendon may have had a less than ideal season and Merrett didn’t even make the All-Australian team, but he played consistently well.

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