AFL fans have gone into meltdown on social media amid claims the Brownlow Medal winner has accidently been leaked in a now-deleted post.
A screenshot of the AFL store website shared to Twitter before the code’s night of nights got underway on Monday shows an image of some surprising Collingwood Magpies memorabilia.
The item is labelled ‘Nick Daicos 2024 Brownlow medalist signed guernsey’.
Daicos is one of the hot favourites to take out this year’s Brownlow Medal, which is awarded to the fairest and best player in the AFL during the home-and-away season.
It has since been deleted, but not before it was spotted by eagled-eyed fans and quickly went viral.
‘I got a screenshot before they took it down,’ one wrote.
Fans were outraged that the winner may have been accidentally been revealed before a single vote had been cast.
Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos (pictured with partner Arlette Amor) is a hot favourite to win this year’s Brownlow Medal
The AFL online store may have accidentally revealed the 2024 Brownlow winner before the ceremony got underway
‘If true and the AFL f’d up revealing the winner before the count, the AFL can stop with the Armaguard charade & just be open that they know the result and check the votes before the night,’ one fumed.
Another pundit added: ‘Interesting that Daicos just took favouritism on Betfair for the Brownlow Medal following this tweet doing the rounds. Surely this is a mistake?’
But others weren’t convinced that Daicos will be the winner.
‘They do it every year, getting ready the different favourites so they can start flogging the merchandise as soon as the winner is known,’ one fan wrote.
Another added: ‘This same thing happened a few years ago. Wrong then, wrong again!’
A third commented: ‘This is either the greatest troll of all time or the biggest screw up by the AFL since employing Andrew Dillon.’
Earlier in the day, Daicos and Carlton Blues superstar Patrick Cripps were tied in first on AFL.com.au’s Brownlow Predictor.
Brisbane Lions superstar Lachie Neale (with wife Julie) could win his third Brownlow medal
Patrick Cripps (pictured with wife Monique on the red carpet) is also in the running
Cripps ($2.40) took out the award in 2022 and has had an exceptional season for the Blues and is tied with Daicos on 33 points in the system.
Cripps was second the medal count after the first seven rounds with 13 points, one behind Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney, who’s ineligible to take out the award after he copped a suspension earlier in the season.
Also in the running to win his third Brownlow is Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale.
