Patrick Cripps has smashed the AFL Brownlow votes record, dominating the count and securing his second medal with three rounds left.

The Carlton captain polled 45 votes, including 12 three-vote games out of the 24 rounds, to beat fellow pre-count favourite Nick Daicos of Collingwood by seven on Monday night in Melbourne.

Daicos’ runner-up total of 38 also beat the old record, held jointly by Richmond’s Dustin Martin (2017) and Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines (’21).

The 29-year-old is the first player to win two Brownlows playing for Carlton, after he also won the game’s most prestigious individual honour two years ago.

Cripps started his acceptance speech by paying tribute to Daicos, saying “I love watching you play, I enjoy going against you”.

Fittingly, Carlton’s round-21 win over Collingwood was a pivotal moment in the count.

Cripps polled three votes, taking him to 39 and securing the votes record.

Daicos polled two, taking him to 30, meaning the Magpies young gun needed a perfect run over the last three rounds – and for Cripps to grind to a halt – to force a tie.

When Cripps polled two in round 22, Cripps was confirmed the outright winner and he added emphasis to his victory with threes in his last two matches.

“I knew it was my consistent year. I had to go work on my game at the end of last year,” Cripps said.

“I’m so grateful … it’s something I don’t take for granted.”

“It is a great honour to be up here, it is something I don’t take for granted,” said Cripps.

“I was once a young kid inspired by past greats, and now I am in a position to inspire.

“If you have a dream and get up and chase it, you can do amazing things. Life is short, so get after it.”

In a note to Carlton members soon after the win, coach Michael Voss said Cripps was one of the greatest players in Blues’ history.

Cripps also complimented Voss in his acceptance speech. After the Blues’ season ended with their elimination final loss to Brisbane, Cripps said of their coach “you are taking the club forward”.

Zak Butters polled 29 for third and after three years of tight finishes, it was an emphatic win for Cripps.

Renowned for putting the Blues on his back when the game is in the balance, Cripps made his fourth All-Australian team this year, named vice-captain, and is the 17th player to win multiple Brownlows.

Carlton greats Judd and Greg Williams also won two Brownlows, but Judd won his first medal at West Coast and Williams at Sydney.

Cripps took the outright lead halfway through the season from Sydney star Isaac Heeney, who was ineligible because of his round-17 striking suspension.

Heeney was a big story, especially early in the count, when he raced to 21 votes by round 10 – a Brownlow record.

But Heeney’s charge lost steam through the middle of the season.

Melbourne’s 2021 premiership star Angus Brayshaw, who had to leave the game before this season started because of repeated concussions, proposed an emotional toast on behalf of his fellow players who have also retired this year.

High-flying Collingwood forward Bobby Hill won mark of the year and, in his debut season, West Coast midfielder Harley Reid claimed goal of the year.

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award was also presented during the Brownlow function to Adelaide ruckman Reilly O’Brien.

Annalise Dalins led the Brownlow red carpet looks in a gown by Oglia-Loro Couture. Photo: AAP

From haute couture to upcycling

Pink and lavender shades caught the eye as the AFL’s top players and their partners walked the Brownlow Medal red carpet in style.

With ensembles ranging from an upcycled, decade-old formal dress to $10,000 custom gowns, style-watchers were gripped by the Brownlow’s pre-ceremony proceedings at Crown Melbourne.

Annalise Dalins, new fiancée of Collingwood star Daicos, led the looks in a gown by Oglia-Loro Couture, where styles typically retail for five-figure sums.

The 23-year-old was in her third year at the storied event and opted for a fringed, near-translucent gown matched with a pair of Tony Bianco nude heels.

Former Collingwood coach and 2003 medallist Nathan Buckley and girlfriend Brodie Ryan made their first Brownlow appearance as a couple.

Brodie opted for a satin blush pink number that flared into a skirt, paired with a triple-strand of pearls and a side-swept hairstyle.

Triple J host Dee Salmin opted for a different approach to many of her counterparts, with an ensemble that initially cost her just $20 on re-sale website Etsy.

Salmin, whose partner is Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, turned her year 12 formal dress from 2011 into a skirt for her second Brownlow.

She teamed the lavender outfit with a halter top made of stained-glass shards by Melbourne designer Poppy Templeton and local jeweller Millie Savage.

Rebecca Judd, who made headlines exactly 20 years ago with her choice of a plunging red dress, returned to the red carpet after a hiatus.

Judd, who is married to two-time medallist Judd, opted for a strapless, floor-length Jaton Couture gown that was etched with lacing in its pale pink bodice.