Magpie 'riot' on cards if Daicos denied Brownlow glory

There has long been a sense of inevitability around Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos winning a Brownlow Medal before his decorated career is over.

The little champion's ascension to AFL greatness, it seems, is almost here.

Daicos is a near-unbackable favourite - the shortest in history at $1.01 with many bookmakers - to add the game's most coveted individual award to his rapidly expanding list of accolades.

The 23-year-old is tipped to be a runaway winner, and projected to surpass Patrick Cripps' record winning tally of 45 votes.

The record, and whether Daicos can crack 50 votes, might be the most intriguing aspect of the count at Melbourne's Crown Palladium ballroom on Monday night.

The near-certain result follows Daicos' runner-up finishes in the past two seasons; a third placing in 2023; and an eighth place in his debut season of 2022.

"He arguably should be a three-time Brownlow medallist," Magpies teammate Lachie Schultz told AAP.

"Definitely this year - I think we'll riot if he doesn't get it this year. It's very due and it's very deserved."

It is the fourth consecutive year that Daicos heads to the Brownlow count as the favourite.

The brilliant playmaker was edged out by Gold Coast's Matt Rowell last year and record-breaker Cripps the year before.

Western Bulldogs champion Marcus Bontempelli and Geelong midfielder Bailey Smith are seen as Dacios' nearest rivals, if you can call them that.

Bontempelli, already a two-time runner-up, is about a $51 chance in betting markets and Smith around $67, with Cripps ($81) and Brisbane's Will Ashcroft ($101) next in line at extremely long odds.

Isaac Heeney ($201) is considered the best chance of the Sydney players who were suspended in the fallout from the Pullman Hotel scandal, but almost certainly won't embarrass the AFL further by winning the award.

Daicos has already snared the AFL Players Association and AFL Coaches Association player-of-the-year awards this season - both for the second time.