Biggest game in town brings the big names together

James Hird was hot on the heels of Mark McVeigh in the race for Essendon coach this year, and on the Brownlow red carpet he again ran second to his old friend.

McVeigh arrived at the Crown Palladium ballroom about 6.15pm on Monday with Essendon president Andrew Welsh .

Hird, who had media commitments and was a hit on the red carpet alongside Natalie Young , made it upstairs to the event room several minutes later.

The former Essendon great told Nine’s Footy Classified last week that he was yet to meet with the club and had been “genuinely upset” that news of a proposed catch-up to discuss alternative roles with the Bombers had leaked.

Could CBD be so bold as to suggest football’s night of nights might be the perfect place to break bread.

After a year of chaos and scandal, the biggest game in town drew its biggest names together to celebrate the game’s best and fairest.

Among the AFL power brokers, players and club identities pulling on their glad rags were league boss Andrew Dillion , chair Craig Drummond and AFL commission members Paul Bassat , Robin Bishop , Denise Bowden , Matt de Boer , Andrew Ireland , Andrew Newbold , Gab Trainor and Simone Wilkie .

The league’s chief operating officer, Tom Harley ; Melbourne’s Mr Everywhere, Eddie McGuire (he and his wife Carla incredibly elegant in perfect black tie); Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler ; Carlton president Robert Priestley ; Collingwood president Barry Carp ; Geelong president Grant McCabe ; and St Kilda president Andrew Bassat were also spotted.

After pulling off the coaching coup of the year with the appointment of Ken Hinkley, chief executive of the AFL’s newest club, the Tasmanian Devils, Brendon Gale was spotted getting a happy snap. Also attending were former AFL commission chairs Richard Goyder and Mike Fitzpatrick , who were observed chatting outside the VIP drinks area in the Palladium foyer.

Fast off the mark, former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou was one of the first to land in the ballroom foyer. No event in Melbourne is complete without Martin Pakula present – he was there in his role as chair of Crown.

Former Brownlow winners in the room included Shane Crawford , Ben Cousins , Adam Cooney , Jason Akermanis and Robert DiPierdomenico .

The more than 1000 guests devoured an entree of king salmon tartare, pickled kohlrabi, baby capers, avocado, creme fraiche and salmon roe.

The main course was beef sirloin with truffle potato gratin, baby carrots, roasted shallots and bone marrow jus. It was followed by a dessert platter.

Opposition leader Jess Wilson took a cost of living and sustainable fashion mindset into Monday night’s Brownlow Medal by sourcing her dress second-hand from Facebook marketplace.