If anyone knows about the meaning and prestige of the Brownlow Medal, it's the mercurial 2001 winner Jason Akermanis.
The former Brisbane and Western Bulldogs star claimed "Charlie" 25 years ago before he and his Lions' secured their maiden flag a few days later.
Ahead of Monday night's Brownlow Medal count, Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos is the - very - short-priced favourite to take home the glamorous award after a stellar season and back-to-back second place finishes.
It appears from the outset that Daicos won't have a challenger on the night, with many pundits trying to guess how early in the rounds the Magpie will claim the award. Akermanis told Zero Hanger that had one opposition player been given a clean run this season, he thinks he could have challenged Daicos for the coveted award.
"I'm really hoping for Nick, he is a good kid, great 'fella' and a great player and he's finished second a couple of times too," Akermanis said.
"The only guy I thought would have got close, I mean there are a few guys that have had great years don't get me wrong, but I would have thought that probably Errol Gulden (would have pushed Daicos). He was injured most of the year for a little bit, but outside of him. You never really know what the umpires see."
This year will mark the first time that umpires will have access to certain AFL provided stats before they make their decision on the three, two, one votes for each game.
Umpires will be able to check players' number of kicks, handballs, disposals, marks, contested marks, tackles, goals, behinds, goal assists, score involvements, clearances, contested possessions, hitouts, kick-ins, intercept marks, intercept possessions and spoils.
The decision came to allow umpires to view stats after dubious votes occurred in games over the past few seasons; eventual winner, Gold Coast's Matt Rowell, got three votes for his 17-disposal, eight-tackle and four-clearance performance in Round 4, 2025.
Port Adelaide midfielder Jason Horne-Francis earned three votes in 2023 for his Round 14 performance where he recorded 13 disposals.
When asked whether he would have liked stats to have been available to umpires during his playing days, Akermanis said he couldn't decide if it would have been beneficial.
"I'm not sure if it helps or hinders," he said.
"There were a couple of things they used to do as umpires which they stopped which was they were able to listen to radio and radio votes. Then they stopped that. The stats are the stats, the midfielders are always going to dominate the stats.
"Hopefully, that's part of their growth as an umpire to be able to read what the stats mean."
Akermanis won the Brownlow Medal in 2001 ahead of Adelaide superstar and friend Andrew McLeod with 23 votes; incredible when compared to recent winners Rowell (39 votes) or Carlton's Patrick Cripps (45).
The 49-year-old recalled the strange environment in which he won the Brownlow Medal a quarter of a century ago.
"It was 2001 and September 11 had just happened and then (Australian airplane travel company) Ansett had just collapsed, so it was just a really weird kind of month," he said.
"We had just won the Preliminary Final and we didn't want to travel down there for the Brownlow which was very, very interesting and very odd.
"There was a fierce debate with the CEO at the time Andrew Demetriou and Leigh Matthews, which Leigh actually won and said, 'No we are not going down twice (to Melbourne in one week)'.
"We went to the club and they had the ceremony which was fed in. I was in the lead at halfway and I had a lot of really good games early in the year and then in Round 21 I got three votes down in Geelong.
"Andrew McLeod, who I played with and was a mate of mine, we played for Australia together the year before. It was down to that last game. Only 23 votes. Oh man, you wouldn't even get in the top 10 with 23 votes now days - it's so different."
In terms of catching the umpires' gaze for Brownlow votes, Akermanis said he had a couple of tricks to play on game day.
"I did. I never spoke to the umpires that was the first thing," he said.
"A lot of the times I got votes was when I was kicking goals in the last quarter. That was always a good idea."
Akermanis had a career any player would dream of emulating. He finished on 325 games and 421 goals with four All-Australians and three premierships across 2001-03.
However, the achievement that changed Akermanis' life the most was the Brownlow Medal win 25 years ago.
"You don't play for Brownlows, you certainly play for premierships. Having won the premiership was just fantastic. That's why we all do it," he said.
"(The Brownlow) changed my life. Ever since that day everything's different. The way you are looked at is different, the way you play, the expectations both on and off the field plus post-footy, all your expectations just become so much higher for what everyone has of you and probably what you have of yourself.
"It's good and bad and not really right or wrong, it's just the way it is. Some guys really thrive after a Brownlow and go on to do bigger and better things, some guys really struggle with everything that comes with it. The expectations, their own and outside expectations.
"I know guys like Dane Swan don't rate it and I don't know why that's just the way he feels, but I have not met a Brownlow Medallist or someone that's nearly won it not think anything other than this is some (serious) award to win I can tell you."
