Patrick Cripps has added a second Brownlow Medal to his career and done it in record fashion, polling 45 votes to finish well clear of the field at the AFL’s count on Monday night.

The Carlton captain’s total broke the previous high-water mark of 36 votes, a tally set by Dustin Martin in 2017 and matched by Ollie Wines in 2021. Cripps’ count also underlined just how dominant he was across the season: by the final rounds, the result was effectively settled, and he still collected maximum votes in the closing games to push the margin out even further.

The victory makes Cripps the 17th player to win multiple Brownlow Medals. He first won the award in 2022 and now joins a small group of dual medallists whose names sit repeatedly in AFL history books.

ABC News Australia reported that the Carlton midfielder-captain was already well ahead when the evening reached its later stages, while Nick Daicos finished runner-up on 38 votes. That total was itself good enough to beat the old record, but it still left the Collingwood star far behind Cripps. The voting gap was wide enough that there was little suspense in the final stretch once Cripps had surged clear.

Cripps’ season had already been central to Carlton’s push back into consecutive finals series, and the count reinforced the narrative that he had been the competition’s most consistent midfielder over the course of the year. The Brownlow is often decided by narrow margins or late swings, but this count was different. Cripps’ accumulation of votes reflected sustained influence rather than a single burst of standout performances.

The evening also produced other award winners. West Coast’s Harley Reid received goal of the year for his long run and finish against Melbourne, while Collingwood forward Bobby Hill won the mark of the year for a spectacular grab against North Melbourne. Adelaide ruckman Reilly O’Brien was recognised with the Jim Stynes Community Award for his work as a mental health advocate in South Australian schools.

Cripps used his acceptance speech to thank Carlton, his family and coach Michael Voss, and said the award carried responsibility as well as status. He also spoke directly to young players, urging them to work hard and chase their dreams. The tone matched the season itself: hard-edged, disciplined and relentlessly productive.

For Carlton, the result confirmed the standing of a player who has become both the face of the club and one of the defining midfielders of the modern era. For the league, it produced a rare Brownlow result that felt settled before the final votes were even read, yet still ended with history attached to it.

Cripps did not just win the medal. He set the standard by which the rest of the count was measured.