SUNDAY night, it rolls around again.

The highest individual honour in the game will be awarded at Crown Palladium this weekend at the 2022 Brownlow Medal.

Not for the first time, Patrick Cripps will look to be right in the conversation come the end of the night, having finished equal fourth in 2018 and third in 2019.

Take a look at these lesser-known Carlton facts ahead of the Brownlow Medal count:

- What are Cripps’ chances then? For him to have the best chance to take ‘Chas’ home, his blistering start to the season could be the decisive factor. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that ‘P.Cripps, three votes’ is read out in each of Rounds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 — the first six games which Cripps completed for the season. He may have his own record in his sights, having polled 16 votes in the first eight rounds of the 2019 season.

- The last Carlton player to win the Brownlow Medal - Chris Judd in 2010 - can vouch for the importance of a strong start. After missing the first three rounds of the season, Judd polled 15 out of 15 votes across the next five weeks on the way to the second Brownlow Medal of his career.

- By the end of the night, the Carlton captain should’ve completed the full complement of polling against all 17 teams in the competition. From his 138 games prior to this season, Cripps had received votes against every team except North Melbourne and GWS. He looks a certainty for the three votes against North in Round 7 (35 disposals, 10 coaches’ votes), while it’d be a big surprise if he didn’t poll against GWS in Round 19 (34 disposals, one goal): Adam Saad and Sam Walsh loom as his major threats.

- Speaking of Walsh, he too could end the night with votes against every available opposition after just four years in the competition. He too has never polled against North Melbourne, who he had 29 disposals and a goal against in Round 7, while his first game of the year saw him fight through some early rust to accumulate 34 disposals against the Western Bulldogs. There may be others ahead of him, but he polled coaches’ votes in both games.

- After equalling the most votes ever by a Blue last year (30), Walsh is a sure thing to achieve his 50th career vote, joining Jesaulenko in achieving the feat in his fourth season at Carlton. Currently sitting on 44 votes, he won’t have to wait too long to tick off the milestone: expect it to come by Round 9, where he was one of the Blues’ best in their first ever win at Giants Stadium.

- One more on Cripps, we promise. While all eyes will be on whether or not he can become Carlton’s first Brownlow Medallist since 2010, there’s one other number which will hold significance on the night: 26. Should Cripps reach it (equalling his career best in 2019), he will draw level with Judd in Carlton’s top three all-time Brownlow vote-getters on 116 career votes. It would see him situated behind only Alex Jesaulenko (129 votes) and Craig Bradley (144 votes).

- This time last year, this very article said it would be highly unlikely for Jack Silvagni not to break his Brownlow Medal vote count duck. Despite a best-on-ground performance against St Kilda in Round 20 of that season, we were wrong. The No.1 will be looking to poll his first vote on Sunday, with his Round 9 performance against GWS looming as his most likely. Others who will have their sights set on opening their account are Corey Durdin (also Round 9, Rising Star nomination), Tom De Koning (Round 17, seven coaches’ votes) and Lewis Young (Round 22, most spoils in a game). 

- In another instalment of this article being wrong, it was in 2020 when the comment was made around Sam Docherty having never registered a three-vote performance. That still rings true, despite a 32-disposal performance (in shortened quarters) against the Bombers in Round 4 of that season, plus a 39-disposal game against Sydney in Round 6, 2017 (two votes). Not to tempt fate, but this Sunday is surely the night the streak ends, whether that comes in Round 3 v Hawthorn (David Parkin Medallist), Round 9 v GWS (28 disposals, one goal), Round 13 v Essendon (10 coaches’ votes) or Round 22 v Melbourne (28 disposals, 10 tackles). Surely. 

- It took 16 years for a Blue to poll in their first game for the Club, when Jack Martin received a vote in Round 1 of the 2020 season: he followed up the Round 5, 2004 feat of Andrew Walker, who enjoyed one of the greatest AFL debuts in Carlton’s history on the way to his first Brownlow vote. Expect one of Adam Cerra or George Hewett to join this club once the votes for this year’s season opener are read out: Cerra had 30 disposals and Hewett had 28 on a night where both also kicked their first goals in Navy Blue.