PATRICK Cripps has the chance to make history on Monday night.
Carlton’s contested beast will enter the 2018 Brownlow Medal count as one of the favourites for the award, after a standout individual year.
His year has already yielded his first All Australian nod, while coming in second place in the AFLCA and AFLPA Player of the Year awards.
Now, Cripps will have the chance to become Carlton’s sixth ever Brownlow Medallist, after Bert Deacon (1947), John James (1961), Gordon Collis (1964), Greg Williams (1994) and Chris Judd (2010).
Despite the lack of team success coming in 2018, Cripps could stake a claim to polling votes in potentially more than half the games he played this year.
With 30 or more disposals in 12 matches, Cripps would be just the third player to win a Brownlow Medal playing in the bottom-placed side should he triumph on Monday.
Here are the matches where Bluebaggers could potentially see their players poll:
Round 1 vs. Richmond
- Patrick Cripps (36 disposals, 25 contested possessions, nine clearances, 10 AFLCA votes)
- Kade Simpson (35 disposals, 24 kicks, 10 rebound 50s, six AFLCA votes)
- Charlie Curnow (19 disposals, 10 marks, five goals, two AFLCA votes)
Round 2 vs. Gold Coast
- Ed Curnow (38 disposals, 10 tackles, seven inside 50s, one AFLCA vote)
Round 3 vs. Collingwood
- Marc Murphy (29 disposals, eight tackles, seven inside 50s, one AFLCA vote)
Round 4 vs. North Melbourne
Unlikely to poll.
Round 5 vs. West Coast
- Patrick Cripps (34 disposals, 11 tackles, eight clearances, 10 AFLCA votes)
- Kade Simpson (31 disposals, 10 marks, six rebound 50s, five AFLCA votes)
- Zac Fisher (27 disposals, seven inside 50s, one goal, one AFLCA vote)
Round 6 vs. Western Bulldogs
- Patrick Cripps (32 disposals, 12 clearances, nine tackles, eight AFLCA votes)
- Zac Fisher (28 disposals, seven clearances, one goal, two AFLCA votes)
Round 7 vs. Adelaide
- Ed Curnow (26 disposals, 14 tackles)
Round 8 vs. Essendon
- Patrick Cripps (27 disposals, eight clearances, seven tackles, six inside 50s, nine AFLCA votes)
- Ed Curnow (24 disposals, 13 tackles, two goals, nine AFLCA votes)
- Matthew Kreuzer (20 disposals, 31 hitouts, eight clearances, six AFLCA votes)
- Dale Thomas (29 disposals, nine rebound 50s)
Round 9 vs. Melbourne
- Patrick Cripps (31 disposals, 10 clearances, nine tackles, one goal)
Round 10 vs. Geelong
- Patrick Cripps (31 disposals, eight clearances, 6 inside 50s, eight AFLCA votes)
- Kade Simpson (33 disposals, eight rebound 50s, seven marks)
- Lachie Plowman (20 disposals, 13 intercept possessions, 15 one percenters)
Round 11 vs. Sydney
- Kade Simpson (27 disposals, two AFLCA votes)
- Liam Jones (11 disposals, nine marks, nine one percenters)
Round 13 vs. Fremantle
- Kade Simpson (32 disposals, nine intercept possessions, eight rebound 50s)
Round 14 vs. Collingwood
- Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, nine clearances, three goals, 10 AFLCA votes)
- Charlie Curnow (19 disposals, 10 marks, three goals, six AFLCA votes)
Round 15 vs. Port Adelaide
- Kade Simpson (37 disposals, eight rebound 50s, 10 AFLCA votes)
- Charlie Curnow (17 disposals, nine marks, four goals, seven AFLCA votes)
- Patrick Cripps (33 disposals, nine inside 50s, one goal, four AFLCA votes)
Round 16 vs. Brisbane
Unlikely to poll.
Round 17 vs. St Kilda
- Patrick Cripps (35 disposals, 10 clearances, one goal, eight AFLCA votes)
Round 18 vs. Hawthorn
- Patrick Cripps (30 disposals, seven clearances, two goals)
Round 19 vs. Gold Coast
- Patrick Cripps (37 disposals, 11 tackles, one goal, 10 AFLCA votes)
- Marc Murphy (36 disposals, eight clearances, one goal, four AFLCA votes)
- Charlie Curnow (18 disposals, 10 marks, one goal, six AFLCA votes)
- Kade Simpson (29 disposals, 11 intercept possessions, six AFLCA votes)
Round 20 vs. Greater Western Sydney
Unlikely to poll.
Round 21 vs. Fremantle
- Patrick Cripps (32 disposals, eight clearances, six inside 50s, five AFLCA votes)
- Dale Thomas (30 disposals, nine intercept possessions, one goal, one AFLCA vote)
Round 22 vs. Western Bulldogs
- Kade Simpson (35 disposals, eight rebound 50s, one goal, six AFLCA votes)
Round 23 vs. Adelaide
- Patrick Cripps (37 disposals, 23 contested possessions, 17 clearances, eight AFLCA votes)