Jonathon Horn chats all the hot topics in the AFL! (22.09.2026)

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Jonathon Horn (0:14)

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Mark Duffield (0:36)

The Guardian's Jonathon Horn joins us on the show. Let's first start by talking about last night's Brownlow medal, Nick Dacos, the winner. Jonathon, welcome.

Jonathon Horn (0:46)

Hello Duff. Apologies in advance for the echoey room that I'm in here, mate. This is a bit of a... I'm not sure about the quality of call you're going to be getting here, but hopefully it's okay.

Mark Duffield (0:55)

Sounding crystal clear, mate. You're not sitting in the toilet or anything, are you?

Jonathon Horn (1:00)

No, I mean, it's like a sort of... You could sing opera in this room. It's got the acoustics, probably not the acoustics for a radio interview, but let's see how it goes.

Mark Duffield (1:11)

Well, let's start with talking. We may get to singing a bit later on. Nick Dacos, the worthy winner of the Brownlow.

Jonathon Horn (1:19)

Of course, yeah. And it's funny, like any journo who writes or talks about Nick Dacos, I tend to get a hundred emails saying, oh, he's overrated and we've got to stop talking about Nick Dacos and all this. So for such an inoffensive young man, he seems to get people very wound up, but he's an extraordinary footballer. Look, I think the Brownlow is becoming a bit farcical in terms of how many votes the winners are getting. But if ever there's a worthy winner, I think it's him and he could easily have a couple more in the bag as well at his age. Pretty amazing career he's had so far.

Mark Duffield (1:58)

So one of the things I think that Frank's, his status as the game's best player at this minute in time is his ability to change the way the game has been played. I think he did it as far back as 2022, 2023 when he was playing quite a bit off the half back line before he became a permanent midfielder at Collingwood. And just the ability to shift the ball off the line inside the corridor, even if there are opposition players between him and his target.

I think it changed the way the game was played, and I think it changed the way ball movement had to be defended. And those guys, I think, they're your best players in the game, and that's why I think he has to be ranked very highly.

Jonathon Horn (2:40)

Yeah, exactly. And McCrase used him quite differently over the years. He sort of evolved the way that he uses him. Like you said, from 2022, when Collingwood just started playing completely differently to how the moment he arrived at that club, that team started playing very differently and utilized other strengths that maybe they didn't even realise that they had. And I think he's been central to that. And just this year, I think of certain games, even when he went forward, that game against Carlson in the last quarter, when he went forward, and just a glimpse into what he can be maybe later on in his career as well.

You know, I thought back to his dad, to be honest, when I watched, when he watched him play a game like that. So yeah, really worthy winner Duff. And probably not the most compelling Brownlow coverage or night that I've ever seen in my life. But it's good to see someone of that quality winning a Brownlow, put it that way.

Mark Duffield (3:38)

It always starts off exciting and ends up boring the Brownlow, I think, unless someone from your team is in line to win. Hey, Marcus Bontempelli, a third placing, he's had, I think he's had a second and another third. He's had, I think, six top 10 finishes in the last 10 years. Do you think he ever wins one now?

Jonathon Horn (3:58)

I hope he wins one, Duff. It could be like that year where Richo sort of came from the clouds on Brownlow night and the whole room was sort of rooting for him that night.

That would be what it's like if Bonce and Pellier ever gets within a couple of votes. Look, I just don't think it will be, it won't diminish his career in any way if he doesn't win one. I think he's pretty warm favourite to win the Bulldogs best and fairest this year. Off the top of my head, that would make it, what's that, seven maybe? That he's won there? And that sort of puts him in, I guess it puts him in Ted Whitton territory.