Biggest game in town brings the big names together

James Hird was hot on the heels of Mark McVeigh in the race for Essendon coach this year, and on the Brownlow red carpet he again ran second to his old friend.

McVeigh arrived at the Crown Palladium ballroom about 6.15pm on Monday with Essendon president Andrew Welsh.

Hird, who had media commitments and was a hit on the red carpet alongside Natalie Young, made it upstairs to the event room several minutes later.

The former Essendon great told Nine’s Footy Classified last week that he was yet to meet with the club and had been “genuinely upset” that news of a proposed catch-up to discuss alternative roles with the Bombers had leaked.

Could CBD be so bold as to suggest football’s night of nights might be the perfect place to break bread.

After a year of chaos and scandal, the biggest game in town drew its biggest names together to celebrate the game’s best and fairest.

Among the AFL power brokers, players and club identities pulling on their glad rags were league boss Andrew Dillion, chair Craig Drummond and AFL commission members Paul Bassat, Robin Bishop, Denise Bowden, Matt de Boer, Andrew Ireland, Andrew Newbold, Gab Trainor and Simone Wilkie.

The league’s chief operating officer, Tom Harley; Melbourne’s Mr Everywhere, Eddie McGuire (he and his wife Carla incredibly elegant in perfect black tie); Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler; Carlton president Robert Priestley; Collingwood president Barry Carp; Geelong president Grant McCabe; and St Kilda president Andrew Bassat were also spotted.

After pulling off the coaching coup of the year with the appointment of Ken Hinkley, chief executive of the AFL’s newest club, the Tasmanian Devils, Brendon Gale was spotted getting a happy snap. Also attending were former AFL commission chairs Richard Goyder and Mike Fitzpatrick, who were observed chatting outside the VIP drinks area in the Palladium foyer.

Fast off the mark, former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou was one of the first to land in the ballroom foyer. No event in Melbourne is complete without Martin Pakula present – he was there in his role as chair of Crown.

Former Brownlow winners in the room included Shane Crawford, Ben Cousins, Adam Cooney, Jason Akermanis and Robert DiPierdomenico.

The more than 1000 guests devoured an entree of king salmon tartare, pickled kohlrabi, baby capers, avocado, creme fraiche and salmon roe.

The main course was beef sirloin with truffle potato gratin, baby carrots, roasted shallots and bone marrow jus. It was followed by a dessert platter.

Wilson’s Brownlow cost-of-living play

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson took a cost-of-living and sustainable fashion mindset into the Brownlow Medal by sourcing her dress secondhand from Facebook Marketplace.

Showing some budgeting nous, Wilson, who was accompanied by her husband, Aaron, picked up her Rebecca Vallance frock for about $300 – a good buy considering the Victorian designer’s longer dresses, which have been worn by Paris and Nicky Hilton, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Kelly Osbourne, can cost anywhere from $600 to $1500.

The shoes came out of Wilson’s cupboard, and she borrowed jewellery and a bag from mates. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.

Speaking of teams, as a Collingwood tragic, Wilson was all in on Nick Daicos to take home the big prize.

Others of the political class having their Brownlow moment were Major Events Minister Anthony Carbines and Sport Minister Steve Dimopoulos.

Brownlow drips in (lab) diamonds

Millie Jones, the daughter of Noiseworks singer Jon Stevens, kicked a goal at the Brownlow by draping her luxury lab-grown diamonds on seven stylish guests.

Jones launched the Melbourne-based jewellery brand La Oribeli in August and already has plenty of people in her corner, particularly her rocker dad’s partner, Melbourne philanthropist Heloise Pratt.

Showcasing the diamonds at footy’s biggest pie night were Dani Shreeve, partner of Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston; Paris Bishop, partner of Essendon’s Sam Durham; influencer and red carpet host Elle Ray; stylist Lana Wilkinson; AFL executive Laura Kane; Georgia Groves, partner of Carlton’s Sam Walsh; Sophie Walker, partner of Sydney Swan Tom McCartin; and Tash Hoole, partner of Richmond’s Tim Taranto.

Back to Stevens, the former INXS frontman was among an extraordinary line up of talent including Keith Urban, Jimmy Barnes – on bagpipes, no less – Tina Arena, Ross Wilson and Vanessa Amorosi, who performed at the sold-out John Farnham celebration concert at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. Don’t be surprised if that concert ends up being released into cinemas as a film down the track.

‘Sparklebot’ erases memory of red-carpet wag-on-wheel

Making sure no seam or sequin escaped the notice of viewers at home, Channel Seven rolled out its “Sparklebot” slow-motion red carpet camera to capture the well-frocked and smartly suited Brownlow attendees.

CBD can only give thanks that the Brownlow red-carpet fashion circus has moved on from the regrettable era of the “wag-on-wheel”.

Back in 2011, someone – whether Seven or the AFL was to blame has been lost in the passing of time – thought it was a great idea to have players’ partners and wives stand on a giant rotating wheel, so their outfits could be seen from every angle.

The dreadful idea, which Seven called its “fashion pod”, was like an enormous, rickety lazy susan. The pod, wheel, rotating podium – whatever you wanted to call the contraption – was thankfully binned the following year. No such dramas from the trusty Sparklebot.

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