How a baby stole the show at the Brownlow

This year’s Brownlow Medal red carpet is a dazzling affair, with the women dressed in stunning gowns and the men holding fort in elegant tuxedos.

But a couple’s very special ‘plus one’ guest has stolen the show.

Essendon captain Zach Merrett and his wife Alex arrived at Crown, with Alex’s baby bump clearly showing in her slim and beautiful pink gown.

The pair announced in August they were expecting their first child together,

“Baby Merrett...we’ve been waiting for you,” they posted on Instagram.

From the stunning photos on Monday night, the three look perfect together.

The AFL stars and their glamorous partners have preserved the night’s reputation for fashion extravagance.

The Brownlow goes to the league’s “best and fairest” player for the season and the sporting code’s stars and their better halves have also put on their best and fairest suits and dresses.

Channel 7 TV star Abbey Holmes set the tone for the night in a stunning gown.

While the women stunned in epic dresses, the men kept things relatively conservative.

Nearly all the guys rocked up in standard black and white tuxedos and bow ties, presenting a uniform look throughout the night.

The lack of ostentation may have disappointed slightly, but it gave the women more space to shine.

Only Hawthorn star Jack Ginnivan switched things up slightly, going for a cool white jacket and black bow tie look alongside the beautiful Lily Mitchell.

The ceremony, which kicks off the AFL’s grand final week, is being held at Melbourne’s up-market Crown Casino.

This year, the betting markets put Carlton star Patrick Cripps in the lead to nab the prestigious honour, followed by Collingwood’s Nick Daicos and the Brisbane Lions’ Lachie Neal.

Neale won the medal in 2023 and 2020 and Cripps won it in 2022.

To win the Brownlow, a player needs to secure the most points throughout the season.

The umpires of each game allocate points to who they thought was the best and fairest player.

Three votes go to the best player of the game, two to the second best and one to the third best.

Players suspended for on-field offences are ineligible to win, even if they receive the most votes.

The votes are kept secret until Brownlow night, when they are read out round by round.

The player with the highest total votes at the end of the count wins the medal.

At the Sydney event, Swans young gun Chad Warner stood with Alice Hughes, who sported an amazing pink dress.

The grand final weekends will be held on Saturday at the MCG with the much-anticipated showdown between the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans.

Pop star Katy Perry will lead the entertainment for the sporting extravaganza.