Crows star Patrick Dangerfield has finished equal-fourth in a thrilling 2014 Brownlow Medal count.

Prolific West Coast midfielder Matt Priddis, who held an unassailable three-vote lead, had his Brownlow Medal locked away heading into the final round of the season.

View the photo gallery of the night

Dangerfield and Port Adelaide counterpart Travis Boak, who were level on 21 votes, had an opportunity to leapfrog runners up Gary Ablett and Lance Franklin, who both missed Round 23 because of injury, and join Priddis on 24 votes.

However, neither player polled a vote in the final round. And it didn’t matter in the end, as Priddis banked another two votes to be the outright winner of Australian Football’s highest individual honour.

Priddis won the Brownlow Medal with 26 votes ahead of Fremantle star Nathan Fyfe (25 votes), who was ineligible through suspension. Ablett and Franklin (22 votes each) were joint-runners up.

It was a four-way tie for fourth place, with Dangerfield, Boak, Sydney Swans onballer Josh Kennedy and Geelong captain Joel Selwood all finishing with 21 votes.

It’s the third time the eye-catching Dangerfield, who was overlooked in the 40-man All Australian squad, has polled 20 or more votes in a season. It was also his third top-10 finish in as many seasons. The 24-year-old collected a personal-best 23 votes in 2012 and backed up with another 22 last season to finish fifth.

Dangerfield was in equal-second place, four votes behind Ablett, at the halfway mark of the count.

Remarkably, the acting Crows co-captain polled four consecutive best on grounds between Rounds 5-9 (Round Eight was a bye). Only six players, including past winners Gary Ablett Jr and Shane Crawford, have achieved this feat previously. He polled in eight games, receiving the three votes in six. He received votes from the umpires in losses to Geelong (two), Melbourne (three) and Hawthorn (three). Dangerfield didn’t poll a vote after Round 18.

Evergreen midfielder Scott Thompson was Adelaide’s next-best vote-getter. Thompson, who missed a month with a hamstring injury, polled 14 votes to take his career total to 138. Rory Sloane was the only other Crow to reach double digits (10).

See Adelaide’s round-by-round votes.

All-Australian defender Brodie Smith (four votes) and forward Josh Jenkins (three) polled their first-ever Brownlow Medal votes, while Eddie Betts and James Podsiadly (four votes each) collected their first votes as Crows.

Port Adelaide wingman Matt White won Goal of the Year for his dashing goal against former club Richmond at Etihad Stadium, while teammate Chad Wingard claimed Mark of the Year.

Go Behind Crows Doors on the Brownlow Medal red carpet

West Coast veteran Beau Waters won the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.

The late Dean Bailey and Tom Hafey were recognised in a heartfelt speech from Kevin Sheedy.

Crows Brownlow Medal Leaderboard
21 – Patrick Dangerfield (5th)
14 – Scott Thompson (17th)
10 – Rory Sloane
6 – Sam Jacobs
5 – Taylor Walker
4 – Eddie Betts, James Podsiadly, Brodie Smith
3 – Josh Jenkins