Geelong beat off another challenger to confirm their place at the top of the ladder, while the fight for the last spots in the top 8 is on after an interesting Round 18 of action. With Richmond losing to the Kangaroos, the Western Bulldogs are now only percentage outside the eight after knocking off St.Kilda. Gold Coast and Port Adelaide are also still a chance of finals, although the both missed opportunities to close the gap in Round 18.
Once again we bring you our analysis and AFL Round 18 Brownlow vote predictions for every match of the round below!
And for the updated rolling leaderboard, head to our 2022 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page.
AFL Brownlow Round 18 Overview
Another quiet round for our Brownlow medal contenders with Christian Petracca, Jeremy Cameron, Callum Mills and Sam Walsh potentially collecting some minor votes to inch their way towards the Brownlow leaders.
There were some stand out performances in Round 18 with Nick Daicos, Chad Warner, Hugh McLuggage and Marcus Bontempelli all assured of three votes this round, although they aren't in contention for the Brownlow lead this season.
AFL Round 18 Brownlow Votes
Western Bulldogs 13.6.84 def St.Kilda 7.14.56
The Bulldogs were quick to turn their form around as they burst out of the blocks against the Saints and held the advantage to claim an important win. Marcus Bontempelli was back to his best with 34 disposals, 11 marks and 2 goals, with Tom Liberatore (31 disposals, 11 clearances) and Bailey Smith (29 disposals, 7 clearances) providing good support. Jack Sinclair (36 disposals, 11 marks, 1 goal) and Callum Wilkie (27 disposals, 16 marks) were kept busy in defence for the Saints.
Marcus Bontempelli - 3
Tom Liberatore - 2
Callum Wilkie - 0.5
Jack Sinclair - 0.5
Adelaide 13.8.86 def by Collingwood 14.7.91
It was a tackle-fest in wet and slippery conditions where the Pies scraped home in another thriller to keep their Top 4 chances alive. In the conditions, Nick Daicos was pure class with a massive 40 disposals and 3 goals. He’s the clear Rising Star winner now, and quickly gaining ground in the Brownlow race. Scott Pendlebury (29 disposals, 12 tackles, 1 goal) was good in his 350th as was Patrick Lipinksi (28 disposals, 13 tackles, 6 clearances). Rory Laird (31 disposals, 20 tackles, 9 clearances) broke the AFL tackle record while Sam Berry (21 disposals, 17 tackles) wasn’t far behind.
Nick Daicos - 3
Rory Laird - 2
Scott Pendlebury - 1
GWS Giants 9.5.59 def by Brisbane 15.9.99
The Lions bounced back nicely with a solid win over the Giants in Canberra. Hugh McLuggage was fantastic with 29 disposals, 8 marks and 4 goals in a clear best-on-ground performance. Keidean Coleman (25 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal), Lachie Neale (26 disposals), Rhys Mathieson (23 disposals, 6 tackles, 10 clearances) and Cam Rayner (19 disposals, 3 goals) were also good contributors. Sam Taylor (20 disposals, 6 marks) and Harry Himmelberg (29 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) built a wall across half-back but it wasn’t enough to stop a Lions victory.
Hugh McLuggage - 3
Keidean Coleman - 2
Sam Taylor - 0.5
Harry Himmelberg - 0.5
North Melbourne 14.8.92 def Richmond 11.22.88
Upset of the season as the bottom-placed Roos dented the Tigers’ finals chance with an exciting win! Cam Zurhaar was the star with the match-winning goal amongst his 6 goals from 12 disposals. Jy Simpkin was superb with 34 disposals, 6 tackles, 8 clearances and 1 goal, while Luke Davies-Uniacke continued his good form with 28 disposals and 7 marks. Dion Prestia (26 disposals, 7 marks) was best for the Tigers while Jack Riewoldt will rue his wayward kicking with 2.6 from his 16 disposals and 8 marks.
Jy Simpkin - 3
Cam Zurhaar - 2
Luke Davies-Uniacke - 1
Carlton 8.7.55 def by Geelong 12.13.85
The Blues were unable to step up to the challenge as the Cats are now the clear team to beat in season 2022. Joel Selwood (25 disposals, 9 marks) led from the front in typically physical fashion, with Mitch Duncan (26 disposals, 9 marks) and Jeremy Cameron (18 disposals, 3 goals) also influential. Sam Walsh (33 disposals, 8 clearances) was best for the Blues.
Joel Selwood - 3
Jeremy Cameron - 2
Sam Walsh - 1
Fremantle 9.11.65 def by Sydney 11.16.82
The Swans controlled the ball and ultimately got the better of the Dockers in a big win for their Top 4 chances. Chad Warner was best on ground for his 35 disposals, 6 marks, 7 clearances and 1 goal and really has taken his game to the next level. Callum Mills (26 disposals, 9 marks, 9 tackles), Jake Lloyd (25 disposals, 13 marks) and Errol Gulden (23 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goal) were also valuable contributors. Will Brodie (24 disposals) and Luke Ryan (24 disposals) were best for Freo.
Chad Warner - 3
Errol Gulden - 1.5
Callum Mills - 1.5
Hawthorn 15.12.102 def West Coast 12.5.77
The Hawks were too good for West Coast as the Eagles’ season doesn’t show any signs of getting better. Luke Breust was the star with 6 goals from 15 disposals, while in the midfield it was Josh Ward stepping up with 34 disposals, 7 marks and 6 clearances. Dylan Moore (25 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal), Tom Mitchell (33 disposals) and Jai Newcombe (28 disposals) were also good for the Hawks. Tom Barrass was a shining light for the Eagles as he racked up a career-best 30 disposals and 18 marks in defence.
Luke Bruest - 3
Josh Ward - 1
Dylan Moore - 1
Tom Barrass - 1
Melbourne 12.11.83 def Port Adelaide 10.9.69
Melbourne were without superstar Clayton Oliver for the first time in 127 games but did enough to get home against the Power in Alice Springs. Kysaiah Pickett was the star with 6 goals from 14 disposals to be the difference between the two sides. Christian Petracca (30 disposals, 7 marks, 10 clearances) and Jack Viney (28 disposals, 6 marks) were busy as ever in the middle. Travis Boak (29 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals), Connor Rozee (33 disposals, 1 goal) and Dan Houston (28 disposals, 11 marks) were best for Port.
Kysaiah Pickett - 3
Christian Petracca - 2
Connor Rozee - 0.5
Travis Boak - 0.5
Essendon 14.19.103 def Gold Coast 8.7.55
The Bombers ran rampant in a disappointing showing by the Suns. It’s good signs for next season for Essendon. Mason Redman has had a great season and his run from half-back was brilliant with 34 disposals and 10 marks. Zach Merrett (36 disposals, 8 marks, 9 clearances) and Dylan Shiel (29 disposals, 7 clearances) won the midfield battle, while Nic Martin (25 disposals, 2 goals) and Jake Stringer (16 disposals, 4 goals) hit the scoreboard. Touk Miller tried hard as ever for the Suns with 28 disposals, 7 tackles and 8 clearances.
Mason Redman - 2.5
Zach Merrett - 2.5
Dylan Shiel - 1
For those who need a refresher on how our Brownlow vote predictor system works, we assign 6 votes per game so that our total votes are the same as the official 3-2-1 system, however we break up those votes as we see fit across potentially more than three players. Some games are really tough to call which way the votes will go, so a better predictive model is to split performances and assign half points to each player where there is doubt. So for example if two players dominate and it's too hard to split their performance, they are given 2.5 votes each, with the remaining 1 vote given to another player(s). This will give us a predictive total closer to their true total, rather than guessing. We can then form a 'range' for each player (i.e. a min and max we think players can poll) with the thinking behind this that the variations from the half votes will even out over the long term.
If you intend on using our Brownlow votes to bet why not consider one of the best Australian sports betting sites which offer some great features for new customers. Also be sure to check out our Twitter page at @Before_You_Bet and continue returning to the site for our AFL tips.
