Round 20 was a bit of a nothing round with most matches resulting in large victories, however that was turned on its head in the last quarter of the final match of the round between St Kilda and Melbourne. The Saints were 46 points down at three-quarter time, before an incredible comeback and one of the most amazing finishes to a match you'll ever see. There's four rounds to go - who will finish in the Top 8 and who will take home the Brownlow Medal?
As usual, we’ll share our thoughts from every match of the AFL season, along with our Brownlow vote predictions and projections using our own system which has a proven profitable history over many years. For full details on how it works, see the section at the bottom of the page. We hope you'll use our free Brownlow tips to help you find value during the season and built a green book before the big night.
For links to every round of the season and full count, head to our 2025 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page and check out the latest Brownlow Odds.
2025 AFL Brownlow Round 20 Overview
The stars are coming out to play now that we're getting deep into season 2025. Nick Daicos had one of the games of the season in Round 20 and is now clearly the Brownlow leader on everyone's counts as he's into odds-on favourite to win the Brownlow this season. However Noah Anderson and Bailey Smith both polled votes in Round 20 to remain in contention. Marcus Bontempelli, Brody Grundy, Finn Callaghan and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera are also in rich form and quickly rising up the leaderboard.
Check out our 2025 Round 20 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 20 Match Analysis
Hawthorn 13.7.85 def Carlton 8.7.55
It wasn’t their best performance but the Hawks did it pretty comfortably and the scoreboard probably flattered the Blues in the end. James Sicily (25 disposals, 11 marks) and Jarman Impey (25 disposals, 8 marks) were in control across half-back, while Dylan Moore (27 disposals) was busy in the middle and Jack Gunston (18 disposals, 3 goals) provided a target up forward. George Hewett (25 disposals, 6 marks, 8 tackles) was the stand out for the Blues.
James Sicily - 3
Jarman Impey - 2
George Hewett - 0.5
Jack Gunston - 0.5
Essendon 7.8.50 def by Western Bulldogs 22.11.143
It was a demolition job by the Bulldogs as they scored a massive percentage booster against the fragile Dons. The twin towers of Aaron Naughton (7 goals, 15 disposals, 6 marks) and Sam Darcy (6 goals, 16 disposals, 8 marks) were absolutely unstoppable as they kicked 13 goals between them. Marcus Bontempelli (35 disposals, 10 marks, 7 clearances, 2 goals) was also sensational in one of the best one-vote games you’ll see. Can’t see the Brownlow votes going outside of those three.
Aaron Naughton - 3
Sam Darcy - 2
Marcus Bontempelli - 1
GWS Giants 14.12.96 def Sydney 8.10.58
A rather incredible Sydney Derby saw the Giants come back from a 35-point deficit to record a big 44-point victory. Finn Callaghan (21 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) was most influential in setting up the win for the Giants and collected the Brett Kirk Medal, while Lachie Whitfield (27 disposals, 8 marks) and Sam Taylor (18 disposals, 10 marks) were also important in defence. Errol Gulden (32 disposals, 8 marks) was the leading ball winner on the ground, while Brodie Grundy (24 disposals, 7 marks, 29 hitouts, 1 goal) continued his excellent form as it’s season over for the Swans.
Finn Callaghan - 3
Brodie Grundy - 2
Sam Taylor - 1
Gold Coast 20.10.130 def Brisbane 9.10.64
The Suns started strong and that only continued when heavy rain hit in the second half in an excellent victory that should secure them a finals berth. Matt Rowell (37 disposals, 12 tackles, 14 clearances) was relentless in the middle while Noah Anderson (33 disposals, 1 goal) might just be hard to beat for the Brownlow with another eye-catching performance. Alex Davies (30 disposals, 10 tackles, 7 clearances), Brayden Fiorini (32 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal), Ben Ainsworth (27 disposals, 3 goals) and Bailey Humphrey (19 disposals, 8 tackles, 3 goals) were all excellent as the Suns had winners all over the ground. Lachie Neale (36 disposals, 1 goal) was best for Brisbane.
Matt Rowell - 3
Noah Anderson - 2
Alex Davies - 0.5
Ben Ainsworth - 0.5
Fremantle 18.18.126 def West Coast 12.5.77
Fremantle secured an easy win against the Eagles to boost their percentage and remain inside the Top 8. Hayden Young (23 disposals, 7 clearances, 3 goals) won the Derby Medal despite being subbed out in the last quarter, while Andrew Brayshaw (32 disposals, 8 clearances), Shai Bolton (25 disposals, 1 goal) Murphy Reid (23 disposals, 1 goal) and Michael Frederick (4 goals, 10 disposals) were all good for the Dockers. Liam Baker (24 disposals, 10 tackles, 2 goals) and Tim Kelly (26 disposals, 8 clearances, 2 goals) had good games for the Eagles.
Hayden Young - 3
Andrew Brayshaw - 2
Shai Bolton - 0.5
Murphy Reid - 0.5
North Melbourne 7.7.49 def by Geelong 22.18.150
The Roos were woeful as the Cats ran around and did as they pleased in an absolute mauling. Jeremy Cameron was unstoppable with 11 goals from 22 disposals and 9 marks. He should get the three votes, just ahead of Bailey Smith who was back to his best with 43 disposals, 13 clearances and 1 goal. Max Holmes (29 disposals, 9 marks, 7 clearances) and Shannon Neale (4 goals, 15 disposals, 8 marks) were also excellent. Colby McKercher (32 disposals, 6 marks) and Luke Parker (31 disposals, 7 clearances) tried hard for the Roos.
Jeremy Cameron - 3
Bailey Smith - 2
Shannon Neale - 0.5
Max Holmes - 0.5
Adelaide 20.13.133 def Port Adelaide 5.5.35
It was a remarkable Showdown score line as the Crows thrashed the Power in absolutely torrential conditions. Riley Thilthorpe won the Medal with 19 disposals, 3 goals, 6 hitouts and 6 clearances in conditions that weren’t ideal for big men. Jake Soligo (35 disposals, 2 goals) was brilliant, while James Peatling (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 9 clearances, 1 goal), Ben Keays (21 disposals, 3 goals) and Alex Neal-Bullen (18 disposals, 12 tackles, 1 goal) were good contributors. Zak Butters (34 disposals, 11 clearances) played a lone hand for the Power.
Riley Thilthorpe - 3
Jake Soligo - 2
James Peatling - 0.5
Ben Keays - 0.5
Richmond 8.9.57 def by Collingwood 13.15.93
The Tigers were competitive but the Pies did what they had to do with a comfortable victory. Nick Daicos was a star once again with 42 disposals and 3 goals to assure himself of another three Brownlow votes. Tom Mitchell (29 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles), Josh Daicos (30 disposals, 6 marks) and Brayden Maynard (20 disposals, 8 marks) were also influential. Nick Vlastuin (25 disposals, 7 marks), Tyler Sonsie (28 disposals, 10 marks) and Jacob Hopper (33 disposals, 6 marks) were good for the Tigers.
Nick Daicos - 3
Tom Mitchell - 2
Nick Vlastuin - 1
St Kilda 15.6.96 def Melbourne 13.12.90
It was a bit of a nothing round that looked like petering out completely when the Dees were 46 points in front at three-quarter time in the final match of the round. However the Saints stormed home with 9 goals to none in the last quarter, including one of the most amazing finishes of all time when Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera kicked two goals in the last minute to steal a sensational victory. Wanganeen-Milera was a star in every way as the match winner as he amassed 34 disposals, 6 clearances and 4 goals in one of the games of the year. Jack Sinclair (32 disposals, 7 marks) and Jack Higgins (4 goals, 10 disposals, 8 marks) were important for the Saints. The Dees were on top for most of the day with Jack Viney (23 disposals, 16 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal), Trent Rivers (25 disposals, 8 marks) and Max Gawn (17 disposals, 8 marks, 45 hitouts, 7 clearances) best for Melbourne.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - 3
Jack Viney - 2
Trent Rivers - 0.5
Max Gawn - 0.5
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.
