Round 23 was highlighted by a classic contest between contenders Adelaide and Collingwood, with the Crows gaining the edge and a chance to secure top spot on the ladder at the end of the season. The Giants and Hawks locked up their finals spots, putting pressure on the Dockers who will now have to defeat the Bulldogs next week in a virtual elimination final. It should be an exciting end to the season!
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 23 Overview
A largely quiet round for our Brownlow contenders with Geelong's Bailey Smith the most likely to make some waves this round. Nick Daicos is a chance to poll while Finn Callaghan, Marcus Bontempelli and Hugh McLuggage may also be among the names read out in Round 23. Hopefully this sets up for an amazing finish to the Brownlow count next week!
Check out our 2025 Round 23 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 23 Match Analysis
Essendon 11.9.75 def by St Kilda 11.11.77
For the fourth week in a row, the Saints escaped with a thrilling victory in a surprisingly good start to Round 23. It will be an interesting game for votes as Andrew McGrath (35 disposals, 10 tackles, 6 clearances) and Mason Redman (36 disposals, 12 marks) were arguably the two best players on the ground in the losing effort. Jack Steele (27 disposals, 9 tackles, 7 clearances), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (24 disposals, 1 goal), Marcus Windhager (26 disposals) and Cooper Sharman (17 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals) were best for the Saints.
Andrew McGrath - 3
Mason Redman - 2
Jack Steele - 1
Fremantle 5.14.44 def by Brisbane 15.11.101
The Lions headed west and came home with the points as the Dockers are now the team in trouble to make the top eight. Zac Bailey was sensational with 28 disposals, 10 marks and 2 goals to be best on ground. Jasper Fletcher (32 disposals, 17 marks), Hugh McLuggage (28 disposals, 8 clearances, 1 goal) and Harris Andrews (17 disposals, 13 marks) were also very good for the Lions. Jordan Clark (24 disposals) and Caleb Serong (26 disposals, 8 clearances) were best for the Dockers.
Zac Bailey - 3
Jasper Fletcher - 2
Hugh McLuggage - 1
Gold Coast 11.10.76 def by GWS Giants 17.9.111
The Giants have virtually locked up their finals spot after a great win against the Suns. Finn Callaghan (29 disposals, 8 marks, 6 tackles, 8 clearances) and Tom Green (29 disposals, 8 clearances) led the way in the middle while Harry Rowston lobbed up with 4 goals from 12 disposals and 6 marks. Noah Anderson (32 disposals, 6 marks, 8 clearances) and Matt Rowell (25 disposals, 8 clearances, 1 goal) were good without being largely influential.
Finn Callaghan - 3
Tom Green - 2
Harry Rowston - 1
Carlton 18.10.118 def Port Adelaide 9.10.64
The Blues were back to their best as the Power has, well and truly, been turned off at Port Adelaide for season 2025. Harry McKay had a day out with 7 goals from 21 disposals and 6 marks. Sam Walsh (28 disposals) was a welcome addition to the team while George Hewett (35 disposals, 11 clearances) and Patrick Cripps (22 disposals, 2 goals) were also excellent. Zak Butters (29 disposals, 7 tackles, 8 clearances) was best for the Power.
Harry McKay - 3
Sam Walsh - 1.5
George Hewett - 1.5
Hawthorn 13.14.92 def Melbourne 8.8.56
The Hawks secured themselves a spot in the finals with a comfortable win over Melbourne. Jack Gunston was the star with 7 goals from 14 disposals and 10 marks. Dylan Moore (32 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals), Jarman Impey (29 disposals, 6 marks) and Connor Macdonald (28 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal) were also very good. Max Gawn (27 disposals, 6 marks, 35 hitouts) was again fantastic for Melbourne.
Jack Gunston - 3
Dylan Moore - 2
Connor Macdonald - 1
Adelaide 9.5.59 def Collingwood 8.8.56
The Crows were behind early but fought back in a gripping contest to pinch the win over the Pies in a finals-like battle. Adelaide’s defence of Josh Worrell (27 disposals, 6 marks), Mark Keane (23 disposals, 8 marks) and Wayne Milera (22 disposals, 7 marks) stood tough throughout the match, while Jordan Dawson (23 disposals, 7 tackles, 7 clearances) was typically influential. Nick Daicos (29 disposals, 6 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal) and Scott Pendlebury (24 disposals, 8 clearances) were best for Collingwood.
Josh Worrell - 3
Mark Keane - 2
Nick Daicos - 0.5
Scott Pendlebury - 0.5
North Melbourne 20.15.135 def Richmond 13.9.87
A much-needed win for the Roos to give their fans something to cheer about. They were also cheering for Harry Sheezel who equalled the all-time VFL/AFL disposal record with 54 disposals to go with 7 marks, 6 clearances, 2 goals and a staggering 186 fantasy points! Luke Davies-Uniacke (40 disposals, 9 marks, 7 tackles, 10 clearances, 1 goal) was also sensational while Paul Curtis (5 goals, 15 disposals) and Tristan Xerri (22 disposals, 17 tackles, 40 hitouts, 6 clearances) would both be stiff to miss out on a vote.
Harry Sheezel - 3
Luke Davies-Uniacke - 2
Paul Curtis - 0.5
Tristan Xerri - 0.5
Sydney 10.8.68 def by Geelong 16.15.111
The Cats continue to purr as they ran away from the Swans for a healthy win. Shaun Mannagh (19 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles, 3 goals) and Bailey Smith (30 disposals, 6 marks) were the stand outs for the Cats with the load shared around a number of players. Peter Ladhams (17 disposals, 7 marks, 35 hitouts, 10 clearances, 2 goals) enjoyed his ruck role for the Swans, while Tom Papley (20 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals) was also very good.
Bailey Smith - 2.5
Shaun Mannagh - 2.5
Peter Ladhams - 1
Western Bulldogs 19.12.126 def West Coast 4.8.32
A thumping win for the Bulldogs to finish the round was no surprise to anyone. Marcus Bontempelli (31 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 10 clearances, 2 goals) was sublime, with Ed Richards (25 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals) and Bailey Dale (34 disposals, 10 marks) also winning plenty of ball. Tim English (20 disposals, 10 marks, 32 hitouts) was also valuable.
Marcus Bontempelli - 3
Ed Richards - 2
Bailey Dale - 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.
