AFL is back! The 2026 AFL season kicked off with Opening Round with five matches played with an focus on the Northern states to kick off the season once again. There's some new rules to get our heads around, and the umpires have access to stats for the first time, so it will be interesting to see what effect that has on Brownlow voting.
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 2026 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page and check out the latest Brownlow Odds.
2026 AFL Brownlow Opening Round Overview
It hasn't taken long for the league's best players to make an impact on the 2026 Brownlow betting with Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca and Errol Gulden among those to shorten in price after sensational starts to the season during Opening Round.
Check out our 2026 Opening Round Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Opening Round Match Analysis
Sydney 20.12.132 def Carlton 10.9.69
It was a tight first half but the Swans blitz the Blues with a stunning 12-goal third quarter to blow the game wide open and run away with the first win of the 2026 AFL season. Justin McInerney (31 disposals, 3 goals) and Errol Gulden (27 disposals, 11 tackles) were sensational and will duke it out for the 3 votes. Brodie Grundy (16 disposals, 46 hitouts, 1 goal) and Isaac Heeney (20 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances, 2 goals) were also valuable. Sam Walsh (32 disposals, 6 clearances) and Marc Pittonet (18 disposals, 17 hitouts, 8 clearances, 3 goals) were best for the Blues.
Justin McInerney - 3
Errol Gulden - 2
Sam Walsh - 0.5
Isaac Heeney - 0.5
Gold Coast 19.11.125 def Geelong 10.9.69
The Suns showed why they are considered a premiership threat this season with a thumping win over the Cats to start the season. New recruit Christian Petracca was outstanding with 34 disposals, 6 clearances and 3 goals to be best afield. John Noble (28 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals), Touk Miller (30 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 goal) and Bailey Humphrey (4 goals, 15 disposals) were excellent. Tanner Bruhn (31 disposals) and Oli Dempsey (4 goals, 20 disposals) were good for the Cats.
Christian Petracca - 3
Bailey Humphrey - 2
John Noble - 1
GWS Giants 19.8.122 def Hawthorn 14.11.95
The orange tsunami is off to a fast start with a great win over the fancied Hawks, despite copping plenty of pre-season injury woes. Jake Stringer (5 goals, 14 disposals) led the way up forward with a bag of goals, while new recruit Clayton Oliver (26 disposals, 10 clearances, 1 goal) will be pleased with his first showing for the Giants. Finn Callaghan (26 disposals, 6 clearances), Stephen Coniglio (22 disposals, 2 goals) and Jake Riccardi (17 disposals, 7 marks, 7 hitouts, 3 goals) were also good. Jai Newcombe (25 disposals) was best for the Hawks.
Jake Stringer - 3
Clayton Oliver - 2
Finn Callaghan - 1
Brisbane 15.16.106 def by Western Bulldogs 16.15.111
A thriller at the Gabba saw the Dogs claw their way back from 26 points down to claim a stirring round one victory over the reigning champions. Ed Richards was phenomenal with 30 disposals, 8 marks, 7 clearances, 16 score involvements and 2 goals to be best on ground. Marcus Bontempelli (19 disposals, 3 goals), Connor Budarick (27 disposals, 1 goal), Bailey Williams (25 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) and Tim English (16 disposals, 37 hitouts, 2 goals) were next best for the Dogs. Dayne Zorko (31 disposals, 11 marks, 1 goal), Charlie Cameron (4 goals, 15 disposals, 7 marks) and Lachie Neale (39 disposals, 8 marks, 8 clearances) are all a chance for votes as well.
Ed Richards - 3
Marcus Bontempelli - 1
Dayne Zorko - 1
Charlie Cameron - 1
St Kilda 9.12.66 def by Collingwood 11.12.78
It wasn’t the high-scoring of the earlier games, but the Pies won a gripping contest against the Saints to confirm that they are part of the equation in season 2026. Nick Daicos was a clear standout with 41 disposals and 7 marks, while brother Josh wasn’t far behind with 36 disposals and 13 marks. Scott Pendlebury (26 disposals, 8 marks) was used effectively off the bench while Jordan De Goey (19 disposals, 3 goals) was also good. Jack Sinclair (35 disposals) was busy for the Saints.
Nick Daicos - 3
Josh Daicos - 2
Jack Sinclair - 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.
