There was something strange in the air for Round 10 with a number of upsets and a couple of close calls for the favourites as many AFL tipsters took a hit to their tallies! The Swans were lucky to escape the clutches of the Magpies, but the Hawks, Lions, Bulldogs and Giants weren't so fortunate as they suffered poor losses as warm favourites. The Roos were also particularly disappointing as they were smashed by the Crows. The Dockers continue to look very strong while the Cats are purring their way into a top four spot. Dreamtime at the G next week will be an interesting one as a battle for the wooden spoon between Essendon and Richmond.
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 Round 10 Overview
It might be getting very tight at the top of the Brownlow leaderboard after Round 10 with Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli potentially both missing out on votes this round as they open the door to their rivals. Bailey Smith and Zac Butters are going to be right in the hunt for the Brownlow this year after good performances this round, while Izak Rankine, Max Gawn, Shai Bolton, Noah Anderson and Harley Reid are also on the move this round!
Check out our 2026 Round 10 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 10 Match Analysis
Brisbane 11.10.76 def by Geelong 17.15.117
The first week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round would see the Cats get their Grand Final revenge against the Lions with an impressive away victory. Shaun Mannagh was a superstar with 5 goals from 30 disposals and 6 marks as he broke the game wide open with 3 goals in 3 minutes in the third quarter. Bailey Smith (34 disposals, 11 tackles, 7 clearances, 2 goal) was enormous once again, while Tom Stewart (28 disposals, 7 marks), Tanner Bruhn (29 disposals) and Max Holmes (26 disposals, 6 marks) were also very good. Darcy Wilmot (30 disposals, 7 marks) and Levi Ashcroft (28 disposals, 1 goal) were best for the Lions.
Shaun Mannagh - 3
Bailey Smith - 2
Tom Stewart - 1
Sydney 11.15.81 def Collingwood 10.15.75
The Swans had to do it the hard way, coming from behind to wear down the Pies and snatch a brave victory. Brodie Grundy won the Medal for his huge night that included 34 disposals, 47 hitouts, 12 clearances and a goal. Not far behind was Nick Blakey who was unstoppable with 39 disposals, 10 marks and a goal from half back. Justin McInerney (31 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) and Isaac Heeney (31 disposals, 11 clearances, 1 goal) were also excellent. Nick Daicos (27 disposals, 2 goals) was good but maybe not enough for votes, with Jordan De Goey (29 disposals, 6 clearances) also eye-catching.
Brodie Grundy - 3
Nick Blakey - 2
Isaac Heeney - 1
Gold Coast 15.8.98 def Port Adelaide 10.13.73
The Suns kept their winning streak alive in Darwin as they collected the points against the Power. Noah Anderson (33 disposals, 8 clearances, 958 metres gained) was excellent for the Suns, with John Noble (31 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal), Bodhi Uwland (31 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal), Christian Petracca (27 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal) and Mac Andrew (22 disposals, 9 marks) all good contributors. Zac Butters (35 disposals, 9 clearances) was superb once again for the Power and should collect votes.
Noah Anderson - 3
Zac Butters - 2
John Noble - 1
Adelaide 20.13.133 def North Melbourne 9.11.65
Adelaide put in their best showing for the season and the Roos had their worst as the Crows romped away with a big win. Izak Rankine (28 disposals, 10 clearances, 1 goal) should be in the votes once again, and he had plenty of help from Jordan Dawson (24 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal), James Peatling (22 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 2 goals), Josh Rachele (18 disposals, 3 goals) and Rory Laird (25 disposals, 7 marks). Luke Parker (28 disposals) was best for the Roos.
Izak Rankine - 3
Jordan Dawson - 2
Josh Rachele - 1
Melbourne 18.12.120 def Hawthorn 12.9.81
Melbourne continued their resurgence and remained undefeated at the MCG this season as they rolled the highly-fancied Hawks. Tom Sparrow (27 disposals, 8 clearances), Jack Steele (26 disposals, 6 clearances) and Jake Bowey (24 disposals) were busy, while Harvey Langford (18 disposals, 2 goals), Daniel Turner (19 disposals, 8 marks) and Max Gawn (18 disposals, 18 hitouts, 8 clearances) were influential. Dylan Moore (27 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals) was very good for the Hawks.
Tom Sparrow - 3
Max Gawn - 2
Dylan Moore - 1
Carlton 10.14.74 def Western Bulldogs 9.8.62
A new coach did the trick for the Blues as they stunned an undermanned Bulldogs. Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, 8 clearances, 2 goals) was back to carrying his teammates on his shoulders as he willed the Blues home. Oli Florent (28 disposals, 11 marks) had his best game for his new club while Matthew Carroll (16 disposals, 10 marks, 3 goals) was also very good. Bailey Dale (31 disposals) and Ryley Sanders (26 disposals, 1 goal) were best for the Dogs while Brownlow favourite Marcus Bontempelli (24 disposals, 1 goal) was good but unlikely to poll.
Patrick Cripps - 3
Oli Florent - 2
Matthew Carroll - 1
Essendon 8.13.61 def by Fremantle 16.8.104
The Dockers were always in control in showery conditions at the MCG, despite the Bombers hanging in there late to avoid a blow out. Murphy Reid (30 disposals, 1 goal), Shai Bolton (24 disposals, 2 goals) and Caleb Serong (24 disposals, 6 clearances) were strong in the middle, while Patrick Voss (5 goals, 12 disposals) was a force up forward. Sullivan Robey (22 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals) had his best game for the Bombers.
Murphy Reid - 3
Shai Bolton - 2
Patrick Voss - 1
St Kilda 16.13.109 def Richmond 11.7.73
The Saints did enough to defeat the decimated Tigers to get the points. Huge Garcia (25 disposals, 7 tackles, 10 clearances, 2 goals) was electric in the middle, with good support from Max Hall (26 disposals, 7 clearances, 2 goals), Sam Flanders (28 disposals, 9 marks) and Jack Macrae (31 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles). Hard to see the Tigers in the votes but Ben Miller (22 disposals, 15 marks) had a strong game.
Hugo Garcia - 3
Max Hall - 2
Sam Flanders - 1
West Coast 13.10.88 def GWS Giants 10.11.71
A big upset out west to finish the round with the Eagles too ferocious for the Giants. Harley Reid was sensational as he rose to a new level with 34 disposals, 8 tackles, 10 clearances and 2 goals. Bailey Williams (16 disposals, 9 tackles, 41 hitouts, 7 clearances, 2 goals) was a beast in the ruck, while Tim Kelly (24 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances) was also good. Clayton Oliver (38 disposals, 8 tackles, 12 clearances) was the stand out for the Giants in what should be a pretty clear set of vote winners. Harvey Thomas (25 disposals, 10 tackles, 1 goal) and Lachie Ash (34 disposals) were also good for the Giants.
Harley Reid - 3
Bailey Williams - 1.5
Clayton Oliver - 1.5
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.
