Round 13 provided a fantastic round of thrilling games with six of the eight matches decided by 8 points or less! The Dockers are way out in front after smashing the Roos, while the Lions are back in form as they won the Q clash against the Suns. At the other end, the Bombers missed a rare chance for a win as the Blues snuck home, while the Pies are also on the slide.
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 13 Overview
A great round of action with several of our Brownlow contenders a chance to poll more votes. Isaac Heeney has been the recent mover as he's climbed right up the leaderboard after likely back-to-back best-on-ground performances for the Swans. Kysaiah Pickett, Jordan Dawson and Jai Newcombe are likely to poll 3 votes this round, while Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli, Bailey Smith and Lachie Neale are also likely to be in the votes in an exciting round.
Check out our 2026 Round 13 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 13 Match Analysis
Adelaide 11.9.75 def Geelong 10.14.74
A tough, wet-weather slog brought a classic contest between the Crows and the Cats to start the round. Jordan Dawson was banged up but led from the front with 22 disposals, 7 marks, 9 tackles and 3 goals. Daniel Curtin (26 disposals) and Wayne Milera (24 disposals) were also important. Patrick Dangerfield (30 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal) enjoyed a return to the midfield in conditions that suited his aggression while Bailey Smith (34 disposals, 6 clearances) and Max Holmes (30 disposals) won plenty of ball.
Jordan Dawson - 3
Patrick Dangerfield - 2
Bailey Smith - 0.5
Daniel Curtin - 0.5
Hawthorn 9.17.71 def by Western Bulldogs 12.5.77
A huge win for the Dogs in another great match, as the Hawks will rue their wayward kicking with 26 scoring shots to 17. Ed Richards (28 disposals, 7 clearances) and Marcus Bontempelli (24 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances, 2 goals) led the way in the middle, while Bailey Dale (36 disposals, 1 goal) provided his usual run. However the best players on the ground were arguably the Hawks with Jai Newcombe (36 disposals, 9 clearances) dominant, and Jarman Impey (29 disposals, 11 marks) and Will Day (25 disposals, 8 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal) providing plenty of dash.
Jai Newcombe - 3
Ed Richards - 2
Marcus Bontempelli - 0.5
Will Day - 0.5
North Melbourne 4.7.31 def by Fremantle 24.11.155
The Roos sold a home game out west and it backfired as they were destroyed by the ladder-leading Dockers who kicked the last 19 goals of the game. Patrick Voss was a dominant force up forward with 20 disposals, 10 marks and 4 goals, while Josh Tracey (13 disposals, 6 marks, 4 goals) and Luke Jackson (19 disposals, 22 hitouts, 3 goals) were also too big and strong. Murphy Reid (23 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goals), Andrew Brayshaw (30 disposals, 9 clearances) and Shai Bolton (27 disposals, 7 marks) were also busy.
Patrick Voss - 3
Luke Jackson - 2
Andrew Brayshaw - 0.5
Murphy Reid - 0.5
Gold Coast 11.9.75 def by Brisbane 15.16.106
The Lions returned to the winner’s list as they controlled the game against the Suns. Logan Morris was the star up forward as he bagged 7 goals from 17 disposals and 9 marks in an impressive display to win the Medal for best afield. Lachie Neale (37 disposals, 10 clearances) was everywhere, while Zac Bailey (24 disposals) and Darcy Wilmot (25 disposals, 9 marks) were good. John Noble (36 disposals, 15 marks) should be in the conversation for All Australian honours as he was superb once again, while Noah Anderson (26 disposals) tried hard.
Logan Morris - 3
Lachie Neale - 2
John Noble - 1
West Coast 10.11.71 def by Port Adelaide 11.11.77
The Eagles were surging late but the Power held on for dear life and survived with a hard-fought win. It will be an interesting game for votes with the best players arguably with the Eagles. Tom McCarthy (31 disposals, 11 marks) and Jake Waterman (19 disposals, 11 marks, 3 goals) were outstanding, and perhaps if Waterman could kick straight they could’ve snatched the win. Tim Kelly (26 disposals, 6 clearances) was also very good. Zak Butters (27 disposals, 7 clearances) was the leading ball winner for the Power but perhaps not influential enough to poll votes. Esava Ratugolea (16 disposals, 9 marks) was a rock in the backline, while Jason Horne-Francis (18 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals) and Jordan Sweet (16 disposals, 37 hitouts, 7 clearances, 1 goal) were important in the win.
Tom McCarthy - 3
Jake Waterman - 2
Esava Ratugolea - 1
Sydney 15.14.104 def St Kilda 15.12.102
The Saints led for most of the day, but the Swans pinched it with a goal in the dying seconds of the match. Once again it was Isaac Heeney (30 disposals, 6 tackles, 8 clearances, 2 goals) and Chad Warner (29 disposals, 2 goals) who were the most influential for the Swans, while Nick Blakey (26 disposals, 8 marks) and Logan McDonald (21 disposals, 11 marks, 1 goal) also played well. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (32 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) and Liam Ryan (5 goals, 12 disposals) were both important inclusions for the Saints, with Jack Sinclair (28 disposals, 1 goal) and Max Hall (27 disposals, 1 goal) also a chance for votes.
Isaac Heeney - 3
Chad Warner - 2
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - 0.5
Liam Ryan - 0.5
Essendon 10.7.67 def by Carlton 10.12.72
It was another thriller but not exactly a game full of highlights as the Blues survived a scare to take home the points. George Hewett (27 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) won plenty of ball and also shut down Sam Durham (30 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal) who was dominant in the first half. Blake Acres (22 disposals, 10 marks), Ben Ainsworth (20 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) and Harry McKay (16 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals) were also important for the Blues. Will Setterfield (29 disposals, 6 clearances) and Zach Reid (21 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal) were good for Essendon. Zach Merrett (33 disposals, 8 marks) was the leading disposal winner on the ground but anyone who gave him votes was clearly not watching the game as they were all uncontested, cheap disposals deep in the back line and included a whopping 11 turnovers to completely kill any trade value might’ve had for him.
Sam Durham - 3
George Hewett - 2
Will Setterfield - 0.5
Harry McKay - 0.5
Collingwood 11.9.75 def by Melbourne 12.11.83
Collingwood and Melbourne played out another thriller for the Big Freeze at the G, and Neale Daniher would’ve been proud of the fight of the Dees who fought back to win. Kysaiah Pickett won the Medal for his 28 disposals and 3 goals, but he had good support from Harvey Langford (26 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal), Max Gawn (22 disposals, 46 hitouts, 7 clearances) and Jack Steele (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 6 clearances), while Bayley Fritsch (15 disposals, 3 goals) provided some spark up forward. Nick Daicos (35 disposals, 6 marks, 6 clearances, 2 goals) was good but fell away late, while Patrick Lipinski (28 disposals, 7 marks) and Jordan De Goey (20 disposals, 2 goals) were also good.
Kysaiah Pickett - 3
Nick Daicos - 2
Harvey Langford - 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.
