The Suns and the Bulldogs enjoyed a week off but both remain firmly on top of the AFL ladder after Round 3. Surprisingly, the Kangaroos and Eagles are both in the Top 8 with a winning 2-1 record. The Eagles upset the Power and have already won more games than last season! Meanwhile the Kangaroos heaped more pain onto Essendon in the marshmellow match. A Good Friday date with another woeful team - Carlton - presents the next step for the Roos rebuild next week. Geelong, Collingwood and Melbourne also had good wins in Round 3.
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 3 Overview
It seems inevitable that Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos will one day win a Brownlow Medal. Could 2026 be his year? He's moved into joint Brownlow favouritism after another best-on-ground performance for the Pies in Round 3. Others in the votes this week include Zak Butters, Harley Reid, Bailey Smith, Max Gawn, Caleb Serong and Will Ashcroft.
Check out our 2026 Round 3 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 3 Match Analysis
Geelong 9.14.68 def Adelaide 9.6.60
It was a wet slog to start Round 3, but it was still a gripping contest that saw the Cats grind out a victory over the Crows. Bailey Smith (39 disposals, 10 tackles, 6 clearances) didn’t stop running all night, while Gryan Miers (25 disposals, 9 tackles), Max Holmes (27 disposals, 1 goal), Tom Stewart (24 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) and Oli Dempsey (21 disposals, 2 goals) were all influential. Josh Rachele (31 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal) was superb for the Crows, while Josh Worrell (30 disposals) also tried hard.
Bailey Smith - 3
Josh Rachele - 2
Gryan Miers - 0.5
Max Holmes - 0.5
Collingwood 13.9.87 def GWS Giants 7.12.54
The Pies led all night to take down the Giants. Nick Daicos (36 disposals, 6 clearances, 2 goals) was superb with Josh Daicos (33 disposals, 8 marks) and Steele Sidebottom (31 disposals, 11 marks) good in support. Tim Membrey (4 goals, 13 disposals, 7 marks) provided a target up forward. Finn Callaghan (35 disposals, 6 marks) was the stand out for the Giants, while Lachie Whitfield (39 disposals, 7 marks) and Clayton Oliver (37 disposals, 9 clearances) were also busy.
Nick Daicos - 3
Josh Daicos - 2
Finn Callaghan - 1
St Kilda 11.14 80 def by Brisbane 17.11.113
It was a tight game for three quarters before the Premiers flexed in the last to claim a strong victory. Jarrod Berry (31 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal) and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (29 disposals) had a fascinating duel until half time before Chris Fagan let everyone off the leash. Will Ashcroft (31 disposals, 7 tackles, 10 clearances) was an excellent four-quarter performer with Levi Ashcroft (25 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) also busy. Callum Wilkie (24 disposals, 9 marks) was good in defence for the Saints.
Jarrod Berry - 3
Will Ashcroft - 2
Levi Ashcroft - 0.5
Callum Wilkie - 0.5
Fremantle 13.25.103 def Richmond 6.7.43
It was 38 scoring shots to 13 out in the west in a scrappy clash that saw the Dockers get the job done. Josh Tracey (4 goals, 16 disposals, 12 marks) was a force up forward to be best on ground, while Caleb Serong (32 disposals, 6 tackles, 9 clearances, 2 goals) and Shai Bolton (33 disposals) were the leading ball winners. Tim Taranto (24 disposals, 10 tackles, 2 goals) was best for the Tigers.
Josh Tracey - 3
Caleb Serong - 2
Shai Bolton - 1
Essendon 9.15.69 def by North Melbourne 12.9.81
It was a game that was hard to watch between two of the most disappointing teams in the league, but the Roos offered a glimmer of hope for their supporters by holding on for the win. Luke Parker (33 disposals, 13 marks), Harry Sheezel (33 disposals, 11 marks), Luke Davies-Uniacke (31 disposals, 11 marks) and Colby McKercher (35 disposals) won plenty of ball as the Roos controlled possession. However Finn O’Sullivan arguably had the most impact on the result with 24 disposals and 8 marks while keeping Bombers superstar Zach Merrett to just 10 touches.
Luke Parker - 3
Finn O’Sullivan - 2
Harry Sheezel - 1
Port Adelaide 13.12.90 def by West Coast 13.14.92
Once again the Eagles came from behind to cause an upset win over the Power. It might be a tricky game for Brownlow votes. The number one draft picks Harley Reid (21 disposals, 6 clearances, 2 goals) and Willem Duursma (20 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) didn’t have huge numbers but were influential while Jake Waterman (4 goals, 13 disposals) played a key role up forward. Zak Butters (30 disposals, 6 clearances) was tireless for the Power and will have to be a chance for votes.
Jake Waterman - 3
Harley Reid - 1.5
Zak Butters - 1.5
Carlton 11.11.77 def by Melbourne 15.10.100
The Blues were 43 points up after kicking the first seven goals of the game, but they blew it as the Dees stormed home for a classic win. Kysaiah Pickett (33 disposals, 7 marks, 6 clearances, 1 goal) was the catalyst in the second half, with Max Gawn (23 disposals, 58 hitouts, 6 clearances), Tom Sparrow (29 disposals, 7 tackles, 9 clearances, 1 goal) and Jack Steele (23 disposals, 16 tackles) also very good. Jagga Smith (25 disposals, 1 goal) and Sam Walsh (31 disposals, 6 tackles) were best for the Blues.
Kysaiah Pickett - 3
Max Gawn - 2
Tom Sparrow - 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.
