Round 9 was one without any real upsets as results went as expected. The Roos were close to upsetting the Swans but Sydney held firm to maintain their spot at the top of the ladder. The Dockers rallied to defeat the Hawks, while the Dogs are back on the winners list as the Power suffered their second heartbreaking loss in a row. Richmond, Essendon and Carlton all put in spirited showings but weren't quite able to get the win.
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 9 Overview
Our Brownlow favourites Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli are both very sore but both continue to play well for their teams. The Bont might jump this round as the Dogs won, while the Pies suffered a loss that may see Daicos miss out this week. Others in good shape to poll in Round 9 include Lachie Neale, Zak Butters, Luke Jackson, Noah Anderson, Bailey Smith, Max Holmes and Jordan Dawson, so things could tighten a little on the leaderboard this round.
Check out our 2026 Round 9 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 9 Match Analysis
Fremantle 12.16.88 def Hawthorn 11.7.73
The Dockers surged late to win an enthralling contest against the Hawks to kick off the round. Caleb Serong (28 disposals, 8 clearances), Luke Jackson (22 disposals, 10 tackles, 22 hitouts, 7 clearances) and Michael Frederick (19 disposals, 3 goals) were the best for Freo in the victory. The ageless Jack Gunston (6 goals, 11 disposals, 9 marks) might be in the votes as he kicked a bag while Karl Amon (31 disposals, 7 marks) was the leading ball winner on the ground.
Caleb Serong - 2.5
Luke Jackson - 2.5
Jack Gunston - 1
Brisbane 14.16.100 def Carlton 13.11.89
The Blues finally showed some heart as they fought back late but Brisbane had done enough to hold on for the win. Lachie Neale won the Medal for his 33 disposals, 8 marks, 9 clearances and 1 goal. Hugh McLuggage (25 disposals, 10 clearances, 1 goal), Ryan Lester (20 disposals, 11 marks) and Levi Ashcroft (21 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals) led the way in the victory for the Lions. Will Hayward (22 disposals, 10 marks, 3 goals), Harry McKay (21 disposals, 10 marks, 3 goals) and Patrick Cripps (32 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal) were best for Carlton.
Lachie Neale - 3
Will Hayward - 1.5
Patrick Cripps - 1.5
Port Adelaide 10.12.72 def by Western Bulldogs 10.14.74
It was another agonising defeat for the Power as the Bulldogs got back on the winner’s list. Marcus Bontempelli was superb with 30 disposals, 7 marks, 10 tackles, 7 clearances and a goal, with Ed Richards (27 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal), Ryley Sanders (31 disposals, 7 clearances) and Joel Freijah (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal) also busy. Zak Butters (30 disposals, 7 marks) was again best for the Power, with Kane Farrell (27 disposals, 10 marks) and Aliir Aliir (21 disposals, 13 marks) strong in defence.
Marcus Bontempelli - 3
Zak Butters - 1
Ed Richards - 1
Ryley Sanders - 1
North Melbourne 14.13.97 def by Sydney 16.9.105
The Roos pushed the Swans all the way, but couldn’t quite cause the upset they are craving as the Swans showed their class to record a narrow victory. Their efforts were shared around but Nick Blakey (26 disposals) provided his usual dash while Isaac Heeney (24 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 goals) was important as ever. Luke Davies-Uniacke (34 disposals, 6 clearances) was one of the best on ground while Harry Sheezel (31 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal) should also push for votes.
Isaac Heeney - 2.5
Luke Davies-Uniacke - 2.5
Nick Blakey - 1
GWS Giants 16.7.103 def Essendon 13.11.89
The Bombers led for much of the day but the Giants got themselves going to ensure a tight win at home. Lachie Whitfield (35 disposals, 7 marks) and Finn Callaghan (30 disposals, 6 clearances) won plenty of ball while Toby Greene (18 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 goals) was dangerous. Archie Roberts (42 disposals, 11 marks) continues to rack up massive numbers, with Zach Merrett (31 disposals) and Peter Wright (13 disposals, 6 marks, 21 hitouts, 3 goals) also good contributors. Coaches votes were all over the place in this one so Brownlow votes could surprise.
Lachie Whitfield - 3
Archie Roberts - 2
Finn Callaghan - 1
Gold Coast 13.11.89 def St Kilda 8.12.60
The Saints led by 25 points at quarter time but the Suns recovered to keep their winning record in Darwin intact. Noah Anderson (31 disposals, 10 marks), Daniel Rioli (28 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal), John Noble (31 disposals, 13 marks, 1 goal) and Touk Miller (31 disposals, 1 goal) were all influential and a chance for votes. Darcy Wilson (22 disposals, 4 goals) was a stand out for the Saints while Sam Flanders (28 disposals, 7 marks) had a good game against his old side.
Daniel Rioli - 3
Darcy Wilson - 2
Noah Anderson - 1
Geelong 18.14.122 def Collingwood 9.14.68
The Cats were a class above the Pies as Bailey Smith (40 disposals, 6 marks, 6 clearances) ran rampant at the MCG. Max Holmes (33 disposals), Lawson Humphries (26 disposals, 7 marks) and Shannon Neale (17 disposals, 10 marks, 2 goals) were also valuable for the Cats. Jordan De Goey (30 disposals, 9 marks) was excellent for the Pies and Scott Pendlebury (27 disposals, 1 goal) was as reliable as ever. Brownlow favourite Nick Daicos ended with a respectable 29 disposals but he was well tagged and didn’t have a lot of influence on the game.
Bailey Smith - 3
Max Holmes - 2
Jordan De Goey - 1
Melbourne 15.9.99 def West Coast 9.13.67
The Eagles were competitive but the Dees continued their solid start to season 2026 with another victory. Ed Langdon (29 disposals, 10 marks), Jake Bowey (26 disposals) and Tom Sparrow (24 disposals, 6 clearances) won plenty of ball, while Max Gawn (21 disposals, 27 hitouts, 1 goal) and Jacob van Rooyen (5 goals, 15 disposals, 7 marks) were a constant aerial threat. Tom McCarthy (30 disposals, 6 marks) and Harley Reid (21 disposals, 1 goal) were best for West Coast.
Jacob van Rooyen - 3
Ed Langdon - 2
Max Gawn - 1
Richmond 9.7.61 def by Adelaide 14.14.98
The Tigers led at half-time but the Crows turned it on in the second half to pull way with the win. Jordan Dawson (29 disposals, 12 marks, 1 goal) and Izak Rankine (33 disposals, 10 marks, 9 tackles, 1 goal) will duke it out for the three votes with both having exceptional games. Wayne Milera (34 disposals, 6 marks) was next best. For the Tigers, Tim Taranto (28 disposals, 9 clearances) tried hard.
Jordan Dawson - 2.5
Izak Rankine - 2.5
Wayne Milera - 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.
