Round 8 was a round of mixed entertainment. There was a classic between Geelong and Collingwood that went down to the final kick of the game, and the Q-Clash saw the Lions come out ahead to jump to the top of the AFL ladder. At the other end, the Roos and Bombers scrapped it out in prime time while the Saints and Freo was one of the most unwatchable Friday night matches you'll ever see. The cream is certainly rising to the top with the Top 8 remaining the same for the last three weeks.
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 2025 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page and check out the latest Brownlow Odds.
2025 AFL Brownlow Round 8 Overview
The big names were up and about in Round 8 with some superb performances this weekend. Max Gawn rolled back the clock with one of his great games, while Patrick Dangerfield, Zach Merrett, Marcus Bontempelli, Jordan Dawson, Bailey Smith, Chad Warner and Christian Petracca all likely to be in the Brownlow votes in Round 8 action.
Check out our 2025 Round 8 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 8 Match Analysis
Essendon 9.11.65 def North Melbourne 9.8.62
It wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty desperate as the Dons did enough to fall over the line against the Roos. Zach Merrett led from the front with 35 disposals and showcased his experience and skill in a tense last quarter. Archie Perkins (15 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals) and Peter Wright (15 disposals, 8 marks, 9 hitouts) were dynamic up forward with Archie Roberts (26 disposals, 6 marks) looking like a star on the rise. Harry Sheezel (32 disposals, 9 marks) bounced back from a difficult week in the media, Tristan Xerri (25 disposals, 39 hitouts, 10 clearances) was a beast in the middle and Tom Powell (28 disposals, 9 tackles, 6 clearances) was also good.
Zach Merrett - 3
Tristan Xerri - 2
Harry Sheezel - 0.5
Archie Perkins - 0.5
St Kilda 14.10.94 def Fremantle 5.3.33
An awful Friday night contest as St Kilda strangled the Dockers to record a comfortable win. Callum Wilkie was arguably the most important player on the ground as he kept Josh Tracey goalless while accumulating 24 disposals and 14 marks. Cooper Sharman (16 disposals, 9 marks, 4 goals) was the star up forward in the second half, while Jack Macrae (38 disposals, 8 tackles, 14 clearances) was great as the Saints smashed the Dockers in the clearances on a night where the midfielders struggled to get much going. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (28 disposals, 10 marks) and Jack Steele (22 disposals, 11 tackles, 1 goal) were next best. The less said about the Dockers’ efforts, the better.
Callum Wilkie - 2.5
Jack Macrae - 2.5
Cooper Sharman - 1
Western Bulldogs 20.11.131 def Port Adelaide 5.11.41
It didn’t matter if the Bulldogs were kicking with the wind or into it in Ballarat as they smashed the Power. Tim English was dominant with 27 disposals, 6 marks, 30 hitouts and 3 goals in his best performance of the year. Marcus Bontempelli overcame a slow start to accumulate 23 disposals, 8 tackles and 3 goals, while Ed Richards (30 disposals, 3 goals), Matt Kennedy (26 disposals, 8 tackles, 11 clearances) and Bailey Dale (31 disposals) were all excellent. Not much to get excited about for the Power but Zac Butters (24 disposals, 9 tackles, 6 clearances) tried hard.
Tim English - 3
Marcus Bontempelli - 1.5
Ed Richards - 1.5
Adelaide 16.14.110 def Carlton 7.8.50
Adelaide surged past the Blues in a big win for their finals chances. Jordan Dawson led from the front with 22 disposals, 7 marks, 8 tackles, 6 clearances and 3 goals in a complete display. Izak Rankine (29 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals), Max Michalanney (27 disposals, 12 marks), Wayne Milera (27 disposals) and Josh Worrell (23 disposals, 7 marks) were all excellent for the Crows. Reigning Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps (24 disposals, 2 goals) was best for the Blues but might be lucky to pinch a vote.
Jordan Dawson - 3
Izak Rankine - 2
Max Michalanney - 0.5
Josh Worrell - 0.5
Collingwood 12.15.87 def by Geelong 13.12.90
A Saturday night classic between the Pies and the Cats came down to the boot of record-breaking Jack Crisp, but his kick after the siren sailed wide to leave the Cats with a thrilling victory. There were heroics everywhere but none were bigger than Patrick Dangerfield who was relentless in his attack with 29 disposals and a goal, while Bailey Smith (34 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) didn’t stop running all night. Scott Pendlebury (26 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal) and Josh Daicos (32 disposals) were busy for the Pies while Darcy Cameron (23 disposals, 7 marks, 37 hitouts, 7 clearances, 1 goal) feasted on the early injury to Rhys Stanley.
Patrick Dangerfield - 3
Bailey Smith - 2
Scott Pendlebury - 1
West Coast 11.10.76 def by Melbourne 16.12.108
Max Gawn was magnificent in leading his Demons to victory over the Eagles. Gawn played like a midfielder with an incredible 35 disposals and 9 clearances to go with 8 marks, 47 hitouts and a goal. Christian Petracca (29 disposals, 8 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal) was excellent, while Kade Chandler (26 disposals, 8 tackles, 1 goal), Jack Viney (18 disposals, 10 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal) and Daniel Turner (19 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals) were all important. Ryan Maric (26 disposals, 7 marks) was kept busy down back for the Eagles.
Max Gawn - 3
Christian Petracca - 2
Daniel Turner - 1
Sydney 12.15.87 def GWS Giants 10.13.73
The Swans kept their finals hopes alive with a hard-fought win over their cross-town rivals in the Giants. Chad Warner (24 disposals, 7 clearances), Isaac Heeney (22 disposals, 1 goal) and Matt Roberts (25 disposals, 6 marks) were the leading ball winners for the Swans. Finn Callaghan (33 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances) and Tom Green (34 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) were excellent for the Giants.
Chad Warner - 3
Finn Callaghan - 2
Tom Green - 1
Hawthorn 16.13.109 def Richmond 6.8.44
The Hawks had their 100-year celebrations and that carried onto the field as they demolished the Tigers. Massimo D’Ambrosio (30 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals), Josh Battle (33 disposals, 12 marks), Jai Newcombe (27 disposals), James Sicily (24 disposals, 1 goal) and Jack Ginnivan (23 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals) were among the best for the Hawks. Jacob Hopper (28 disposals) and Tim Taranto (26 disposals, 8 tackles) tried hard for the Tigers.
Massimo D’Ambrosio - 2.5
Josh Battle - 2.5
Jai Newcombe - 1
Brisbane 9.12.66 def Gold Coast 7.7.49
The Lions are on top of the AFL ladder after holding off their little brother in the Suns in Q-Clash 28. Will Ashcroft won the medal named in his father’s honour with 34 disposals, 6 marks and 9 clearances. Hugh McLuggage (30 disposals, 8 clearances) and Lachie Neale (25 disposals, 6 tackles, 10 clearances) dominated the clearances, while Josh Dunkley (26 disposals, 6 tackles) did an excellent job shutting down Matt Rowell. Touk Miller was best for the Suns with 29 disposals and a goal.
Will Ashcroft - 3
Hugh McLuggage - 2
Josh Dunkley - 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.
