Round 22 looked a little ordinary on paper with the majority of the top teams playing off against the bottom teams, however there were a number of exciting games with some finals teams getting a real scare! In fact the Hawks and Pies was probably the most disappointing match to watch with the Hawks winning comfortably to leave the Pies hurting before a trip to face Adelaide next week. Pressure remains on the Bulldogs, Giants and Dockers to keep winning if they want to avoid being the unlucky one to miss finals in ninth spot.
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 22 Overview
An interesting round for the Brownlow with our two leaders in Nick Daicos and Noah Anderson both clearly missing votes, while the next tier of contenders are sure to close the gap. Jordan Dawson looks a genuine threat now, while Caleb Serong, Matt Rowell, Bailey Smith and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera are now within striking distance after excellent performances in Round 22 action.
It looks to be a very exciting Brownlow Medal count!
Check out our 2025 Round 22 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 22 Match Analysis
Hawthorn 17.8.110 def Collingwood 6.10.46
The Hawks smash the Pies who are now in danger of missing the top four on the ladder. Lloyd Meek gave the mids first use while also pushing forwards effectively to collect 10 disposals, 7 marks, 32 hitouts and 3 goals. Jai Newcombe recovered from a heavy early collision to amass 28 disposals, 7 clearances and 1 goal. A number of other Hawks are in contention for a vote with Jarman Impey (25 disposals, 8 marks), Dylan Moore (25 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal), Massimo D’Ambrosio (24 disposals, 7 marks) and James Sicily (26 disposals, 9 marks) all valuable. Scott Pendlebury (27 disposals) was the leading ball winner for the Pies with Nick Daicos (24 disposals, 6 clearances) relatively subdued.
Lloyd Meek - 3
Jai Newcombe - 2
Jarman Impey - 0.5
Dylan Moore - 0.5
Geelong 15.19.109 def Essendon 10.5.65
The Cats didn’t have it all their own way, and wasted a few chances, but they got the job done. Bailey Smith (31 disposals, 9 marks, 9 clearances, 738 metres gained) didn’t stop running, Shaun Mannagh (20 disposals, 3 goals) and Jeremy Cameron (15 disposals, 7 marks, 4 goals) were dynamic up forward, while Mark Blicavs (22 disposals, 6 marks, 17 hitouts, 2 goals) was excellent in the ruck and pushing forward. Archie Roberts (33 disposals, 7 marks) and Zach Merrett (27 disposals, 10 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal) were very good for the Bombers and will be a chance for votes.
Bailey Smith - 3
Shaun Mannagh - 2
Archie Roberts - 1
Richmond 7.10.52 def by St Kilda 8.8.56
The Saints held off a gallant Tigers outfit to sneak over the line for their third time in three weeks. The Saints players had some big numbers thanks to plenty of uncontested possession. Marcus Windhager (32 disposals, 9 marks, 6 tackles), Jack Sinclair (30 disposals, 11 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (33 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) and Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks) were all very good for the Saints, while Nick Vlastuin (19 disposals, 8 marks) was good across half-back for Richmond.
Marcus Windhager - 3
Jack Sinclair - 1.5
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - 1.5
Brisbane 13.12.90 def by Sydney 13.14.92
The Swans survived a late rush from the Lions to grab an exciting win that will hurt the premiership chances of the Lions. Isaac Heeney was sensational with 5 goals from 23 disposals and 6 marks to be best on ground. Chad Warner (26 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals), Errol Gulden (29 disposals) and Angus Sheldrick (26 disposals, 1 goal) were also prolific. Josh Dunkley (31 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal), Will Ashcroft (31 disposals, 6 marks), Hugh McLuggage (30 disposals, 7 marks, 7 clearances) and Darcy Wilmot (27 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals) were all valuable for the Lions.
Isaac Heeney - 3
Chad Warner - 1.5
Josh Dunkley - 1.5
Carlton 11.8.74 def by Gold Coast 13.15.93
The Blues kicked six of the last seven goals of the game to give the Suns a scare, but ultimately the Suns did what they had to do. Matt Rowell (30 disposals, 8 tackles, 9 clearances), Touk Miller (25 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles) and Brayden Fiorini (22 disposals, 2 goals) won plenty of ball while Ben King (6 goals, 9 disposals, 7 marks) was great up forward. Cooper Lord (24 disposals, 12 tackles, 7 clearances) got the better of Brownlow fancy Noah Anderson, while Francis Evans (16 disposals, 4 goals) was dynamic for the Blues.
Matt Rowell - 3
Max King - 2
Cooper Lord - 0.5
Francis Evans - 0.5
Port Adelaide 13.8.86 def by Fremantle 13.14.92
The Dockers kicked four of the last five games to come back and secure a dramatic victory that jumps them into the top four on the ladder. Caleb Serong (28 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal), Jaeger O’Meara (26 disposals), Luke Jackson (23 disposals, 9 marks, 8 hitouts) and Shai Bolton (19 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals) were best for the Dockers. Zak Butters (29 disposals, 8 marks) was tireless for the Power, while Aliir Aliir (22 disposals, 17 marks, 1 goal) had a great game.
Caleb Serong - 3
Zak Butters - 2
Shai Bolton - 0.5
Aliir Aliir - 0.5
GWS Giants 20.13.133 def North Melbourne 12.7.79
The Giants bounced back from last week’s thumping as it was a familiar story for the Roos. Finn Callaghan (31 disposals, 8 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal), Toby Greene (23 disposals, 10 marks, 3 goals) and Tom Green (25 disposals, 10 clearances, 1 goal) were exceptional, while Callum Brown (5 goals, 8 disposals) and Aaron Cadman (4 goals, 12 disposals, 7 marks) hit the scoreboard. Luke Parker (29 disposals, 6 marks, 8 clearances, 1 goal) was best for the Roos.
Finn Callaghan - 2.5
Toby Greene - 2.5
Aaron Cadman - 0.5
Tom Green - 0.5
Melbourne 15.9.99 def by Western Bulldogs 15.15.105
The Dogs had a scare but their hunt for the finals remains alive after surviving Melbourne by a goal. Ed Richards (31 disposals, 15 score involvements, 14 clearances, 2 goals) was superb, with Marcus Bontempelli (33 disposals, 7 clearances), Tom Liberatore (24 disposals, 12 tackles) and Aaron Naughton (5 goals, 17 disposals, 7 marks) also excellent. Max Gawn (23 disposals, 42 hitouts, 1 goal) led from the front as always for the Dees.
Ed Richards - 3
Aaron Naughton - 1.5
Marcus Bontempelli - 1.5
West Coast 12.6.78 def by Adelaide 13.9.87
It was another scare as the bottom-placed Eagles took it right up to the ladder-leading Crows. Jordan Dawson (26 disposals, 6 marks, 14 tackles, 1 goal) could be right in the hunt for the Brownlow with a likely three votes here. Izak Rankine (23 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) and Rory Laird (25 disposals, 7 marks) were also useful. Tim Kelly (25 disposals, 11 clearances, 1 goal) played his best game of the year for the Eagles, while Tom McCarthy (29 disposals) continues to impress.
Jordan Dawson - 3
Izak Rankine - 2
Tim Kelly - 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.
