The Suns and the Bulldogs have continued their perfect starts to the 2026 AFL season with both teams undefeated after Round 2. The Bulldogs in particular have got through a tough period of the draw unscathed and look in ominous form. West Coast surprised everyone with their first win in 10 months, while the blow torch is firmly on Essendon and the Kangaroos who both had poor losses. They'll play each other next week in a match that neither can afford to lose!
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 2 Overview
Injuries were the bog talking point of the round with hamstrings taking out Brownlow Medal chances Connor Rozee and Christian Petracca. It's a huge blow for Petracca's Brownlow chances after a blistering start to the season. Marcus Bontempelli has now firmed into Brownlow Medal favouritism after another brilliant showing in Round 2, while Zak Butters, Harley Reid, Andrew Brayshaw and Jason Horne-Francis among the vote getters this week.
Check out our 2026 Round 2 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 2 Match Analysis
Hawthorn 14.15.99 def Sydney 13.4.82
It was a great start to the round as a gallant and undermanned Swans were in front by 20 points but ultimately succumbed to the pressure of the Hawks. Jai Newcombe (31 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal) and Dylan Moore (22 disposals, 3 goals) had great impact, while Tom Barrass (15 disposals, 6 marks) and James Sicily (23 disposals, 8 marks) were excellent in defence. Chad Warner (27 disposals, 1 goal) and Callum Mills (29 disposals, 8 marks) tried hard for the Swans.
Jai Newcombe - 3
Dylan Moore - 2
Tom Barrass - 1
Adelaide 13.10.88 def by Western Bulldogs 14.10.94
Another cracking Friday night clash saw Adelaide hit the front late, but the Bulldogs held their nerve in the final minutes to land a big away victory. Joel Freijah (24 disposals, 3 goals), Marcus Bontempelli (30 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal) and Bailey Williams (23 disposals, 10 marks, 2 goals) were the match winners for the Dogs. Jordan Dawson (25 disposals, 7 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal) led from the front, while Jordan Butts (19 disposals, 12 marks, 1 goal) was superb at full back while also kicking the first goal of his AFL career!
Joel Freijah - 2.5
Marcus Bontempelli - 2.5
Jordan Dawson - 1
Richmond 9.6.60 def by Gold Coast 19.14.128
The Suns remain undefeated and on top of the ladder after easily accounting for the Tigers. The only sour note was the hamstring injury to Brownlow favourite Christian Petracca which has quickly shifted around the latest Brownlow odds. The twin towers of Ben King (7 goals, 11 disposals) and Ethan Read (4 goals, 12 disposals, 11 marks) were on fire up forward, while Touk Miller (31 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal), Bodhi Uwland (29 disposals, 16 marks) and Joel Jeffrey (23 disposals, 13 marks, 1 goal) won plenty of ball. Jayden Short (33 disposals, 13 marks) was best for Richmond.
Ben King - 3
Touk Miller - 2
Bodhi Uwland - 0.5
Ethan Read - 0.5
GWS Giants 10.14.74 def by St Kilda 12.12.78
The Saints held on from a fast-finishing Giants team to get on the board for season 2026. Jack Sinclair (31 disposals, 9 marks), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (27 disposals) and Callum Wilkie (28 disposals, 11 marks) were among the best for the Saints. Lachie Ash (39 disposals, 9 marks) was great for the Giants, while Clayton Oliver (33 disposals, 1 goal) and Finn Callaghan (32 disposals) were prolific.
Jack Sinclair - 3
Lachie Ash - 2
Callum Wilkie - 1
Fremantle 17.16.118 def Melbourne 10.10.70
The Dockers blitzed the Dees with Andrew Brayshaw bouncing back from a poor Round 1 match to collect 39 disposals, 6 marks and a goal. Josh Tracey (4 goals, 17 disposals, 10 marks) was huge up forward, while Shai Bolton (32 disposals, 9 clearances, 2 goals) was also excellent. Jack Steele (31 disposals, 6 marks, 9 tackles, 9 clearances) and Max Gawn (23 disposals, 11 marks, 28 hitouts, 7 clearances) were strong for Melbourne.
Andrew Brayshaw - 3
Shai Bolton - 2
Josh Tracey - 1
Port Adelaide 20.13.133 def Essendon 10.10.70
The Power smoked the Bombers who have now sunk to the bottom of the ladder. The only down note for the Power was the injury to Connor Rozee (21 disposals) who was very good until ripping his hamstring off the bone. Zak Butters (36 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 7 clearances) and Jason Horne-Francis (26 disposals, 10 marks, 3 goals) were superb, with Aliir Aliir (21 disposals, 19 marks) and Joe Richards (21 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals) also good. Archie Roberts (26 disposals) and Nate Caddy (4 goals, 12 disposals, 6 marks) were best for Essendon.
Zak Butters - 3
Jason Horne-Francis - 2
Aliir Aliir - 1
West Coast 17.9.111 def North Melbourne 15.4.94
West Coast secured their first win in 10 months at the expense of the Kangaroos who would be deeply hurting after showing so much promise in Round 1. Harley Reid (30 disposals) provided the grunt in the middle while Elliot Yeo (19 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals) was the class with two crucial goals. Tristan Xerri (25 disposals, 9 tackles, 43 hitouts, 7 clearances) was tireless for the Roos, while Harry Sheezel (40 disposals, 8 clearances) won a lot of ball but it wasn’t always effective. Nick Larkey might sneak into the votes for 6 goals from 10 disposals and 6 marks.
Harley Reid - 3
Elliot Yeo - 1
Tristan Xerri - 1
Nick Larkey - 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.
