Round 6 produced a number of thrilling matches with Collingwood, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Gold Coast all getting home by single-digit margins. The Swans remain the team to catch on top of the ladder as they won the Battle of the Bridge against the Giants, while the Cats smashed the Dogs who have quickly gone into desperation mode following a number of major injuries.
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 6 Overview
Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos is back into Brownlow favouritism after a vintage performance to get the Pies home. Other moves and shakers in Round 6 include Bailey Smith, Christian Petracca, Zak Butters, Harry Sheezel and 2025 Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell.
Check out our 2026 Round 6 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2026 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2026 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 6 Match Analysis
Carlton 12.11.83 def by Collingwood 13.10.88
It was a familiar script as the Blues let slip an 18-point lead at three-quarter time, with a kick after the siren sailing wide to leave the Pies with the win. Nick Daicos was huge in the comeback with 39 disposals, including 13 in the last quarter, as well as 6 marks, 8 clearances and a goal. Harry Perryman (27 disposals, 11 marks) and Patrick Lipinski (27 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) had good games for the Pies, while Sam Walsh (28 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles) was best for the Blues.
Nick Daicos - 3
Harry Perryman - 2
Sam Walsh - 1
Geelong 19.17.131 def Western Bulldogs 8.8.56
It was a terrible night for the Dogs. Not only did they get smashed on the scoreboard, but a season-ending injury to young star Sam Darcy, and multiple other key injuries, left them licking their wounds heading back up the highway to the Kennel. Jeremy Cameron was unstoppable for the Cats with a big bag of 10 goals from 18 disposals and 10 marks. Bailey Smith (33 disposals, 8 marks, 7 tackles, 11 clearances, 1 goal) was huge while Max Holmes (28 disposals, 7 marks) and Lawson Humphries (24 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) were also very good. It’s worth also mentioning the excellent tagging job by Oisin Mullin to keep Marcus Bontempelli to just 14 disposals. Ed Richards (30 disposals, 13 tackles, 6 clearances) was a stand out for the Dogs.
Jeremy Cameron - 3
Bailey Smith - 2
Max Holmes - 1
Sydney 17.5.107 def GWS Giants 8.18.66
In a game that had a delay for lightning at half time, it was the Swans who remained the kings of the Harbour City as they pulled away in the last quarter for a comfortable win against the Giants. Nick Blakey won the Medal for best afield with 34 disposals, 1 goal and 882 metres gained. Justin McInerney (26 disposals, 2 goals), Isaac Heeney (28 disposals, 7 clearances) and Brodie Grundy (27 disposals, 6 tackles, 37 hitouts, 7 clearances) were also influential. Clayton Olivery had a game-high 37 disposals and 9 clearances for the Giants.
Nick Blakey - 3
Justin McInerney - 2
Clayton Oliver - 1
Gold Coast 17.17.119 def Essendon 17.8.110
In a game where the Suns were expected to win easily, the Bombers pushed them all the way. Christian Petracca picked up where he left off with 25 disposals, 6 clearances and 3 goals to lead the way for the Suns, with Matt Rowell (35 disposals) and Touk Miller (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 goal) also having good games. The Bombers led in many categories with Zach Merrett (34 disposals, 9 marks, 8 tackles, 1 goal), Archie Roberts (33 disposals, 7 marks) and Darcy Parish (30 disposals, 11 clearances) a chance for votes.
Christian Petracca - 2.5
Matt Rowell - 2.5
Zach Merrett - 1
Hawthorn 13.11.89 def Port Adelaide 13.8.86
A great contest saw the Hawks get the points but the Power could’ve pinched it with a set shot in the last minute sailing wide. Nick Watson was a star with 5 goals from 13 disposals for the Hawks, while Jai Newcombe (24 disposals, 7 tackles), Jarman Impey (23 disposals, 13 marks) and Mitch Lewis (15 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals) were important. Jason Horne-Francis (28 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals) could be among the votes while Zak Butters (35 disposals, 1 goal) overcame a tough week in the media spotlight to have a great game.
Nick Watson - 3
Jason Horne-Francis - 2
Zak Butters - 1
Adelaide 15.13.103 def St Kilda 15.12.102
A thrilling match saw the Crows hold on by one point against the Saints. Taylor Walker was a force with 5 goals from 12 disposals and 7 marks, while Wayne Milera (29 disposals, 9 marks) and Josh Worrell (28 disposals, 11 marks) provided great rebound from half-back. Jack Sinclair (35 disposals, 7 marks) and Callum Wilkie (31 disposals, 12 marks) were outstanding for the Saints.
Taylor Walker - 3
Jack Sinclair - 2
Callum Wilkie - 1
North Melbourne 20.10.130 def Richmond 7.13.55
The Roos thumped the hapless Tigers to prove the gulf between the two rebuilding teams is a significant one. Harry Sheezel (39 disposals, 8 marks, 7 clearances, 1 goal) was superb, with Colby McKercher (26 disposals, 1 goal), George Wardlaw (25 disposals) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (26 disposals, 1 goal) running wild in the middle. Cam Zurhaar (23 disposals, 11 marks) made a positive shift into defence and Paul Curtis finished their work up forward with a bag of 6 goals from 13 disposals and 6 marks. Jack Ross (26 disposals, 6 marks, 8 tackles, 8 clearances, 2 goals) was best for the Tigers.
Harry Sheezel - 3
Paul Curtis - 2
Colby McKercher - 1
Melbourne 16.8.104 def Brisbane 15.12.102
Melbourne are proving a difficult team to read as they caused one of the upsets of the season against the Lions. Harvey Langford (27 disposals, 3 goals) played his best game for the club, with Ed Langdon (28 disposals, 9 marks), Kysaiah Pickett (22 disposals) and Kade Chandler (17 disposals, 3 goals) all important in the win. Lachie Neale (31 disposals, 6 marks, 10 clearances), Will Ashcroft (26 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) and Harris Andrews (22 disposals, 12 marks) were good for Brisbane.
Harvey Langford - 3
Kade Chandler - 1
Harris Andrews - 1
Lachie Neale - 1
West Coast 5.11.41 def by Fremantle 14.13.97
Fremantle continued their dominance of the Derby with a big win over the Eagles. Jordan Clark won his first Derby Medal for 27 disposals, 11 marks and 1 goal in an excellent performance. Jye Amiss (5 goals, 13 disposals, 10 marks) continues to show improvement, while Murphy Reid (26 disposals) and Caleb Serong (24 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) were good in the middle. Tom McCarthy (28 disposals, 9 marks) was good for the Eagles.
Jordan Clark - 3
Jye Amiss - 2
Murphy Reid - 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.
