The 2025 Brownlow Medal count will deem the best player for the year.
But as we all know, the winner is generally a reflection of the club's performance, with the recipient of 'Charlie' more often than not from a premiership contender.
Using our Zero Hanger MVP voting to see where all 18 clubs ranked in total votes, as well as some of the reasons for their standing.
While the league ladder is a decent indicator of where clubs rank in the season, there are multiple surprises throughout the list.
Geelong (962 MVP votes)
The Cats claim the top spot, and there is no shock, with three players firmly placed inside the top 13.
Bailey Smith (214 votes), Jeremy Cameron (179) and Max Holmes (161) make up the majority of Chris Scott's side, making up around 58 per cent of the total club votes.
Smith is a favourite to take out the Brownlow, but his mind, along with his teammates, is firmly placed on Saturday's events: The 2025 AFL Grand Final.
Western Bulldogs (921)
Despite missing the finals, the Bulldogs rank second in total Zero Hanger MVP votes, largely thanks to superstar Marcus Bontempelli (184), and his partner-in-crime Ed Richards (156).
Tom Liberatore (99) and Sam Darcy (99) both contributed hefty numbers, while Aaron Naughton was another name inside the top 50 players in the competition.
Matthew Kennedy (64) and Tim English (55) also produced strong seasons for the red, blue and white.
Adelaide (917)
The minor premiers may have bowed out in straight sets, but their return to finals after eight seasons was impressive.
Crows skipper Jordan Dawson (194 votes) is among the leading chances for the Brownlow, and was a major contributor to Adelaide's season.
Riley Thilthorpe (140) burst onto the scene with his breathtaking forward dominance and iconic beard, while Izak Rankine (129) and Ben Keays (77) were notable performers.
Brisbane (883)
Three consecutive grand finals due to the fact that there are stars all over the ground.
Hugh McCluggage ranked 16th in the Zero Hanger MVP with 155 votes, with fellow midfielders Lachie Neale (121), Will Ashcroft (117) and Josh Dunkley (116) following closely behind.
Zac Bailey's (83) improvement saw him shoot into the top 50 as Dayne Zorko (56) backed up his 2024 All-Australian season with another 12 months of brilliance.
Collingwood (870)
The Pies' Nick Daicos took out the Zero Hanger MVP award with 231, leading all comers and contributing over 25 per cent of Collingwood's total.
The next best was veteran Steele Sidebottom (99), courtesy of an early-season bounce, while Jamie Elliott (90) and Josh Daicos (76) also firmly placed inside the top 50.
In a show of reliance on the old blokes, Scott Pendlebury was Collingwood's fifth-highest vote getter with 53.
GWS (829)
The midfield duo of Tom Green (173) and Finn Callaghan (137) will terrorise oppositions for the next decade.
Toby Greene's (118) year was nothing short of outstanding, albeit without the team success.
Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan (64) was also rewarded for his efforts throughout the year.
Hawthorn (818)
A relatively even spread of contributors, however, Hawthorn was led by All-Australian forward Jack Gunston (102), ranking 33rd in the league.
Jai Newcombe (96) and Dylan Moore (76) followed suit with strong seasons, as Lloyd Meek (58), Josh Battle (55) and Mabior Chol (51) weren't far behind.
Fremantle (816)
No shock as to where the votes came from for Fremantle.
Andrew Brayshaw (183) and Caleb Serong (182) continue their rise to AFL stardom, and 2025 was no different.
Luke Jackson (97), Shai Bolton (70) and Jordan Clark (63) were also key contributors to the Dockers' year.
Gold Coast (800)
The Suns have two Brownlow Medal contenders, and both ranked in the top 10 of the Zero Hanger MVP.
Matt Rowell (212) and Noah Anderson (169) were damning as they took the club to its maiden finals campaign.
Touk Miller (99) and Ben King's (86) years were no slouches as recruit John Noble (57) rounded out the top five for Gold Coast.
Sydney (675)
Isaac Heeney (158) had a sneaky good year despite the Swans missing out on finals.
Brodie Grundy's (134) return to his former best rivalled Max Gawn for the All-Australian blazer, as Chad Warner (105) and Errol Gulden (72) featured prominently, albeit the latter missed the first part of the season.
St Kilda (633)
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (165) stamped his authority as one of the game's best players, and his move to the midfield could see him take out the Zero Hanger MVP and Brownlow Medal in years to come.
Rowan Marshall (101 votes) featured inside the top 50 (34) as experienced campaigners Jack Macrae (61) and Callum Wilkie (57) were notable performers.
Melbourne (623)
The Demons had three players inside the top 31 players of 2025, with Max Gawn (152 votes), Christian Petracca (121) and Kysaiah Pickett (111) all polling well in the Zero Hanger MVP.
A big drop off then shows Jack Viney (47) as the next best, while Jake Melksham (38) just missed out on the top 100.
Port Adelaide (600)
Zak Butters (165) is quickly becoming the AFL's best player, and his ability to alter games and influence contests is second to none.
His captain, Connor Rozee (132), was switched to half-back and proved to be a gold mine, while Jason Horne-Francis (73) and the much-improved Mitch Georgiades (69) were also vote-getters.
Carlton (570)
Blues tough-nut George Hewett (125) led the way for the Victorian club after a season of inconsistency and uncertainty.
Patrick Cripps (70) wasn't at his usual best, while Harry McKay (58), Tom De Koning (56) and Sam Walsh (43) rounded out the top five.
Essendon (514)
Zach Merrett (130) was the lone wolf at the Bombers, and speculation around his future has put fears into the club's direction going forward.
Nic Martin (72) is a captain-in-waiting but will miss the majority of the 2026 season with an ACL injury, while Jye Caldwell (58) and Sam Durham (52) are the next stars to take the club into the future.
North Melbourne (485)
Uncompromising ruckman Tristan Xerri (113) was the out-and-out performer for the Kangaroos in 2025, a year which yielded only five wins.
Harry Sheezel (77) continues to grow as a player, while Luke Davies-Uniacke (60) and Jy Simpkin (55) arguably took backwards steps from previous years.
Luke Parker (41) was the next best-ranked Roo.
Richmond (320)
With little expectations and entering a new era, it is no surprise that the Tigers rank second last.
Tim Taranto led the way with 97 votes, while Nick Vlastuin (39), Jacob Hopper (30), Seth Campbell (25) and Jack Ross (25) followed.
Sam Lalor received 14 votes in the Zero Hanger MVP.
West Coast (182)
Not much to like from the West Coast season that saw only one win in 2025.
Harley Reid (25) was the top vote-getter in his second year as an AFL player, with Liam Ryan (23) and Brady Hough (22) following closely behind.
