Every club’s likely leading vote-getter for the 2025 Brownlow Medal

The build-up to the AFL 2025 Grand Final kicks off on Monday with the AFL's night of nights - the Brownlow Medal count. The AFL's top players will head to Crown Melbourne to hear the vote-getters be named for every game this season, with the umpires giving out votes on a 3, 2, 1 system for each game. Ahead of the night, Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos appears to be the early favourite, though Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson and Geelong recruit Bailey Smith will each make a strong case to snag the famous medal. So, who's likely to poll best from your favourite club? We explore this question, using the results of Zero Hanger's 2025 AFL MVP as a guide. AdelaideJordan Dawson Dawson is one of the favourites to poll strongly at this year's ceremony, considering Adelaide's fantastic home-and-away season that saw them claim the minor premiership. This season was a career-best season for the Crows captain, averaging 23.4 disposals and 4.4 clearances per game while kicking a career-high 18 goals. Defensively, Dawson was relentless as the Crows skyrocketed from a bottom-nine defence in 2024 to the second-best in 2025, with Dawson averaging 7.4 tackles per game, which ranked fifth in the league (minimum 20 games played). While some eccentric performances from Riley Thilthorpe and Izak Rankine may steal a handful of votes from Dawson, no one was as consistent as him across the year, posting at least 20 disposals in all but four of his 25 appearances in 2025. Who else could poll? Riley Thilthorpe Izak Rankine Ben Keays BrisbaneHugh McCluggage There's plenty of talent in the midfield at Brisbane, but McCluggage's career year should poll best on Monday night. The 27-year-old finally earned an All-Australian blazer after being on the cusp of the recognition for several seasons, averaging 26.8 disposals, 5.9 clearances and 11.9 contested possessions per game. His value this year deserves to be recognised, contributing to 28.6 per cent of all Brisbane scores. Lachie Neale, Will Ashcroft and Josh Dunkley will likely pinch some votes from McCluggage, making his ability to steal the medal from the clouds unlikely, but it'd be a shock if he doesn't lead the Lions by the end of the count. Who else? Lachie Neale Will Ashcroft Josh Dunkley CarltonGeorge Hewett In a down year for the Blues, Hewett was one of the few reliable figures on the field. Despite now being on the "wrong" side of 30, Hewett found the dominant ball-winning form from his first season in navy blue. While there's always the joke that Patrick Cripps will find a way to poll three votes, it's genuinely impossible to ignore just how many two or three-vote games Hewett could quietly notch. In Carlton's nine wins this year, Hewett averaged 31.3 disposals, 13.8 contested possessions, 7.1 clearances and 7.8 score involvements per game and recorded fewer than 26 disposals in a win just once. Considering that, and the inconsistent or injury-disrupted years from other star Blues, Hewett should light up Brownlow night. Who else? Patrick Cripps Harry McKay Tom De Koning CollingwoodNick Daicos This is a pretty obvious one, considering that Daicos will likely win the Brownlow Medal this season. It's been a long time coming for Nick, having finished second in 2024 despite breaking the votes record and third in 2023 - a year he probably would have won it had he not suffered a late-season injury. It's truly wild to consider how strongly Daicos has polled in the dawn of his AFL career. Collingwood is Daicos' team - in Zero Hanger's AFL MVP voting, Daicos had 132 more votes than the next Magpie - so one can only imagine just how many votes he'll tally on Monday night after a top four finish. Who else? Steele Sidebottom Jamie Elliott Josh Daicos EssendonZach Merrett The disgruntled Bombers star may exit the club this off-season, but that doesn't hide just how important he has been to the Bombers' early-season success before an inexplicable injury toll corrupted their campaign. Similar to Carlton's George Hewett, Merrett's best can be seen in games the Bombers win. In Essendon's six wins this year, Merrett recorded 34 disposals or more four times and had at least eight score involvements in those matches too. One would be quietly confident that he'd poll at least 10 votes from those four games, with Sam Durham being the only other Bomber to post a competitive performance in those contests. Empty stats aren't a thing with Zach Merrett, and perhaps that's why his potential impact is so desirable for a team like Hawthorn ahead of the 2025 trade period. Who else? Nic Martin Jye Caldwell Sam Durham FremantleCaleb Serong This is the first real toss-up, but the edge goes to Serong over superstar teammate Andrew Brayshaw. Brayshaw did poll more votes in our own MVP voting (183 to 182), but Serong earned more coaches' votes for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award. While not directly correlated, Serong ousted Brayshaw in the coaches' votes last season too and ultimately beat out his midfield partner on Brownlow night, 28-22. The duo likely have stolen enough votes off each other that they won't feature too prominently at the head of the race, but who comes out on top between the pair will be an intriguing side-show to watch for Dockers fans. Who else? Andrew Brayshaw Luke Jackson Shai Bolton GeelongBailey Smith Bailey Smith's early-season form was blistering hot and will undoubtedly see him lead the medal count or be entrenched inside the top three at least for much of the night. The former Bulldog has relished his increased midfield minutes at the Cattery, leading the league in disposals per game and averaging career highs in metres gained, clearances, inside 50s, and score involvements. While Jeremy Cameron's elite goal-kicking year could pinch some votes off of Baz, Smith has contributed fewer than 25 disposals just twice this year. His impact is unmissable and he'll take the front for the Cats without a shadow of a doubt. Who else? Jeremy Cameron Max Holmes Gryan Miers Gold CoastNoah Anderson Another major 50/50 call takes place with the Suns, as Matthew Rowell has equally had a dominant season to the co-AFLCA Champion Player of the Year recipient. However, Anderson's performances in the Suns' wins might do enough to see him edge out his star midfield teammate. Anderson has posted fewer than 25 disposals in just three of Gold Coast's wins, while Rowell has been effectively shut down in five of them. Anderson's ball-winning will likely take him toward the pointy end of the Brownlow count as an outside chance to snare the medal, having averaged close to 30 disposals and seven clearances per game in the Suns' most successful season in club history. Who else? Matthew Rowell Touk Miller Ben King GWSTom Green Another close contest between two ball-winning stalwarts looms, but Tom Green's bull-like dominance at the heat of contests should see him claim the Giants' intraclub Brownlow count victory over teammate Finn Callaghan. Callaghan's form following GWS' Round 16 bye could see him catch Green at some point on the night, collecting 37, 29 and 33 disposals in the three games following. He then earned best-on-ground against Sydney after breaking James Jordon's tough tag to knock the Swans out of top eight contention. However, Tom Green's season as a whole, from a statistical standpoint, has been generational. Since 2012, there have been three players to average at least 29 disposals per game and eight clearances: Tom Mitchell (35.3 disposals, 8.0 clearances in 2018), Clayton Oliver (32.7 disposals, 8.7 clearances in 2022) and now Tom Green (29.7 disposals, 8.5 clearances in 2025). Mitchell, of course, won the Brownlow in 2018 while Oliver finished fourth in 2022. Based on that logic, Green should find himself inside the top five on Friday night and certainly on top for GWS. Who else? Finn Callaghan Toby Greene Jesse Hogan HawthornJai Newcombe The Hawks' wide spread of talent means it's unlikely they'll have anyone near the top of the voting by the end of the night, but the nod has to go to Jai Newcombe for the club leader. The Brownlow is, after all, a midfielders' award these days, and while Jack Gunston has produced some sensational efforts in a shock 70-plus-goal campaign, the middle of the oval runs through Newcombe for Hawthorn. 23 disposals and a career-high 6.2 clearances per game will likely see Newcombe rewarded decently on the night, particularly considering that Hawthorn ranks 12th in clearances per game, further spotlighting his importance to the brown and gold's success. Who else? Jack Gunston Dylan Moore Lloyd Meek MelbourneMax Gawn Gawn has continued to solidify his status as the greatest ruck of all time in 2025, and in a dour year for the Demons, his dominance in the craft will likely be respected come Monday night. Taking advantage of Gawn's aerial threat is how Melbourne has been able to win games in 2025, as the big man averages just shy of seven per game in Demons wins this season. As a whole, he has averaged a career-high 20.7 disposals per game and 6.8 score involvements, which requires an increased role in scoring chains as the Demons turn to youth. In terms of value, there's probably only a handful of players with more of it than Gawn in the league currently, so expect him to dominate the count for Melbourne on Monday night. Who else? Christian Petracca Kysaiah Pickett Jack Viney North MelbourneTristan Xerri Xerri, similarly to Gawn, is instrumental to North Melbourne, but his impact was perhaps more notable this season as the midfield group at Arden Street struggled to click consistently. Harry Sheezel, while never registering fewer than 20 disposals in a match this season, only contributed seven score involvements or more just six times this season. Xerri achieved the feat eight times in three fewer games, highlighting how his impact may be viewed more strongly by the umpires. Who else? Harry Sheezel Luke Davies-Uniacke Jy Simpkin Port AdelaideZak ButtersZak Butters made it three best-and-fairest medals in a row after a stellar season that was halted early by knee surgery. There are a number of potential three-vote performances from the 25-year-old this year, including his final round send-off for club legends Travis Boak and Ken Hinkley, where he tallied 35 disposals and eight marks in the Power's upset win over Gold Coast. Captain Connor Rozee may challenge Butters at times throughout the count, featuring as a prominent ball-winner in the first half of the season, but Port Adelaide's mediocre record in those first few months may impede his chances of ousting Butters by Round 24. Who else? Connor Rozee Jason Horne-Francis Mitch Georgiades RichmondTim Taranto In a team full of youth and inexperience, the steady presence of Tim Taranto was a difference maker in a surprisingly solid campaign by the rebuilding Tigers. Taranto produced his fifth consecutive season averaging at least 25 disposals per game and always played a starring role in Richmond's handful of wins this season. While other veterans, like Vlastuin and Nankervis, may sneak a vote or two here and there, Taranto should dominate the count for the yellow sash. Who else? Nick Vlastuin Jacob Hopper Toby Nankervis St KildaNasiah Wanganeen-Milera Wanganeen-Milera is the obvious lock for the Saints Brownlow leader, and considering his dominant latter half of the season, where he moved to the midfield on a more permanent basis, he could even sneak into the top five of the count. Wanganeen-Milera's value is undeniable at 22 years old. Since featuring in the midfield more regularly from Round 19 onward, attending close to 70% of all centre bounces, Nasiah has averaged 31.2 disposals, 5.4 inside 50s, 6.2 clearances and 1.6 goals per game, highlighting the enormous impact he'll have for years to come. Who else? Rowan Marshall Jack Macrae Callum Wilkie SydneyIsaac Heeney There's a handful of stars that could poll strongly for Sydney, but ultimately, Heeney should win out for the Swans. Sydney's first half of the season was poor, and Heeney registered 25+ disposals just once in the first eight weeks, which could leave the door ajar for a star like Brodie Grundy or Errol Gulden to pipe up in the latter stages of the count, as both had strong finishes to Sydney's campaign. However, Heeney's versatility as a midfield-forward almost guarantees him several three-vote games, notably his 34 disposals and five-goal haul against North Melbourne in Round 19 and his 23 disposals and five goals against Brisbane in Round 22. Who else? Brodie Grundy Chad Warner Errol Gulden West CoastBrady Hough It won't shock anyone to hear that the Eagles will poll the fewest Brownlow votes on Monday night, let alone rake in even more than 10 votes collectively, considering how historically terrible they were in 2025. Even in their lone win against St Kilda, Saints midfielder Jack Sinclair collected 38 disposals and forward Jack Higgins kicked five goals, meaning there's a good chance two of the three potential vote-getters from that Round 10 clash aren't West Coast players. Ironically, though, the obvious way to tell who's going to have the best chance of taking home the most votes for an Eagle this season is from that win against St Kilda, as even in West Coast's four losses of 10 points or less, the club lacked a stand-out performer compared to the winning side. That means our tip is Brady Hough, who's 24 disposals and a goal against the Saints set up the 28-point victory, the goal coming at a crucial juncture during the third quarter after St Kilda booted two majors in quick succession. Who else? Harley Reid Liam Ryan Liam Baker Western BulldogsMarcus Bontempelli Despite missing the first five games of the season, Bontempelli returned with a bang and has kept his foot on the throttle for the remaining 18 games of Footscray's 2025 season. Those five missed games will admittedly keep the Bont out of contention for much of the count, but if a few votes fall in his favour despite some of the Bulldogs' tight losses in the back end of the season, he could sneak toward the podium. Ed Richards and Tom Liberatore will likely steal some votes from Bontempelli, however, with the star midfielders playing an elite brand of football while the Dogs nursed Bont back to full health, so this intraclub race could be closer than anticipated. Who else? Ed Richards Sam Darcy Tom Liberatore

			P	W	L	PTS	%
1		CARL	0	0	0	0	0
2		ESS	0	0	0	0	0
3		WB	0	0	0	0	0
4		GEEL	0	0	0	0	0
5		ADEL	0	0	0	0	0
6		MELB	0	0	0	0	0
7		FRE	0	0	0	0	0
8		WCE	0	0	0	0	0
9		GWS	0	0	0	0	0
10		HAW	0	0	0	0	0

Every club’s likely leading vote-getter for the 2025 Brownlow Medal

We name the players in contention to poll the most votes for your club on Monday night.

North Melbourne

Tristan Xerri

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