It was one of the best rounds of the season as Round 8 through up several interesting matches between premiership contenders. The Swans emerged on top of the ladder and the new premiership favourites after defeating the Giants, while the Cats suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Melbourne. Carlton and Collingwood also played out a classic with the Pies on the verge of re-entering the top 8!
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 2024 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page (coming soon).
2024 AFL Brownlow Round 8 Overview
An interesting Round 8 has been run and done and it's Essendon's Zach Merrett who has made the biggest jump in recent weeks with another best-on-ground effort to now be among the Brownlow leaders. Isaac Heeney should still be in front, but it's uncertain how many votes he'll poll in Round 8 with several other Swans having great games. If he polls where here then it will take him a long way towards the Medal, but if he misses then the race is still wide open.
Patrick Cripps, Zac Butters, Errol Gulden, Nick Daicos, Caleb Serong, Marcus Bontempelli and Lachie Neale are also likely to poll in Round 8 to keep things interesting!
Check out our 2024 Round 8 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2024 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2024 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 8 Match Analysis
Adelaide 12.6.78 def Port Adelaide 5.18.48
The Crows were able to keep the Power at arms-length all night with their accurate kicking proving the difference as the Power wasted their chances. Jake Soligo won the medal for best afield for his 27 disposals and 10 tackles. Matt Crouch (28 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances) and Jordan Dawson (24 disposals) were good in the middle, while Mitch Hinge (25 disposals) controlled things at half-back. Izak Rankine (11 disposals, 3 goals) hit the scoreboard. With Connor Rozee again having hamstring worries, it was Zak Butters (33 disposals, 6 clearances) who was Port’s best with Ollie Wines (22 disposals, 11 tackles) and Miles Bergman (20 disposals, 8 marks, 6 tackles) useful contributors.
Jake Soligo - 3
Zak Butters - 2
Matt Crouch - 0.5
Izak Rankine - 0.5
Carlton 12.7.79 def by Collingwood 12.13.85
A classic contest at the G went right down to the wire before Nick Daicos kicked the match-winning goal for the Pies. Daicos rightfully collected the medal for best afield for his 32 disposals, 7 tackles, 7 clearances and 2 goals. Scott Pendlebury (23 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal) rolled back the clock and Jack Crisp (23 disposals, 8 tackles, 9 clearances) also stepped up in the midfield. Blake Acres (32 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles), Sam Walsh (32 disposals, 8 clearances) and Nic Newman (32 disposals, 10 marks, 6 tackles) won plenty of ball, while Harry McKay (4 goals, 13 disposals, 7 marks) was the best forward on the ground.
Nick Daicos - 3
Scott Pendlebury - 1
Jack Crisp - 1
Sam Walsh - 1
Sydney 14.14.98 def GWS Giants 10.9.69
The Swans were too strong in a tough slog in slippery conditions against the Giants. The on-ball brigade of Errol Gulden (29 disposals, 1 goal), Chad Warner (28 disposals, 8 clearances, 1 goal) and Isaac Heeney (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal) were dominant in the middle, while Will Hayward is a chance for votes for his 4 goals, 16 disposals and 7 tackles. They were hard to split but Gulden did collect the Brett Kirk Medal. James Peatling (24 disposals, 8 tackles, 1 goal) and Josh Kelly (23 disposals) were best for the Giants.
Errol Gulden - 3
Chad Warner - 2
Isaac Heeney - 0.5
Will Hayward - 0.5
St Kilda 15.13.103 def North Melbourne 10.5.65
The Roos were competitive enough but the Saints were never really challenged. Jack Sinclair was back to his best with 33 disposals, 9 marks, 7 tackles, 8 clearances and 2 goals in a best-on-ground display. Marcus Windhager (25 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (29 disposals, 7 marks), Brad Hill (24 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals) and Darcy Wilson (21 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals) will fight it out for the other Brownlow votes. George Wardlaw (22 disposals, 1 goal) was relentless for the Roos.
Jack Sinclair - 3
Darcy Wilson - 2
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - 0.5
Brad Hill - 0.5
Melbourne 10.14.74 def Geelong 9.12.66
It was a gripping battle at the MCG between two AFL powerhouses but it was the Dees who survived to inflict the first loss of the season for the Cats. The game was won from the Dees backline with Jake Lever (24 disposals, 8 marks) and Steven May (25 disposals, 13 marks) proving impossible to pass, while Clayton Oliver (31 disposals, 7 marks) had his best game for the season. Max Holmes (31 disposals, 9 marks) was a stand out for the Cats, with good support from Zach Guthrie (24 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal) and Tom Atkins (22 disposals, 11 marks).
Jake Lever - 3
Max Holmes - 2
Steven May - 0.5
Clayton Oliver - 0.5
West Coast 11.5.71 def by Essendon 11.11.77
Essendon are on the verge of the top four after holding on against a gallant Eagles team. Zac Merrett is now in contention for the Brownlow after his 29 disposals and 3 goals is sure to attract votes to send him towards the top of the leaderboard. Darcy Parish (36 disposals, 11 marks, 6 clearances), Nic Martin (32 disposals, 8 marks) and Sam Durham (25 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal) were also very good. Tim Kelly (29 disposals, 9 clearances) was solid while Jake Waterman (11 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals) continued his good season for the Eagles.
Zac Merrett - 3
Nic Martin - 2
Darcy Parish - 1
Richmond 6.13.49 def by Fremantle 15.13.103
Freo came to Melbourne and got the job done against the Tigers to remain in the top 8. There were plenty of great contributors with Hayden Young (30 disposals, 8 clearances, 2 goals), Celeb Serong (38 disposals, 8 marks, 6 clearances), Luke Ryan (39 disposals, 15 marks) and Andrew Brayshaw (31 disposals, 6 marks, 7 tackles) all winning plenty of ball. Josh Tracey finished their work with 4 goals from 10 disposals. Jayden Short (28 disposals, 8 marks) and Dusty Martin (23 disposals) were best for Richmond.
Hayden Young - 3
Caleb Serong - 2
Luke Ryan - 1
Western Bulldogs 14.7.91 def by Hawthorn 14.14.98
The Bulldogs might live to rue this one as the Hawks got their second victory of the season. James Sicily was instrumental after overcoming a dislocated shoulder and kicked the match-winning goal amongst 20 disposals and 9 marks. Jarman Impey (27 disposals, 12 marks) provided plenty of run, while Dylan Moore (24 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) and Jai Newcombe (21 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) were important in the win. Marcus Bontempelli (26 disposals, 7 clearances, 2 goals) might get votes in a losing cause while Bailey Dale (29 disposals, 8 marks) continued his red-hot form.
James Sicily - 2
Marcus Bontempelli - 2
Jarman Impey - 0.5
Dylan Moore - 0.5
Brisbane 10.19.79 def Gold Coast 6.9.45
There was plenty of hype about this Q-Clash but it under-delivered with a lacklustre match that never reached any highs at all. Brisbane jumped the Suns at the start and then held on as injuries wiped out their bench. Dayne Zorko was tremendous and won the Medal for his 40 disposals, including 35 kicks, 16 marks and 5 tackles for a whopping 184 AFL Fantasy points. Josh Dunkley (27 disposals, 11 marks, 8 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal), Lachie Neale (34 disposals, 9 marks, 8 tackles), Jarrod Berry (23 disposals, 11 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal) and Hugh McLuggage (32 disposals, 7 marks, 9 clearances) will fill the minor Brownlow votes.
Dayne Zorko - 3
Lachie Neale - 2
Hugh McLuggage - 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.
