Top of the table lost, and bottom of the table won, in an interesting round of matches for Round 17. The Swans are still out in front but two losses in a row isn't the form they are looking for. The Giants, Cats, Power, Dockers and Bombers are all on the winners list and looking good. Meanwhile the Kangaroos tasted victory for just the second time this season as they moved off the bottom of the ladder, whilst damaging the finals dreams of the Suns.
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 and check out the latest Brownlow Odds.
2024 AFL Brownlow Round 17 Overview
At the time of writing, Sydney's Isaac Heeney has been suspended for one week for a swinging elbow to the face of St Kilda's Jimmy Webster. No doubt Sydney will appeal the decision and try to get him off which would keep him eligible for the Brownlow. Heeney has been the talking point of the Brownlow for the majority of the season, and although it looks like he's now lost the lead, it will be a shame if he does get suspended as it was shaping as a really enthralling Brownlow count with him jumping out to such a fast start this season.
Patrick Cripps looks to be in the lead now, and most likely pinched a vote in Carlton's loss to the Giants in Round 17. Connor Rozee, Zach Merrett and Lachie Neale all are likely to poll three votes in Round 17 to potentially close the gap with the leaders. Neale still has some ground to make up but he surprised everyone last season, so there's no reason he couldn't do it again!
Check out our 2024 Round 17 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2024 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2024 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 17 Match Analysis
Collingwood 12.8.80 def by Essendon 13.14.92
The Bombers finally claimed a big scalp as they knocked off the Pies in a cracking start to the round. Zach Merrett (30 disposals, 15 score involvements, 6 marks, 1 goal) was sensational, with Jye Caldwell (30 disposals, 6 marks, 7 tackles, 8 clearances, 1 goal), Dylan Shiel (26 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances) and Jordan Ridley (25 disposals, 15 marks) also important in the win. Nick Daicos (31 disposals, 12 clearances) was good but hard to see him in the votes, while Jack Crisp (24 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals) and Steele Sidebottom (34 disposals, 11 marks) were among the Pies best.
Zach Merrett - 3
Jye Caldwell - 2
Jack Crisp - 1
North Melbourne 13.9.87 def Gold Coast 12.11.83
The Roos are finally off the bottom of the ladder as they held on against the Suns. Harry Sheezel (35 disposals, 8 marks, 10 clearances, 1 goal) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (30 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal) were enormous in the middle, while Colby McKercher (37 disposals, 6 marks) was a fantastic distributor from half back. Tristan Xerri (17 disposals, 7 tackles, 35 hitouts, 6 clearances, 1 goal) and Jy Simpkin (28 disposals, 6 marks) were also important. It’s hard to see the Suns being in the votes but Noah Anderson (30 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal) was their best.
Harry Sheezel - 3
Luke Davies-Uniacke - 2
Colby McKercher - 1
Port Adelaide 15.12.102 def Western Bulldogs 8.6.54
It was a Power blitz as Port jumped the Dogs early and never relented. Connor Rozee was outstanding with 18 disposals in the first quarter alone, before finishing with 36 disposals, 8 tackles, 7 clearances and a goal. Zac Butters was also superb with 33 disposals, 10 marks, 6 clearances and a goal before being subbed out in the last quarter. Ollie Wines (30 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal), Mitch Georgiades (5 goals, 11 disposals, 9 marks) and Jason Horne-Francis (20 disposals, 7 marks, 6 clearances, 3 goals) were also excellent. Adam Treloar was the stand out for the Dogs with 38 disposals, 7 tackles and 7 clearances.
Connor Rozee - 3
Zak Butters - 2
Mitch Georgiades - 1
Geelong 16.14.110 def Hawthorn 9.5.59
The Cats are purring once again as they easily accounted for a disappointing Hawks outfit. Tom Stewart (26 disposals, 11 marks) has enjoyed his shift into the middle, while Mitch Duncan (25 disposals, 10 marks) and Jack Bowes (24 disposals) were also good contributors. Jeremy Cameron (4 goals, 19 disposals, 8 marks) was back in form with Sam De Koning (20 disposals, 15 hitouts, 6 tackles, 2 goals) also hitting the scoreboard. Dylan Moore (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals) and James Worpel (26 disposals, 7 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal) were best for the Hawks.
Jeremy Cameron - 3
Tom Stewart - 2
Mitch Duncan - 0.5
Dylan Moore - 0.5
GWS Giants 18.8.116 def Carlton 16.8.104
The Giants trailed by 39 points early in the match, and then booted 14 of the next 16 goals before the Blues rallied late to just miss. Jesse Hogan was a key target for the Giants with 5 goals, 15 disposals and 9 marks. Callan Ward (30 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goals), Tom Green (33 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal), Stephen Coniglio (28 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) and Brent Daniels (29 disposals, 11 tackles) were all influential, while Kieran Briggs was beaten early before being crucial later with 22 disposals, 9 tackles, 40 hitouts and 10 clearances. Patrick Cripps was again very good with 33 disposals, 11 clearances and 2 goals and could pinch a vote.
Jesse Hogan - 3
Tom Green - 1
Callan Ward - 1
Patrick Cripps - 1
Fremantle 16.9.105 def Richmond 7.12.54
The Dockers were far too good for Richmond with Andrew Brayshaw (35 disposals, 8 marks, 8 tackles, 6 clearances, 1 goal) having another massive game. Josh Tracey should be in the Brownlow votes for his 5 goals from 16 disposals and 9 marks, while Hayden Young (24 disposals, 2 goals) was typically effective. Toby Nankervis (26 disposals, 7 tackles, 36 hitouts, 11 clearances, 1 goal) was a beast all day, while Shai Bolton hit the scoreboard with 4 goals from 16 disposals and 7 marks.
Andrew Brayshaw - 2.5
Josh Tracey - 2.5
Toby Nankervis - 0.5
Hayden Young - 0.5
Melbourne 17.10.112 def West Coast 8.10.58
The Dees had no troubles accounting for the Eagles at the G. Trent Rivers (29 disposals, 9 marks, 7 clearances) continues to enjoy his time in the middle, with Caleb Windsor (25 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) and Christian Salem (23 disposals, 8 marks) also busy. Jacob van Rooyen played his best game for the club kicking 4.4 from 14 disposals and 9 marks. The Eagles were once again nowhere near it.
Trent Rivers - 3
Caleb Windsor - 1.5
Jacob van Rooyen - 1.5
St Kilda 13.6.84 def Sydney 11.16.82
The Saints came from 30 points adrift to kick 8 of the last 10 goals and cause a huge upset against the fancied Swans. Mattaes Phillipou didn’t know the footy looked like a few weeks ago, but a stint in the VFL got him going again as he played his best game for the club with 26 disposals and a goal. Callum Wilkie (26 disposals, 14 marks) was crucial in defence, while Jack Steele (28 disposals, 7 marks, 7 tackles) and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (28 disposals, 6 marks) found plenty of ball. Errol Gulden (28 disposals) and Isaac Heeney (24 disposals, 2 goals) were best for the Swans, although Heeney will be looked at for a stray elbow that might derail his Brownlow run.
Mattaes Phillipou - 3
Callum Wilkie - 2
Jack Steele - 1
Brisbane 14.13.97 def Adelaide 13.8.86
Brisbane are back in the top 8 and a genuine threat after holding on against Adelaide. Lachie Neale (36 disposals, 9 marks, 10 clearances, 3 goals) and Josh Dunkley (35 disposals, 8 marks, 7 clearances, 1 goal) ran amok and were clearly the best two on the ground. Rory Laird (27 disposals, 6 clearances), Dayne Zorko (21 disposals, 10 marks) and Ben Keays (4 goals, 14 disposals) are likely to fight it out for the other vote.
Lachie Neale - 3
Josh Dunkley - 2
Rory Laird - 0.5
Ben Keays - 0.5
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.
