Round 2 of the 2025 AFL season saw some great wins from St Kilda, Sydney and the Kangaroos who might have finally turned the corner in their redevelopment. The Hawks are still the team to catch with a perfect 3 from 3 start to the season to be the early leaders.
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 2025 Brownlow Medal Leaderboard page and check out the latest Brownlow Odds.
2025 AFL Brownlow Round 2 Overview
Some big names are likely to be amongst the Brownlow votes for Round 2 with Nick Daicos, Chad Warner, Jai Newcombe, Connor Rozee and Lachie Neale all amongst the best players this weekend. Adelaide skipper Jordan Dawson might be the early Brownlow leader after back-to-back performances that are sure to attract Brownlow votes.
Check out our 2025 Round 2 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 2 Match Analysis
Carlton 8.12.60 def by Hawthorn 12.8.80
A quality high-pressure contest to start the round in slippery conditions saw the Hawks prevail over the Blues. Jai Newcombe was superb with 32 disposals, 11 tackles and 9 clearances to be a clear best-on-ground. Will Day (26 disposals, 6 tackles), Massimo D’Ambrosio (25 disposals) and Josh Ward (24 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal) were also busy. Tom De Koning was again immense in the ruck for the Blues with 19 disposals, 41 hitouts and 7 clearances. Adam Cerra (28 disposals, 1 goal) and Patrick Cripps (29 disposals, 11 clearances) are also a chance for a minor vote.
Jai Newcombe - 3
Will Day - 1
Tom De Koning - 1
Patrick Cripps - 1
Western Bulldogs 10.10.70 def by Collingwood 10.16.76
Another quality game of football on Friday night saw the Pies scrape over the line against the Dogs. Nick Daicos was tireless as he amassed 39 disposals and 9 clearances. Lachie Schultz (17 disposals, 7 tackles, 2 goals), Steele Sidebottom (22 disposals, 6 clearances, 2 goals) and Scott Pendlebury (26 disposals) were all important in the win. For the Dogs, Sam Darcy (15 disposals, 8 marks, 4 goals) was outstanding with his contested marking a highlight. Tom Liberatore (34 disposals, 9 clearances, 1 goal) and Ed Richards (27 disposals) never stopped trying.
Nick Daicos - 3
Sam Darcy - 2
Tom Liberatore - 1
Essendon 15.10.100 def by Adelaide 25.11.161
The Crows were flying at the G as they piled on the goals against the Bombers. Jordan Dawson led from the front with 33 disposals, 8 marks and 6 tackles. Matt Crouch (32 disposals, 8 tackles, 7 clearances) and Jake Soligo (27 disposals, 2 goals) also won plenty of ball while Ben Keays (22 disposals, 11 marks, 4 goals) and Josh Rachele (16 disposals, 8 marks, 4 goals) hit the scoreboard. Zach Merrett played a lone hand for the Dons with a superb 36 disposals, 6 clearances and 4 goals.
Jordan Dawson - 3
Zach Merrett - 2
Ben Keays - 1
Port Adelaide 21.14.140 def Richmond 9.14.68
The Power recharged their season with a thumping win over the baby Tigers. Connor Rozee was a standout with 39 disposals, 7 marks, 7 clearances and 2 goals and should poll the three Brownlow votes. After that, the votes could go a number of ways. Jase Burgoyne (32 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goals), Ollie Wines (33 disposals, 1 goal) and Kane Farrell (31 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) were prolific, while Mitch Georgiades (17 disposals, 8 marks, 4 goals) and Sam Powell-Pepper (16 disposals, 9 marks, 3 goals) hit the scoreboard.
Connor Rozee - 3
Jase Burgoyne - 2
Mitch Georgiades - 1
St.Kilda 15.8.98 def Geelong 13.13.91
In a remarkable reversal of form from last week, the Saints held on to defeat the Cats in a big upset. Jack Macrae was immense with 35 disposals, 11 tackles and 9 clearances, and Rowan Marshall wasn’t far behind with 29 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles, 32 hitouts and 7 clearances. A number of players will contend for the minor Brownlow vote with Jack Sinclair (25 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals), Mason Wood (26 disposals, 10 marks, 2 goals), Marcus Windhager (25 disposals, 2 goals) all valuable contributors. The Cats found a way to get the scoreboard close but didn’t have too many winners on the ground.
Jack Macrae - 2.5
Rowan Marshall - 2.5
Jack Sinclair - 1
Brisbane 14.10.94 def West Coast 11.9.75
The Lions trailed for three quarters in hot and humid conditions, but eventually got over the top of a gallant Eagles team. Lachie Neale (35 disposals, 8 marks, 8 clearances, 1 goal) enjoyed a bit more space this week, while Harris Andrews (20 disposals, 12 marks), Dayne Zorko (28 disposals, 11 marks) and Jarrod Berry (26 disposals, 12 marks) were also very good. Tim Kelly (29 disposals, 6 clearances) and Liam Baker (24 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances) were best in the middle for the Eagles.
Lachie Neale - 3
Harris Andrews - 2
Dayne Zorko - 1
North Melbourne 19.11.125 def Melbourne 9.12.66
The Roos might have finally turned the corner with a stunning win over Melbourne. The Roos had winners all over the ground but big Tristan Xerri was the best with 20 disposals, 29 hitouts, 12 clearances and a goal, clearly getting the better of his All-Australian opponent Max Gawn. Tom Powell (31 disposals, 8 clearances, 1 goal) was a star in the middle, Charlie Comben (16 disposals, 12 marks) superb with his intercepts across half-back, while Cam Zurhaar (17 disposals, 4 goals) and Paul Curtis (22 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals) will both be in the conversation for Brownlow votes. For the Dees, Clayton Oliver (36 disposals, 12 clearances, 1 goal) and Kade Chandler (25 disposals, 7 marks, 3 goals) were both very good contributors.
Tristan Xerri - 3
Tom Powell - 2
Cam Zurhaar - 0.5
Paul Curtis - 0.5
Fremantle 9.11.65 def by Sydney 9.14.68
A big away win for the Swans to finish the round and leave Freo winless so far in season 2025. James Jordan was arguably the most important player on the ground as he subdued Caleb Serong while also recording 24 disposals and 10 clearances. Will that role be flashy enough to catch the umpire's eye or will the votes go to Chad Warner (26 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal)? Josh Tracey (4 goals, 13 disposals, 7 marks) and Jaeger O’Meara (32 disposals) were best for Freo.
James Jordan - 2.5
Chad Warner - 2.5
Josh Tracey - 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.
