There's four undefeated teams after Round 3 of the 2025 AFL season but with the quirks of the schedule, only the Hawks have four wins on the board. Brisbane, Adelaide and the Gold Coast are also undefeated, with the latter two teams set to clash next week. At the other end of the ladder, the Blues, Dees and Eagles are under pressure to find their first win of the season.
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 3 Overview
The young guns are starting to take over the competition with some big performances in Round 3 action. Will Day is our early Brownlow leader after Round with the Hawks flying on top of the ladder. Matt Rowell is fit and firing with a stunning performance on the MCG, Tom De Koning is being talked as potentially the highest paid player in the game while Caleb Serong continues to fly under the radar as a big Brownlow vote getter.
Check out our 2025 Round 3 Brownlow votes below and our updated 2025 Brownlow leaderboard here!
2025 AFL Brownlow Votes - Round 3 Match Analysis
Essendon 9.18.72 def Port Adelaide 8.12.60
It was a full throttle scrap but the Bombers edged on top in the final quarter to get a gutsy win. Zach Merrett (34 disposals) was tireless all night while Xavier Duursma (29 disposals, 8 marks) gave great run late in the game. Sam Durham (28 disposals) and Dylan Shiel (25 disposals) were also useful. Miles Bergman (26 disposals, 10 marks), Ollie Wines (31 disposals, 1 goal) and Jase Burgoyne (27 disposals, 10 marks) were best for Port.
Zach Merrett - 3
Xavier Duursma - 2
Miles Bergman - 0.5
Sam Durham - 0.5
Carlton 11.9.75 def by Western Bulldogs 12.11.83
The Blues started strong but the Dogs ran them down to grab a thrilling victory. Tom Liberatore led from the front with 30 disposals, 6 marks, 11 tackles and a goal to be the Dogs’ best. Sam Davidson (31 disposals, 10 marks) showed his talents while Matt Kennedy (22 disposals, 9 clearances, 2 goals) was important against his old side. Tom De Koning (28 disposals, 8 marks, 28 hitouts, 7 clearances) was enormous, George Hewett (27 disposals, 9 tackles, 8 clearances) didn’t stop running while Brodie Kemp (5 goals, 12 disposals, 7 marks) was effective up forward.
Tom Liberatore - 3
Tom De Koning - 2
Sam Davidson - 1
Melbourne 8.14.62 def by Gold Coast 18.12.120
It could be a very long season for Melbourne as they were smashed by the Suns at the G. Matt Rowell (36 disposals, 7 tackles, 13 clearances) and Noah Anderson (35 disposals, 1 goal) were outstanding in the middle while Touk Miller (23 disposals, 9 marks, 3 goals) was a damaging forward. It’s hard to see the votes coming outside of those three but Ben King (4 goals, 12 disposals) and John Noble (29 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal) were next best.
Matt Rowell - 3
Noah Anderson - 2
Touk Miller - 1
St Kilda 20.15.135 def Richmond 7.11.53
The Saints ran away with it in the second half to thump the Tigers. Jack Sinclair (40 disposals, 7 marks), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (29 disposals, 7 marks), Jack Macrae (31 disposals, 6 tackles, 9 clearances) and Rowan Marshall (23 disposals, 22 hitouts, 1 goal) won a heap of ball, while Mitch Owens (4 goals, 14 disposals) and Mason Wood (16 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals) hit the scoreboard.
Jack Sinclair - 3
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - 2
Jack Macrae - 0.5
Rowan Marshall - 0.5
Hawthorn 10.16.76 def GWS Giants 9.10.64
The Giants led by 35 points at quarter-time thanks to a big breeze in Launceston, but the Hawks leveled and then held on to remain undefeated and on top of the ladder. Cam Mackenzie (30 disposals), Will Day (24 disposals, 1 goal), Nick Watson (21 disposals, 1 goal) and Lloyd Meek (14 disposals, 31 hitouts, 1 goal) were among the Hawks’ best. Lachie Whitfield (34 disposals, 7 marks) and Tom Green (31 disposals) won plenty of ball for the Giants.
Cam Mackenzie - 2.5
Will Day - 2.5
Nick Watson - 1
Brisbane 10.10.70 def Geelong 9.7.61
The Cats were up by as much as 32 points in the wet, but as the conditions dried, the Lions worked back into the game to pinch a vital win. Hugh McLuggage (30 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances) and Will Ashcroft (33 disposals, 1 goal) were the standouts, with Dayne Zorko (28 disposals, 7 marks, 1 goal) and Josh Dunkley (26 disposals, 6 tackles, 9 clearances) next best. Max Holmes (29 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal) had a good day for the Cats.
Hugh McLuggage - 2.5
Will Ashcroft - 2.5
Max Holmes - 1
Adelaide 17.12.114 def North Melbourne 12.6.78
The Roos hung in there but the Crows kicked away late to record a comfortable victory. Rory Laird (32 disposals, 7 marks) is a good chance for the three Brownlow votes in his 250th game, while Izak Rankine (30 disposals, 8 clearances) and Jake Soligo (28 disposals, 6 clearances, 1 goal) were also superb. Ben Keays (20 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals) and Taylor Walker (4 goals, 14 disposals) were dangerous up forward. Jy Simpkin (31 disposals, 7 marks, 9 clearances, 1 goal) stood tall for the Roos.
Rory Laird - 2.5
Izak Rankine - 2.5
Jake Soligo - 1
West Coast 10.8.68 def by Fremantle 15.16.106
The Dockers got their season going with a solid win over the Eagles in the Derby. Caleb Serong won his 4th Glendinning-Allan Medal for his 35 disposals and 10 clearances, but Andrew Brayshaw (29 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances) wasn’t far behind. Luke Jackson (17 disposals, 35 hitouts, 1 goal) seems likely for the one vote. Ryan Maric (28 disposals, 8 marks) played his best game for the Eagles in the losing effort.
Caleb Serong - 3
Andrew Brayshaw - 2
Luke Jackson - 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.
