BROWNLOW TRACKER Every vote for every player, as it happened
BROWNLOW HUB All you need for footy's night of nights
RECORD SMASHED Cripps makes history with second Brownlow win
TALKING POINTS Stunned Swan, moving speech, Ginni's revenge
BROWNLOW SHOCKS Surprise BOGs, perfect 10s but no votes
MARK & GOAL OF THE YEAR Pies high flyer, gun Eagle win
JIM STYNES AWARD Crow honoured for mental health advocacy
Jordan Dawson was the standout with 18 votes, polling in nine games but falling two votes shy of his final tally in 2023. It was a lean night otherwise for the Crows, with no other player in double figures as votes proved hard-won in a disappointing season. Sam Berry entered the count with two career votes but was able to pass that with three on the night after a best-afield game late in the year against the Western Bulldogs. Rory Laird, Jake Soligo, Ben Keays and Izak Rankine were others who had standout games rewarded with three-votes.
Total votes: 52
He was fancied to push the frontrunners, but Lachie Neale was never quite in the hunt following a slow start to his season. Missing votes altogether with 37 disposals and 10 clearances in a round 15 thumping of Port Adelaide typified his count. Former skipper Dayne Zorko got the three that day and polled in seven matches to finish with 12, while Josh Dunkley (11) hit double figures for just the third time in his career. Cam Rayner hasn't quite caught the umpires' eyes yet with just six votes in the best of his seven seasons.
Total votes: 82
Patrick Cripps created all sorts of history in winning his second 'Charlie' in the past three years. A record 45 votes, 12 best on grounds and polling votes in 17 of his 23 matches is quite some performance. It didn't leave a lot of votes for his teammates though, particularly after proven vote-getter Sam Walsh snaffled 16 himself. A year after he polled 17, in a 57-goal season, Charlie Curnow picked up the solitary two in the dramatic Opening Round win over Brisbane.
Total votes: 87
Nick Daicos started the night equal favourite in many minds and there wasn’t much more he could do, passing his 2023 tally of 28 and finishing the night with the unhappy title as highest-scoring runner up in history with a total that would have won the Brownlow in any other year. It was a long way back to Jordan De Goey, the Pies' next best with eight votes, while Scott Pendlebury took his career tally to 223 with a pair of one-vote games.
Total votes: 68
Zach Merrett was unsurprisingly Essendon's leader for votes with 18, polling more than 15 for the fourth straight year. Nic Martin caught the eye of umpires after his switch to half-back for most of the season, finishing just behind Merrett, while Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham started to make their mark, although both had a game in which they polled 10 coaches' votes and none in the Brownlow. Jake Stringer polled just one vote, with his three four-goal games going unrewarded.
Total votes: 67
Dual club champion Caleb Serong is emerging as a proven vote-winner after a career-best 28 that had him fourth overall. The All Australian, who polled 24 votes last year, was best afield seven times this year to finish clear of Andrew Brayshaw, who rolled home to grab votes in five of the last six games. Hayden Young's move into the midfield saw him double his career vote tally. The umpires didn't miss 20-year-old defender Josh Draper's late heroics against Sydney in round 16, rewarding the key tall with his first career vote.
Total votes: 87
Historically key forwards struggle to get votes, so Jeremy Cameron did well to lead the Cats' count with 16. Tom Stewart's move to the midfield saw him pick up nine votes in the final nine rounds to finish behind Cameron with 12. Geelong fans will take plenty from the showing of their youngsters, with 22-year-olds Max Holmes (10) and Tanner Bruhn (seven) rounding out the club's top four. 2016 winner Patrick Dangerfield polled three votes to lift his career total to 251, just 11 behind all-time leader Gary Ablett jnr.
Total votes: 68
Matt Rowell started out with best on grounds in his first two matches against Richmond (that included 20 clearances) and Adelaide and didn't look back. His 25 votes were not only good enough for equal seventh, but doubled his career tally. Running mate Noah Anderson (14) again caught the eye, while Sam Flanders finished with 12 votes from his final 12 games after being moved into the middle of the ground. Ben King, who kicked 55 goals for the season, was given one vote on three separate occasions.
Total votes: 64
Midfield ace Tom Green gave Giants fans plenty to cheer about when he racked up eight votes through the first three matches to lead the count. Finishing fifth on 27 votes, the powerful clearance and contested possession beast looks like being a contender for years to come. Coleman Medal winner Jesse Hogan finished with 15 votes, including BOG outings against North Melbourne and Fremantle where he bagged six goals both times. Darcy Jones picked up his first career vote for his match-defining two goals against Brisbane in round 22.
Total votes: 85
It took nine seasons and 157 games, but Blake Hardwick finally broke through for his first career votes, picking up two against Port Adelaide in round 10. Jai Newcombe (24) led the way for the Hawks, picking up 13 votes in the last nine games of the season and having five three-vote games across the year. The round 13 win over GWS tossed up some interesting results; James Worpel (3) and Newcombe (1) both featured despite neither getting a vote from the coaches, while Will Day went unnoticed by the umpires despite getting a perfect 10 from the coaches.
Total votes: 82
Star Christian Petracca was flying early in the season and finished on top of the Demons' leaderboard despite missing the second half of 2024. There were few surprises for Melbourne, with Max Gawn second to Petracca for most votes, although Harrison Petty's three-vote game against Geelong in round eight did surprise. Petty got just one vote from the coaches in that encounter, but full rewards from the umpires for his 13 disposals, nine marks and one goal.
Total votes: 67
Finally playing a season uninterrupted by injury, Luke Davies-Uniacke showed what he is capable of, leading the Roos' count with 18 votes, all of which came after North's round 12 bye. Harry Sheezel's second season finished with 15 votes, but there was little joy after that with Nick Larkey (three) the only other Roo to poll in more than one game. Despite a stellar season that saw him make the All-Australian 44-man squad, Tristan Xerri was rewarded with just one vote, the first of his career.
Total votes: 42
It was second straight year in the top four for Zak Butters, who polled 29 votes to finish third and raced to the line with votes in seven of the last eight games. Young star Jason Horne-Francis caught attention with some best afield games through the middle of the season but missed out entirely for his match-winning performance against Melbourne at the MCG in round 22. A return to the midfield meant a return to the votes for 2021 winner Ollie Wines, who didn't poll at all in 2023. Captain Connor Rozee was prominent on the leaderboard early but faded.
Total votes: 84
The Tigers' combined total of 19 votes is the lowest in the club's history since the 3-2-1 system was introduced in 1931. Of the eight players that polled, only three managed multiple points, with two of those, Shai Bolton (five) and Daniel Rioli (four) looking to leave Punt Road in the trade period. Tim Taranto (five) was equal with Bolton, while 2017 Brownlow winner (and also departing) Dustin Martin picked up just one vote.
Total votes: 19
Rowan Marshall shot out of the blocks with five votes in his first two games and finished with four three-vote games, although he got no love from the coaches in two of those – against Geelong in round one and Gold Coast in round 13. Cooper Sharman missed out on just his second career vote, despite getting a perfect 10 from the coaches with his stunning performance against Essendon, while Mattaes Phillipou didn't get any votes in his dominant display against Sydney.
Total votes: 64
Thankfully, the disappointment of winning the Brownlow count while ineligible didn't materialise for Isaac Heeney, who finished well back despite polling an impressive 28 votes. For most of the night, it looked like Chad Warner (23) would lead the way for the Swans before Heeney and Errol Gulden (25) stormed home late. Elsewhere, James Rowbottom broke his Brownlow drought, picking up four votes across three games. Somewhat surprisingly given his impact at stages during the year, Brodie Grundy picked up just one vote.
Total votes: 103
Young star Harley Reid got the first votes of his career in round four against Sydney and polled in four games through a flourish of awesome form, including a best-afield game against Melbourne in round 10. Elliot Yeo led the Eagles with eight votes and snapped up three in the round six Western Derby that saw him win the Glendinning-Allan Medal. All-Australian Jake Waterman had just two career votes coming in but added another seven, while co-captains Liam Duggan and Oscar Allen polled in solitary games in a disappointing season for the club.
Total votes: 30
In one of the biggest surprises of the night, Marcus Bontempelli not only finished outside the top 10 overall, but he was second to Adam Treloar in total votes for the Bulldogs. It didn't start well for Bontempelli, with his 32 disposals, 11 clearances and two goals against Gold Coast in round two overlooked entirely. A week after picking up three votes against Richmond, James Harmes landed another, perhaps surprisingly, after 18 disposals and two goals against Greater Western Sydney.
Total votes: 91