ADELAIDE star Rory Sloane is outright second in AFL.com.au's Brownlow Medal predictor, trailing only close friend and former teammate Patrick Dangerfield.
Sloane is on 15 votes, trailing Dangerfield by three.
Luke Parker, Joel Selwood, Callan Ward and Dustin Martin are equal third with 14.
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The Crows lost to eventual premier Hawthorn in the second week of the finals last year and many predicted them to slump after Dangerfield left for Geelong.
Instead, Sloane's stellar form has helped elevate Adelaide to sixth spot, with a game in hand on the three teams above it – Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and North Melbourne.
Sloane shares the fifth line of betting at CrownBet with Parker, at $15. His odds have shortened significantly since the start of the season, when he was $51.
Punters who backed Sloane after round four, when the Crow drifted out to $67, would be particularly happy with their bet.
The surfing buddies shared a connection as young Victorians arriving in South Australia at the end of 2008.
Dangerfield had been drafted the year before Sloane but stayed in Victoria to finish school.
Sloane's form in the past fortnight has been particularly strong, polling six votes in wins against West Coast and North Melbourne as he picked up a combined 59 disposals, 19 tackles and 16 clearances.
Despite being a fan favourite for his tough style of play and likeable personality, the 26-year-old has never attracted much love from the umpires.
The most votes he has polled was 15 in 2013, the year of his sole best and fairest. Gary Ablett took home the Brownlow that season with a tally of 28.
Meanwhile, Dangerfield will come under scrutiny from the Match Review Panel after what appeared to be an accidental knee to St Kilda defender Jarryn Geary's head.
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