ADELAIDE midfielder Scott Thompson will win the 2012 Brownlow Medal.
That is the view of AFL.com.au reporters, who predict that Thompson will be the first Crow to take the award home since Mark Ricciuto shared the award with Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes in 2003.
On the reporters' reckoning Thompson, an $8 chance to win the award with TAB Sportsbet, polled 30 votes from 22 games during the 2012 season.
The panel submitted votes after each game, on a 3-2-1 basis, which can be viewed in their entirety in AFL.com.au's official Brownlow Tracker.
Richmond onballer Trent Cotchin finished two votes behind Thompson on 28, while Essendon skipper Jobe Watson rounded out the minor placegetters on 26 votes.
Cotchin is equal favourite in betting with Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett at $3.50, while Watson is second in the betting at $6.
Swan Josh Kennedy ($15), last year's winner, Magpie Dane Swan ($13) and Crow Patrick Dangerfield ($8) finished two behind Watson on 24 votes.
Thompson won votes in an impressive 15 games, with four three-vote matches.
His consistency was rewarded with seven two-vote games and four one-vote games.
Thompson ranked second in the AFL for clearances and fourth in total disposals, averaging 29.6 disposals per game.
The star Crow trailed Kennedy by two votes after six rounds of voting, but skipped five votes clear of his nearest rivals after round 12.
From there, Thompson held the field at bay and withstood Cotchin's late rush in which he polled 16 votes after the bye, including 10 votes in the last four rounds.
Crows teammate Dangerfield looms as one of Thompson's greatest rivals for the prestigious award.
Dangerfield may take votes from his fellow midfield star, with the panel suggesting he scored three votes in seven games.
The reporters awarded Thompson minor votes in six of the games in which Dangerfield was given the nod for three, so it is conceivable umpires could lean either way.
For instance in round five against Port Adelaide and round eight against Carlton, Dangerfield collected 39 disposals and 35 and three goals respectively, earning maximum votes in both games.
Thompson had 34 touches against the Power and 31 and 10 clearances versus the Blues, winning two votes on both occasions.
Ablett, the 2009 winner when at Geelong, finished the season with 23 votes, including six games in which he polled maximum votes, despite his team finishing with just three wins.
Collingwood's Dayne Beams ($17) completed his breakout year, lurking just behind Ablett on 22 votes.
Leaderboard
Scott Thompson (30 votes)
Trent Cotchin (28)
Jobe Watson (26)
Dane Swan (24)
Josh Kennedy (24)
Patrick Dangerfield (24)
Gary Ablett (23)
Dayne Beams (22)
Ben Guthrie is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_BenGuthrie
