Nick Daicos continues to build on his incredible season, adding more votes on the weekend. But we have a new contender as our best bet at double-figure odds, while a $51 shot has surged into the top three of our leaderboard.
| Rank | Name | Team | Votes | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Daicos | Coll | 14.95 | $2.85 |
| 2 | Zak Butters | PA | 12.11 | $13 |
| 3 | Jai Newcombe | Haw | 11.74 | $51 |
| 4 | Marcus Bontempelli | WB | 9.76 | $6.00 |
| 5 | Bailey Smith | Gee | 9.69 | $6.00 |
| 6 | Harry Sheezel | NM | 9.62 | $26 |
| 7 | Jason Horne-Francis | PA | 9.11 | $51 |
| 8 | Christian Petracca | GWS | 8.17 | $10 |
Best Bet
Are Port Adelaide better than first thought? Looking at their next month, I’m keen to take Zak Butters at this price over Nick Daicos.
The Power face the Crows in the Showdown next week, with some real concerns around Adelaide, especially through the midfield. They then host a depleted Western Bulldogs side, travel to face the Suns, and return home to take on Carlton before the bye.
If Port win three of those four, Butters becomes a genuine contender heading into the bye rounds. The concern for Daicos is Collingwood’s upcoming stretch against Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney.
Lay
An incredible performance by Bontempelli in the Bulldogs loss to the Swans, but it may only translate to one vote, maybe two at best.
With Aaron Naughton unlikely for Round 8 and the Bulldogs battling injuries, their depth will be tested. In these conditions, it’s hard to see Bontempelli polling enough votes in losses to stay competitive.
Value Bet
He’s firmly in the mix now and still flying under the radar.
Newcombe has at least three best-on-ground performances locked in already. He had 31 and a goal against Sydney, 28 and a goal with 14 clearances against the Bulldogs, and followed it up with 30 disposals and 20 contested touches against Gold Coast.
He’s a proven poller, outperforming projections in each of the past three seasons. At this price, he’s impossible to ignore.
The Voting System - Why We Use a Weighted Average Approach
We use a weighted average system for Brownlow voting to improve accuracy and fairness. The traditional 3-2-1 method forces clear distinctions between players whose performances may be nearly identical. Our system allows decimal-based scoring such as 2.5, 1.5 and 0.5, giving a more nuanced reflection of impact.
This approach still totals six votes per game but offers greater flexibility. It reduces arbitrary decisions and captures subtle differences more effectively, leading to more precise predictions and a leaderboard that better reflects how games are judged.
