Eight Rounds down in the 2019 AFL Season and the Ladder is beginning to take some sort of shape.
Predicting winners is becoming somewhat easier and the contenders and pretenders are starting to show themselves.
Some good individual performances for Round 8 sees the Brownlow Medal Predictor with an outright leader after 8 Rounds.
Can he keep it up though?
Here are the Brownlow Predictions for Round 8 2019.
Check back each week for a round by round analysis and the likely Brownlow Medal Leader for the Brownlow Medal Count on Brownlow Night.
Who will be the Brownlow Medal Winner for the up and coming season?
Sydney vs Essendon
Sydney 11.11 77 – Essendon 10.12 72
(Sydney by 5 Points)
1 Vote (Sydney) Josh Kennedy (3)
Kennedy is always in the thick of the action for Sydney and this game was no exception. 14 of his 24 Possessions were contested, but it will be his 10 Tackles that make him stand out and really helped set up a Swans win.
2 Votes (Essendon) Zach Merrett (7)
Merrett was the Bombers best player in a losing game and tallied up 28 Disposals which included 12 Contested. He had 7 Clearances, 9 Tackles and 7 Inside 50s to help keep the Bombers in this match. He also kicked a goal and was involved in the scoring 7 times.
3 Votes (Sydney) Luke Parker (4)
Parker is one of the Swans best and they needed him to step up in this contest. He answered the question and tallied up a total of 33 Disposals. Also had 6 Clearances and 5 Tackles at important stages to be the best player on the ground.
Western Bulldogs vs Brisbane
Western Bulldogs 13.14 92 – Brisbane 11.10 76
(Western Bulldogs by 16 Points)
1 Vote (Brisbane) Mitch Robinson (5)
Robinson is in very good form at the moment as a half forward and was once again one of the Lions best players. Most of his 16 Disposals came on the offensive half and he managed to slot through 3 Goals. His defensive forward pressure will be a deciding factor as he laid 11 tackles in a losing side.
2 Votes (Western Bulldogs) Jack Macrae (6)
Macrae didn’t get as much of the footy as he normally does but 19 of his 28 Disposals were contested. He also had 7 Clearances, 6 Inside 50s and kicked a goal to be one of the Dogs best players.
3 Votes (Western Bulldogs) Josh Dunkley (4)
Dunkley featured in the votes last week for the Brownlow Medal Predictor and has backed it up with a Best on Ground Performance. 22 of his 36 Disposals were contested and he also tallied up 11 Clearances and 8 tackles in a top-notch Dogs victory.
Carlton vs Collingwood
Carlton 13.9 87 – Collingwood 16.10 106
(Collingwood by 19 Points)
1 Vote (Collingwood) Adam Treloar (7)
Treloar racks up a lot of the footy, but didn’t get going until the second half when the Pies were in danger of losing this one. He was big in the latter stages and racked up 34 Disposals which included 16 Contested. 8 Clearances, 6 Score Involvements and a goal should have him featuring in the votes in this contest.
2 Votes (Carlton) Patrick Cripps (15)
Although Carlton are having an average year, they have been reducing the thumpings and Cripps has been getting a lot of contested ball and tackles. He was once again Carlton’s best with 35 Disposals which included 19 Contested. 14 Clearances, 7 Tackles and 9 Score Involvements should see him once again feature in the votes.
3 Votes (Collingwood) Brodie Grundy (9)
The Pies big Ruckman had a big day and filled up the stat sheet. He dominated the ruck with 48 Hit-Outs and managed to rack up 25 Disposals in the process. Grundy was also helpful up forward with 10 Score Involvements and 2 Goals.
Gold Coast vs Melbourne
Gold Coast 9.6 60 – Melbourne 8.13 61
(Melbourne by 1 Point)
1 Vote (Gold Coast) Nick Holman (1)
Holman was very good in a close contest and will get noticed with a total of 12 Tackles. He also had 6 Score Involvements, Racked up 2 Goals and had a total of 19 Possessions.
2 Votes (Gold Coast) David Swallow (4)
It is a pity this guy has been injured so much in recent times. Swallow was once again one of the Suns best players racking up 35 Disposals which included 22 Contested. He also had 13 Clearances and a lot of metres gained in an unlucky Suns loss.
3 Votes (Melbourne) Clayton Oliver (4)
Oliver had a lot of the football and applied pressure with plenty of tackling. 22 of his 38 Disposals were contested and he racked up 8 Clearances, 8 Inside 50s and 15 Tackles to be a clear best on ground in a very lucky win for the Demons.
St Kilda vs West Coast
St Kilda 10.10 70 – West Coast 12.16 88
(West Coast by 18 Points)
1 Vote (West Coast) Shannon Hurn (4)
The Eagles have been below their best this season but Hurn has definitely been one of their best. Another solid performance in which he tallied up 25 Possessions mainly by foot and used the footy at 88% Efficiency. Should get a vote in this contest because of the first class ball use.
2 Votes (St Kilda) Shane Savage (3)
A lot of run and carry from down back and metres gained always stands out in a game of footy. Savage tallied 25 Possessions and used the footy at 84% Efficiency. His 9 Rebound 50s stood out and he kicked a goal and had 8 Score Involvements.
3 Votes (West Coast) Dom Sheed (4)
A big game from the Grand Final Star and he racked up a total of 28 Possessions which included 12 Contested. He had 6 Clearances, 6 Score Involvements and kicked a goal himself to be one of the Eagles best.
Port Adelaide vs Adelaide
Port Adelaide 9.14 68 – Adelaide 13.10 88
(Adelaide by 20 Points)
1 Vote (Adelaide) Tom Lynch (1)
Lynch was very good in the showdown and racked up 20 touches in which 12 were Contested. He applied pressure with 6 tackles and had 7 Score Involvements. Also managed to hit the scoreboard and kicked 3 Goals.
2 Votes (Port Adelaide) Tom Rockliff (6)
Another fine game from Rockliff with 41 Possessions which included 23 Contested. He was clearly the best player for the Power and tallied 10 Clearances, 12 Inside 50s and 6 Tackles. Should definitely poll votes in this contest.
3 Votes (Adelaide) Alex Keath (5)
The Crows have found a defender here and Alex Keath was once again a significant contributing factor to the Adelaide win. 14 of his 26 Possessions were contested and his 12 Intercept Possessions will definitely get noticed. He also had 7 Rebound 50s to take home the medal for best on ground.
North Melbourne vs Geelong
North Melbourne 11.14 80 – Geelong 16.8 104
(Geelong by 24 Points)
1 Vote (Geelong) Mitch Duncan (3)
The Cats have a lot of stars and it is always tough to give votes in their games. Duncan had 29 Possessions, 12 Marks and 8 Tackles to really stand out and set up another solid Cats Victory.
2 Votes (North Melbourne) Shaun Higgins (7)
Higgins was again one of the Kangaroos best racking up 31 Possessions which included 17 Contested. He had 9 Score Involvements, 7 Clearances and Kicked a goal himself. Should feature in the votes in this contest.
3 Votes (Geelong) Tim Kelly (10)
Geelong will be happy they managed to hang on to Kelly and he didn’t head home as he is having a big season. He had 11 Clearances, 8 Inside 50s and 7 Tackles to be the Cats best. 21 of his 36 Possessions were Contested and he had 10 Score Involvements and 2 Goals.
Hawthorn vs GWS
Hawthorn 10.11 71 – GWS 5.8 38
(Hawthorn by 33 Points)
1 Votes (Hawthorn) James Frawley (1)
Frawley had a good game down back and kept the Coleman Medal Leader very quiet. Didn’t get a lot of the footy with 17 Possessions and 8 Marks but will get noticed because Cameron failed to kick a goal because of the enormous Frawley pressure.
2 Votes (Hawthorn) James Sicily (6)
Sicily is fast becoming one of the best defenders in the league and was once again very good. He had 27 Disposals and used the footy at 82% Efficiency. Also had 6 Score Involvements and kicked a goal himself.
3 Votes (Hawthorn) Ricky Henderson (6)
Henderson is having a great year and once again stood out in a big Hawks win. He racked up 36 Disposals, 10 Marks and 7 Inside 50s to probably be the best player on the ground. Also had a lot of metres gained in this contest.
Fremantle vs Richmond
Fremantle 12.14 86 – Richmond 17.9 111
(Richmond by 25 Points)
1 Vote (Fremantle) Nat Fyfe (9)
Fyfe could easily get the 3 Votes in this game because he was clearly the Dockers best if not the best player on the ground. They did lose the game though so that definitely has to be considered. 21 of his 33 Disposals were contested. He also had 7 Clearances, 9 Inside 50s, 9 Score Involvements and kicked 3 Goals.
2 Votes (Richmond) Shai Bolton (2)
Bolton had a big game for the Tigers, but the votes could be given to a handful of Tigers to be honest. This was a tough game to give votes. Bolton didn’t get much of the footy, but had 7 Tackles, 9 Score involvements and kicked 4 Goals himself.
3 Votes (Richmond) David Astbury (3)
The Tigers seemed on the back foot for a lot of this game and Astbury was a significant factor down back for them. His 17 Disposals were at 82% Efficiency and he racked up 12 Intercept Possessions. Ended up with 11 Marks in which 3 were Contested and a total of 6 Rebound 50s. In a difficult game to give votes it won’t be surprising if Astbury gets the 3 in a big Richmond away win.
Leaderboard after 8 Rounds
Patrick Cripps 15
Lachie Neale 11
Tim Kelly 10
Scott Pendlebury 9
Brodie Grundy 9
Travis Boak 9
Nat Fyfe 9
Patrick Dangerfield 8
Jaeger O’Meara 8
Marcus Bontempelli 8
Keep posted for the Brownlow Medal Predictor Next Week Round 9.
Click the below links to check out the votes for the previous rounds of the Brownlow Medal Predictor for 2019.