What looked like a two-horse Brownlow race early in the season has quickly become a genuine logjam after Round 9.<\/p>\n
Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli remain top of our leaderboard, but there are now several genuine challengers emerging behind them as the season reaches its midway point.<\/p>\n
| Rank<\/th>\n | Name<\/th>\n | Team<\/th>\n | Votes<\/th>\n | Odds<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1<\/td>\n | Nick Daicos<\/td>\n | Coll<\/td>\n | 15.21<\/td>\n | $5.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2<\/td>\n | Marcus Bontempelli<\/td>\n | WB<\/td>\n | 13.94<\/td>\n | $4.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 3<\/td>\n | Bailey Smith<\/td>\n | Gee<\/td>\n | 12.83<\/td>\n | $8.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 4<\/td>\n | Zak Butters<\/td>\n | PA<\/td>\n | 12.61<\/td>\n | $10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 5<\/td>\n | Jai Newcombe<\/td>\n | Haw<\/td>\n | 12.37<\/td>\n | $26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 6<\/td>\n | Christian Petracca<\/td>\n | GC<\/td>\n | 11.33<\/td>\n | $10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 7<\/td>\n | Lachie Neale<\/td>\n | BL<\/td>\n | 10.43<\/td>\n | $17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 8<\/td>\n | Harry Sheezel<\/td>\n | NM<\/td>\n | 10.17<\/td>\n | $51<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nBest Bet<\/h2>\nI\u2019m still leaning towards Christian Petracca despite the fact he\u2019s unlikely to poll in Round 9 and currently sits sixth on our leaderboard.<\/p>\n The Suns now enter a really favourable stretch of games, facing Port Adelaide in Darwin before taking on North Melbourne in Round 11.<\/p>\n Gold Coast should enter both games as strong favourites, providing Petracca with a real opportunity to close the gap on the leaders.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Nick Daicos faces a likely James Jordan tag against Sydney this week, while Marcus Bontempelli historically hasn\u2019t produced huge performances against Carlton over the last four seasons.<\/p>\n At double-figure odds, Petracca still shapes as one of the strongest plays in the market.<\/p>\n Back Christian Petracca @ $10 with betr<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t questioning Lachie Neale\u2019s ability to poll votes, particularly after entering our top-eight for the first time this season.<\/p>\n The concern is Brisbane\u2019s upcoming fixture.<\/p>\n The Lions now face Geelong, GWS at Engie Stadium, Fremantle and Gold Coast across the next month \u2014 arguably the toughest stretch of football any AFL team faces.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the growing presence of Hugh McCluggage as a direct polling competitor in this Brisbane midfield, with his centre bounce numbers steadily increasing.<\/p>\n I struggle to see Neale\u2019s odds shortening dramatically from here.<\/p>\n |