The 2026 Brownlow Medal race is officially wide open after Round 10, with just three votes separating the top six players on our leaderboard.<\/p>\n
Nick Daicos remains narrowly in front despite surviving back-to-back tagging jobs, while Bailey Smith and Marcus Bontempelli continue to apply pressure close behind.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a familiar name storming back into contention, with former Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps entering our leaderboard at triple-figure odds.<\/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 | 15.48<\/td>\n | $5.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2<\/td>\n | Bailey Smith<\/td>\n | Gee<\/td>\n | 14.93<\/td>\n | $5.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 3<\/td>\n | Marcus Bontempelli<\/td>\n | WB<\/td>\n | 13.94<\/td>\n | $4.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 4<\/td>\n | Zak Butters<\/td>\n | PA<\/td>\n | 13.35<\/td>\n | $10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 5<\/td>\n | Christian Petracca<\/td>\n | GC<\/td>\n | 12.91<\/td>\n | $10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 6<\/td>\n | Jai Newcombe<\/td>\n | Haw<\/td>\n | 12.37<\/td>\n | $21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 7<\/td>\n | Patrick Cripps<\/td>\n | Car<\/td>\n | 11.55<\/td>\n | $251<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 8<\/td>\n | Isaac Heeney<\/td>\n | Syd<\/td>\n | 11.02<\/td>\n | $15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nBest Bet<\/h2>\nWe anticipated a rough fortnight for Nick Daicos with consecutive tagging jobs from Oisin Mullin and James Jordan, but he\u2019s come through it still leading our leaderboard after Round 10.<\/p>\n The fixture ahead now looks extremely favourable.<\/p>\n Collingwood face West Coast this weekend before taking on the Bulldogs, who traditionally don\u2019t employ a hard tag. After King\u2019s Birthday against Melbourne, the Magpies head into the bye before a very manageable stretch against Port Adelaide, Richmond, Gold Coast, North Melbourne and Carlton.<\/p>\n Importantly, several of those opponents are unlikely to send a dedicated stopper to Daicos.<\/p>\n It shapes as the perfect opportunity for him to create separation on the leaderboard over the next six weeks.<\/p>\n Back Nick Daicos @ $5 with betr<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The concern with Marcus Bontempelli isn\u2019t his ability to poll votes \u2014 it\u2019s the Bulldogs\u2019 ability to consistently win games.<\/p>\n Western Bulldogs look vulnerable at the moment and the upcoming fixture doesn\u2019t get any easier.<\/p>\n They now face Melbourne, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Adelaide, St Kilda and Sydney across the next six rounds, with plenty of genuine 50-50 matchups in that stretch.<\/p>\n Based on current form, there\u2019s a realistic scenario where the Bulldogs go 1-5 over that period, which would make it extremely difficult for Bontempelli to keep pace with the other leading contenders.<\/p>\n At the current market prices, there\u2019s simply more value elsewhere.<\/p>\n |