Who will top the GIANTS' vote count in the 2026 Brownlow Medal? Which GIANT is in-line to create club Brownlow history? Which GIANTS are to set to poll for the first time?
GIANTS Media have had their say on which players have the best chances of polling on Monday night.
Best Chances
A trio of GIANTS look set as the club’s top prospects entering Monday night’s count, with Lachie Ash, Finn Callaghan, and Clayton Oliver all enjoying stellar 2026 campaigns.
While Oliver and Callaghan are already proven vote getters on Brownlow night, Ash will be hoping his career-best season helped catch the eye of the umpires this year.
Oliver looms as the most likely to lead the count from a GIANTS perspective on Monday night, with the star recruit a proven vote-getter and coming off a brilliant maiden campaign in orange and charcoal.
Oliver fits the mould of exactly the type of players the umpires have historically voted for on Brownlow night; inside midfielders who thrive on contested possession and clearance. This is backed up by Oliver's incredible Brownlow tally to date, with the 29-year-old sitting inside the Demons’ top five all-time Brownlow votes leaderboard with a remarkable 121 votes from across his 10 seasons with Melbourne.
Having him poised to add to that tally on Monday was a fantastic 2026 season which saw Oliver rediscover his best form and earn himself a spot in the All-Australian squad.
His starring 2026 campaign saw Oliver average 30.2 disposals per game, up significantly from 25.5 last season. He also finished first across the entire competition in both contested possessions (14.9 per game) and groundball gets (10.7 per game), as well finishing inside the AFL’s top five for clearances with 7.3 per game.
While not yet a strong vote getter across his previous six seasons - with his career total of seven Brownlow votes all coming last year - Ash is another expected to feature on Monday night after taking his game to a new level in 2026.
From a personal level, Ash made his 2026 season one to remember, winning his maiden Kevin Sheedy Medal, his first All-Australian blazer, and being named best on ground for Victoria in February’s State of Origin Clash.
Playing in all 23 games of the home and away season, Ash finished his 2026 campaign with an average of 28.7 disposals, 7.2 marks, and 626 metres gained per game, which along with his eye-catching run and dare out of defence, is sure to have earnt himself some recognition from the umpires at Monday’s count.
Joining Oliver and Ash as the club’s leading candidates to feature strongly on Monday night is Callaghan who had his own remarkable run of form before missing the last month of the season through injury.
When fit and firing, Callaghan further cemented himself as one of the game’s best line breakers and most damaging midfielders, finishing the season averaging 28.1 disposals, 5.1 inside 50s, and more than 530 meters gained per game.
While it will be hard to beat his previous best of 21 votes from last year’s count, especially considering he missed the last four games of the season, Callaghan’s eye-catching speed and his silky left foot are sure to have had him noticed by the umpires across the season.
First-timers?
A host of GIANTS will enter Monday night’s count looking to poll their first ever Brownlow votes, with the likes of Harvey Thomas and Phoenix Gothard leading the candidates.
Thomas leads the list of those aiming to hear their name read inside Crown Palladium for the first time on Monday, with the talented youngster claiming the club’s Coaches and Rising Star Awards after a career-best season following his permanent move to the wing. His highest chance of polling will come in round 12 and round 23, with Thomas picking up 24 touches and two goals in a win over the Demons in round 12 before collecting another 20 touches and two goals in the round 23 win over the Eagles.
Gothard is another in with a chance of receiving a first career Brownlow vote, with the exciting debutant putting in several brilliant performances and kicking multiple goals in six games this year. The most likely timing in which we could hear the best name in footy read out by the league’s CEO will come in round 11 against the Lions (29 disposals, 10 tackles, two goals) and round two (19 disposals, two goals) against the Saints.
Fellow 2026 debutant Riley Hamilton is another vying for his maiden Brownlow votes, with his 15-disposals, two-goal performance in the win over the Cats in round 18 his best chance, while Joey Delana has given himself a chance of his first votes following his 20-disposal, one-goal performance against the Suns in round 22.
Ryan Angwin, Joe Fonti, and Max Gruzewski are some other GIANTS looking to claim their first career Brownlow votes on Monday.
AFL’s Brownlow Predictor GIANTS Top 3:
12 Clayton Oliver
12 Finn Callaghan
9 Lachie Ash
9 Toby Greene
2025 GIANTS Brownlow Votes Top 3:
21 Finn Callaghan
20 Tom Green
14 Toby Greene
GIANTS All-Time Brownlow Votes:
97 Josh Kelly
96 Toby Greene
91 Callan Ward
