For the 2023 season, the Edge of the Crowd writers keep tabs on the best performances in every AFL match to predict who will win the Brownlow medal; Round Twenty-One was no different.

Western Bulldogs 126 d Richmond 71

3. Marcus Bontempelli

2. Tom Liberatore

1. Tim English

With Daicos out for the rest of the regular season, it's time for the Bont to turn on the afterburners to take the medal. He made a great start with three goals and 32 touches while having ten clearances through the middle.

Liberatore was just behind his skipper, having had 31 touches, laying 12 tackles of his own and having ten clearances. The final vote goes to the big ruckman, who had 29 hit outs along with kicking a goal.

Essendon 73 d West Coast 72

3. Zach Merrett

2. Kyle Langford

1. Darcy Parish

Merrett is another who is clearly in Brownlow contention with the falling over of Daicos. In a close run against the Eagles, he had 29 touches, took seven marks, had four clearances and assisted in a goal.

Langford has to get votes for his five-goal bag from the forward line. Parish is the final of the vote-getters in this match after having 33 touches, kicking a goal and having nine clearances.

Adelaide 89 d Gold Coast 61

3. Darcy Fogarty

2. Matt Crouch

1. Jordan Dawson

The Crows have left their run to the final late, but it is coming. Fogarty picks up an easy three votes after a tremendous all-round performance. He had 19 touches, with three goals and ten marks.

Crouch had another great game and picked up two votes after 31 touches with a goal and seven tackles on the defensive end. The final vote goes for Jordan Dawson, who had 23 touches, six clearances and a goal to close the lead against Daicos.

Hawthorn 105 d Collingwood 73

3. James Sicily

2. Dylan Moore

1. Conor Nash

What a match this was! A massive surprise upset as Sicily led his side to a massive win against the Premiership favourites. Sicily had 37 touches, took 19 marks, gained 515 metres and had three goal assists to pick up the three votes.

Dylan Moore picks up two votes after a game of twos, two goals and 22 touches for him. Nash picks up the final vote after having 31 touches with six clearances.

Geelong 97 d Port Adelaide 85

3. Gryan Miers

2. Zak Butters

1. Patrick Dangerfield

Geelong continued the falling apart of the Port Adelaide season with a crucial win at home. The Lionel Messi of the AFL picks up three votes after having 24 touches and kicking two goals while setting up five more.

Butters, of course, is in the votes with his 30 touches and a goal assist. The final say goes to the Geelong skipper, who had 20 touches, kicked a goal and had five clearances.

GWS 85 def by Sydney 96

3. Errol Gulden

2. Tom Green

1. Chad Warner

The winning streak of GWS ended in the battle of the bridge. Errol Gulden gets the three votes after having 32 touches with a couple of goals and 677 metres gained.

Tom Green continues to prove that it is easy to be Green. He had 38 touches with seven clearances and ten tackles. The final vote of the match goes to Chad Warner, who kicked a goal to go along with four tackles, three clearances and a goal.

North Melbourne 71 d Melbourne 103

3. Christian Petracca

2. Jack Ziebell

1. Lachie Hunter

The Demons have cemented their top-four finish with a good win over North after an early scare. Petracca continues to pick up threes after having 27 touches kicking a couple of goals with six clearances.

Ziebell was the best for North, having had 32 touches with 12 marks and 555 metres gained. Lachie Hunter gets the final vote after having 33 touches with seven marks for the Demons.

St Kilda 54 d Carlton 73

3. Patrick Cripps

2. Mason Wood

1. Nic Newman

A late comeback in a low-scoring game saw the Blues all but cement their position in the eight for this season. The Saints need to seriously look at themselves after sliding down the latter again.

Cripps was fantastic with his 11 clearances and 24 touches, as well as a goal assist. Mason Wood was the best for the Saints, having had 36 touches with 773 metres gained. The final vote goes to Nic Newman, who gained 35 touches with four clearances for 623 metres.

Fremantle 74 def by Brisbane 77

3. Caleb Serong

2. Jarrod Berry

1. Lachie Neale

The final match of the round went to Brisbane in a crucial win away from home. Serong picked up three votes after having 35 touches with nine clearances to push himself further up the leaderboard.

Berry was the best for the Lions having 28 touches, laying three tackles and kicking a goal. Neale gets the final vote against his old side, 25 touches with eight clearances were his highlights.

Leaderboard

1. Nick Daicos (32)

2. Jordan Dawson (28)

3. Christian Petracca (27)

4. Tim Taranto (24)

4. Zach Merrett (24)

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