AFL 2014 Brownlow Medal Count - How it all unfolded

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Selwood, though, appears difficult to beat after a big final-round performance against Brisbane put the Geelong captain in the box seat to claim his first Brownlow Medal.

But, having dominated most games until an untimely shoulder season ended his campaign in early July, Ablett may just have the runs on the board to hold on in what promises to be one of the most dramatic counts for some time.

Robbie Gray is another in the running after a stellar conclusion to the season. Gray tore his ACL terriblty in Round 4 2012 and wasn't quite at his best when he returned to the game last year, having recovered from what some people have described as a car crash injury.Gray didn't earn any votes in last year's count but the midfielder/forward appears intent to make up for lost time after an impressive second half to 2014, one that saw him romp home to win the AFL Coach's award. However, whether the likes of Travis Boak, Ollie Wines and Chad Wingard take votes off Gray remains to be seen.

Although the Brownlow has become known as a midfielder's medal, Lance Franklin's efforts may still have been enough to see him catch the umpire's eyes, the forward dominating numerous matches for Sydney since his controversial switch from Hawthorn at the end of last year. However, Franklin too will have some stiff competition from team-mates like Josh Kennedy and maybe even the bearded maestro at half-back Nic Malceski.

Like Gray, Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis enjoyed a superb finish to the season that's put him right in contention for the medal, while Essendon's Dyson Heppell also appears in with a big chance. Heppell wasn't quite so dominant in the early part of the year but after Bombers' skipper Jobe Watson suffered a long-term hip injury that almost finished off his season, Heppell was the man to stand up in his abscence with a series of eye-catching performances.

Throughout the year, Sportal has been getting weekly updates from Sportingbet and their analysis of every round has Selwood just pipping Ablett for the medal as show below, with analysts awarding half votes when they can’t split certain player performances. Over the course of the season this system has proved capable of providing a more accurate prediction of a player’s final vote numbers.