Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli has finished third in the 2026 Brownlow Medal count.
The skipper polled a career-high 34 Brownlow votes from 14 matches, sharing the podium with Collingwood's Nick Daicos (47 votes) and former Bulldog Bailey Smith (36).
Bontempelli's 27-disposal, two-goal performance against Melbourne in Round 24 saw him poll three votes for the 60th time in his career, the first player in VFL/AFL history to reach this milestone.
His overall career total now sits at 247 votes, the third most of all time, overtaking 1975 Brownlow medallist and Footscray legend, Gary Dempsey (246).
While Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield only polled three votes in Monday's count, he now sits equal first with Gary Ablett Jr on 262.
| Player | Team/s | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Dangerfield | Adelaide/Geelong | 262* |
| Gary Ablett Jr | Geelong/Gold Coast | 262 |
| Marcus Bontempelli | Western Bulldogs | 247* |
| Gary Dempsey | Footscray/North Melbourne | 246 |
| Lachie Neale | Fremantle/Brisbane Lions | 245* |
| Patrick Cripps | Carlton | 232* |
| Scott Pendlebury | Collingwood | 230* |
| Sam Mitchell | Hawthorn/West Coast | 227 |
| Robert Harvey | St Kilda | 215 |
| Joel Selwood | Geelong | 214 |
Co-vice-captain Ed Richards polled the second most votes by a Bulldog on the night, finishing with a career-high 16 votes.
Six other Bulldogs polled votes during the count, with Aaron Naughton (six votes), Joel Freijah (three), Matt Kennedy (two), Lachy Bramble, Sam Darcy and Tim English (one) all receiving nods from the umpies.
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