Pure midfielders have dominated the Brownlow Medal podium since 1999 but expect a couple of ruckmen to spoil the party on Monday night.
Melbourne's Max Gawn and Collingwood's Brodie Grundy were both sensational during the home and away season and are both tipped to finish in the top three, according to the AFL.com.au Brownlow predictor.
In 1999, Essendon half-forward Mark Mercuri (second) and Carlton ruck Matthew Allan (equal-third with Collingwood's Nathan Buckley) finished behind Hawthorn champion Shane Crawford.
Gawn is expected to be second while it's anticipated Grundy will finish alongside Carlton onballer Patrick Cripps in third.
Superstar Richmond midfielder Dustin Martin is projected to go back-to-back, upstaging heavy
The Richmond midfielder is on track for 25 votes, while Mitchell is anticipated to finish with 21.
Final leaderboard
1. Dustin Martin (Richmond) – 25
2. Max Gawn (Melbourne) – 24
=3. Patrick Cripps (Carlton) – 23
=3. Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) – 23
=5. Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn) – 21
=5. Elliot Yeo (West Coast) – 21
Leaders after round 13
1. Nat Fyfe* (Fremantle) – 20
2. Patrick Cripps (Carlton) - 14
3. Shaun Higgins (North Melbourne) - 12
=4. Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn) – 11
=4. Dustin Martin (Richmond) – 11
=4. Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs) - 11
=4. Trent Cotchin (Richmond) - 11
Leaders after round four
1. Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn) – 9
=2. Dustin Martin (Richmond) – 8
=2. Stephen Coniglio (GWS) – 8
Highest polling first-year players
1. Tim Kelly (Geelong) – 13
2. Adam Cerra (Fremantle) – 3
3. James Worpel (Hawthorn) – 2
Highest polling defender/ruckman/forward
Defender: Lachie Whitfield (Greater Western Sydney) – 12
Ruckman: Max Gawn (Melbourne) – 24
Forward: Lance Franklin (Sydney) – 15
Highest polling former winners
1. Dustin Martin (Richmond) – 25
2. Nat Fyfe* (Fremantle) – 20
3. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) – 17
*Ineligible
THREE-VOTE LOCK
Adelaide: In the absence of North Melbourne tagger Ben Jacobs, Matt Crouch ran free and racked up 46 disposals in round 22 to help his side win.
Brisbane: Former skipper Dayne Beams collected 38 disposals, nine clearances and a goal as the Lions just beat Gold Coast in round 22.
Carlton: There were few games that didn't see Patrick Cripps deliver and the round 19 victory over Gold Coast was no exception as he accumulated 37 disposals and 11 tackles.
Collingwood: Ruckmen shouldn't be posting these numbers: 33 disposals, 23 contested possessions, a goal and 340m gained. Brodie Grundy did that, along with 40 hit-outs, as the Magpies conquered Adelaide on its home turf in round four.
Essendon: Captain Dyson Heppell led his side very well this year and did so in the round 17 victory against Gold Coast, amassing 36 disposals.
Fremantle: There were some special Nat Fyfe performances this season, but his round three masterclass, when he had 38 disposals and 14 clearances as the Dockers beat Gold Coast, might have been the best of the lot.
Geelong: Patrick Dangerfield saved his best home and away match for last, finishing with 34 disposals and four goals in the Cats' final round smashing of Gold Coast.
Gold Coast: It was an up-and-down campaign from Tom Lynch, but his eight-goal effort as the Suns beat Carlton in round two was impressive.
Greater Western Sydney: Quite frankly, it's absurd how good Josh Kelly was in finishing with 41 disposals, 16 inside-50s and 10 clearances as the Giants demolished Carlton in round 20.
Hawthorn: It's hard to look past the 54-disposal performance by Tom Mitchell as the Hawks defeated Collingwood in the opening round.
Melbourne: Dominant was the word to describe Max Gawn as the Dees beat Essendon in round six, as he had 16 disposals, 42 hit-outs and two
North Melbourne: It was an ugly clash that saw the Roos prevail over St Kilda on Good Friday in round two, but Ben Brown was a shining light, bagging six goals.
Port Adelaide: The round eight Showdown was one of the contests of the year and Robbie Gray's six-goal haul, including five in a match-turning third quarter, was simply outstanding.
Richmond: A vintage outing from Dustin Martin saw him collect 26 disposals and four goals as the Tigers beat Essendon in round 22, with Trent Cotchin, Dion Prestia and Kane Lambert absent.
St Kilda: Four-time best and fairest Jack Steven notched up 34 disposals and two important goals as the Saints beat Brisbane in round one.
Sydney: In one of the displays of the year, Lance Franklin was irresistible when he slotted eight goals in the first AFL match at Optus Stadium as the Swans defeated West Coast.
West Coast: There was nothing Richmond could do about Jack Darling in round nine, as he bagged six goals and took seven contested marks to help stamp the Eagles' premiership credentials.
Western Bulldogs: No-one could stop Jack Macrae as he picked up 47 disposals in the Dogs' round eight win over Brisbane.
