AFL club captains have backed Marcus Bontempelli as the overwhelming Brownlow Medal favourite in 2022 while fewer than half of them believe premiers Melbourne will reach the grand final.
In the league's annual poll of on-field leaders, six tipped the Demons to play in a second successive season decider.
That is despite the Max Gawn-led side ending a 57-year flag drought in emphatic fashion last year, trouncing the Western Bulldogs after finishing the home-and-away season on top of the ladder.
None of the captains picked Melbourne to qualify for the grand final in last year's poll.
Captains are asked to pick which opposition club is most likely to reach the grand final, rather than who will win it.
Brisbane (five votes), the Bulldogs (three), Port Adelaide and Richmond (two) were the only other selections this season.
Bulldogs skipper Bontempelli was his fellow captains' top Brownlow choice, tipped by eight of them to claim the game's most coveted individual award for the first time.
Melbourne midfield gun Clayton Oliver (four votes) was another popular choice, while the man Oliver said is the best player in the game, teammate Christian Petracca, received just one vote.
No captains tipped Port star Ollie Wines to repeat his 2021 Brownlow triumph.
Coleman Medal winner Harry McKay was tipped by six captains to top the league's goal-kicking again this season, with Geelong duo Jeremy Cameron (four votes) and Tom Hawkins (three) also fancied.
Bulldogs spearhead Aaron Naughton (three votes) was also considered as he prepares for life this season without forward-line partner Josh Bruce, who is sidelined by a knee injury.
Most captains believe there will be little change to the make-up of the top eight, with Melbourne, Brisbane and the Bulldogs unanimously backed to play finals again this year.
Only one skipper expects Port to miss out, while 13 of them believe Richmond will rebound after their dramatic slide to 12th last year.
The Tigers will be bolstered by the return of some premiership stars from injury, including champion Dustin Martin, who has recovered from surgery to repair the lacerated kidney that cut short his 2021 campaign.
Five captains tipped Carlton to end their finals drought under new coach Michael Voss this season, while Fremantle (two votes) and St Kilda (one) are also given hope of breaking into the top-eight.
Unsurprisingly, No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis is the captains' preferred tip for this year's Rising Star award.
The ready-made North Melbourne midfielder received seven votes to be the favourite ahead of Collingwood father-son selection Nick Daicos (five) and Adelaide's Josh Rachele (two).
Former No.1 draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, who played just five senior games with the Bulldogs last year, received one vote heading into what could be a breakout season.
Last year no captains tipped the eventual winner of the Rising Star, Melbourne's Luke Jackson.
