Geelong captain Joel Selwood makes late Brownlow rush on favourite Gary Ablett

A RED-HOT month from Geelong captain Joel Selwood has thrown the Brownlow Medal wide open. Vote now: Selwood or Ablett?

Joel Selwood

A BROWNLOW Medal that appeared done and dusted four weeks ago has been thrown wide open after a red-hot month from Geelong captain Joel Selwood.

Selwood has firmed to $5 second favourite to Gary Ablett ($2) with Sportingbet Australia.

Sportsbet.com.au has Selwood at $4.50 after having already paid out just under $300,000 on Ablett.

It declared the award was all but over in late July.

But a rare quiet stretch by Ablett's standards and a possession and goal blitz by Selwood have opened up the medal, according to Sportingbet Australia AFL analyst Adam Patterson.

"We have Ablett with 27 votes, one ahead of Selwood and four ahead of Dane Swan," he said. "Selwood had a quiet patch between Round 5-14, when we wound him out to $41.

"Since Round 15, when he was best against Hawthorn, he has been shortening each week. He has had more down games than previous years, but his good ones, and we reckon he could have best afields in Rounds 1, 2, 4, 11, 13, 15-18 and 20-21, have been monsters.

"Importantly, he has also been kicking goals with 14 in the past five games, and he has always polled well since 2008."

For the record Selwood polled 19 votes in 2008; 16 in 2009; 21 in 2010; 17 in 2011; and 14 last year.

He began the year a $21 chance behind $10 equal favourites Trent Cotchin, Sam Mitchell and Ablett.

He would be a good result for bookmakers considering Ablett dominates betting.

Sportingbet Australia said he represented a third of its total hold.

TAB has Ablett at $2, Selwood $4.50 and Swan $6.

Then there is a big gap to $15 shots Scott Pendlebury and Kieren Jack.