The Brownlow record Cats star could break ... but he may lose another

Cats star Patrick Dangerfield could earn another Brownlow Medal record this year

PATRICK Dangerfield already owns the record for the most three-vote games in Brownlow Medal history, but could he add an even bigger achievement to his glittering resume on Monday night?

The Geelong skipper needs just four votes to move past Gary Ablett jnr as the highest-polling player the award has ever seen.

AFL.com.au's Brownlow Predictor has Dangerfield polling three votes for the season – one against Adelaide in round 13, and two against Brisbane in round 17 – which would put him on par with Ablett jnr.

But he's a proven vote getter and it would be no surprise if he snuck a few extra votes to stand alone at the top.

The Geelong champion has been a regular fixture at the pointy end of the count, claiming the 2016 medal and finishing runner-up on another two occasions.

If the AFL coaches' votes prove a reliable guide, Dangerfield could have the record all to himself by night's end.

In addition to the two rounds where he's predicted to poll votes, Dangerfield also polled in the top three AFL coaches' votes against Richmond in round 24. So, if those votes correlate with the umpires this year – which is never a guarantee – Dangerfield will be at the top of the tree.

However, predicting where the coaches and umpires align is far from an exact science.

BROWNLOW PREDICTOR Check out all the votes

Just last year, there were 13 instances of players getting three votes from the umpires but none from the coaches, and 21 occasions where players picked up a perfect 10 from the coaches but got no love from the umpires on Brownlow night.

While the overall votes record is within reach for the 36-year-old Dangerfield, his grip on another significant Brownlow mark may be about to loosen.

The Cats veteran's all-time record of 56 three-vote games is expected to come under threat from Brisbane star Lachie Neale (currently on 54 three-vote games) and Western Bulldogs gun Marcus Bontempelli (52).

The Brownlow Predictor has forecast five maximum-vote games for the Bulldogs captain, and four for the Lions' dual Brownlow medallist, a result that would see both players move past Dangerfield's mark.

262 - Gary Ablett jnr259 - Patrick Dangerfield246 - Gary Dempsey227 - Sam Mitchell225 - Lachie Neale225 - Scott Pendlebury215 - Robert Harvey214 - Joel Selwood213 - Marcus Bontempelli213 - Dustin Martin

56 - Patrick Dangerfield55 - Gary Ablett jnr54 - Lachie Neale52 - Marcus Bontempelli46 - Chris Judd45 - Gary Dempsey45 - Sam Mitchell45 - Robert Harvey42 - Dustin Martin42 - Nat Fyfe