What a weekend of footy, and some big changes to the Power Rankings after Round 6.
There has been some movement at the top as the race for a top-four spot tightens up, while there has been just as much to talk about down the bottom end.
There is now just one winless team as the Easter weekend sprang some interesting surprises, but even West Coast were unlucky not to get on the board.
Here’s how the teams stack up after Round 6.
1. Geelong (Last Week: 4)
All of the leading four teams in this list could make a case for top spot, but Geelong is very marginally ahead due to the Easter Monday classic – and the way that the 2022 premiers have played since half time in the Gather Round fixture.
Adelaide and Hawthorn are no slouches and both have been playing some good football this year, but the way the Cats controlled the second half against the Crows and picked up where they left off at the MCG make them a dangerous team to face.
Bailey Smith again had a huge impact and was involved in almost everything (in more ways than one). Geelong also has shown versatility up front, not relying solely on Jeremy Cameron, with veteran Patrick Dangerfield far from a spent force in the game.
With the Hawks and Lions showing some chinks recently, it could be time for the Cats to go on a run – the Pies clash in a fortnight is a mouth-watering one.
Nick Daicos runs away from would-be tagger Jarrod Berry. (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
2. Collingwood (6)
Collingwood surge into second spot on the back of a huge win over Brisbane. It’s been a remarkable climb since Opening Round disaster against GWS.
The Pies not only stifled their opponent’s ball movement, choking Brisbane’s threatening attack, but they also prevented a second-half surge that Chris Fagan’s men have relied on so far this year.
The Daicos brothers were in great form; Nick with 38 touches and Josh with 30 to lead the possession count.
Brisbane has been the toughest opponent since the Giants, so it may be too early to get carried away, but this game almost showed a 2023-like intensity and pressure throughout the four quarters.
3. Hawthorn (2)
Despite back-to-back losses, there is still a lot to like about the Hawks and their premiership chances.
Looking to bounce back after a dreadful showing against Port Adelaide, the Hawks pushed and tested the Cats all the way and only lost by just over a goal – proving they still need to be treated as a major threat.
There were signs of emotion after the game, especially from James Sicily, which could work both ways. The hurt of the experience could be used as motivation to improve, or show how emotionally drained the young players could be, even possibly mentally spanning all the way back to the finals last year.
The ugly play and mistakes over the past fortnight could be a sign of pressure, but more likely just a learning experience.
James Sicily is tackled. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
4. Brisbane (1)
The reliance on the second half comebacks finally burnt the Premiers, who were given no chance by a fierce and determined Magpies.
Five of the top six disposal getters were from Collingwood, with Lachie Neale the only Brisbane player to reach 25. Going forward, the Lions created just 37 inside 50s, making it tough to find the scoreboard.
On one hand, it’s just one loss and no need to panic from Brisbane, but have the Pies shown teams any clues to bring down the premiers?
5. Gold Coast (3)
Damien Hardwick fell to his first loss of the year against his former side, and while Richmond’s work rate and effort were up, it was Gold Coast’s efficiency way down, kicking a goal from just nine per cent of their inside 50s in the first three quarters.
The Suns did, however, show some good signs that 2025 was a year to get excited about, almost removing a 43-point deficit by kicking five unanswered goals in the final term.
Three of the top five possession getters were from the Suns, and Ben Long top scored with three goals. But in the end, a loss is a loss, and one Dimma would not have been expecting heading back to Victoria.
6. Adelaide (7)
The Crows restored some pride after two straight losses, handling the wet and windy conditions better than the Giants.
Although scoring was tough, Adelaide could be proud of the fact that they only allowed four goals from the visitors.
It may not have been a game where they could show their flashy side or make any statements, but handling the conditions and a fairly tough opponent will give Matthew Nicks confidence.
7. GWS (5)
It was a weekend that Greater Western Sydney would just want to write off, and like Jack Higgins suggested, get straight out of South Australia as quickly as possible.
Plenty of Giants got touches, the team had 30 more disposals and Lachie Whitfield (39), Tom Green (36) and Lachie Ash (29) were the best three in terms of possession.
But they couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard, with just 34 points from 14 scoring shots.
8. Western Bulldogs (12)
Two words: Marcus Bontempelli.
The star midfielder made his return to the field on Easter Sunday, and the Western Bulldogs made a statement.
It wasn’t just his 30 disposals, eight clearances and two goals where the Bont impacted, but the whole team seemed to lift in his presence.
The Bulldogs were able to close out the four quarters for a commanding win, after two straight losses, announcing themselves as finals contenders once again.
9. Essendon (10)
The Bombers were able to grind out a four-point win after trailing by 29 points in the second quarter.
They were made to work for it by a spirited West Coast Eagles who produced their best performance of the season.
Given they were strong favourites and only just got over the line would have worried Brad Scott, but in the end it’s four points in the bag.
Essendon are yet to show enough either way whether they’re finals contenders or not, and will most likely rely on favours from other teams.
10. Sydney (9)
Concern must be setting in for Dean Cox and the Swans with just two wins out of four this year.
Sydney are probably doing enough on the effort front, with more disposals, clearances, and more inside 50s – but execution-wise, they are letting themselves down by not finding the scoreboard.
In 2022, the Swans had an extremely slow start before flying home to make the grand final, as did Brisbane last year – don’t discount them, but it’s getting trickier for history to repeat by the week.
11. Port Adelaide (13)
Two wins in a row, does this mean Port Adelaide are back? Well, not quite.
The win against the Hawks was impressive, and you have to give credit for travelling to Sydney and beating the Swans at home, but they are not the force they have been in recent seasons (yet).
As previously mentioned, the 2024 grand finalists were better in key areas of the game, with the Power keeping their noses in front on the scoreboard.
A few more wins and other teams may get worried, but it could easily go the other way for Ken Hinkley.
12. Fremantle (8)
The hot and cold team, this week, was stone cold as the previously winless Demons outplayed them.
After conceding the lead in the first term, the Western Australian side could not reel in the deficit, well below their season average on all of the key team stats.
There may be some truth to the saying that the more losses you have, the closer you are to a win, and Melbourne may have been the hungrier team – but if Freo want to be playing finals, they need to be able to cope with the threats from the lower teams better.
13. Carlton (14)
A resounding win by the Blues, but it was an equally disappointing performance by the Kangaroos.
One important area where Carlton improved was their goal kicking, going from 19 behinds against West Coast to scoring 24.9 against North Melbourne.
It’s hard to get carried away with wins against this pair at the bottom of the ladder, but the Blues seem to be heading in the right direction; they just need to prove themselves against stronger opponents.
Luke Parker looks dejected after North Melbourne’s Good Friday loss. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
14. St Kilda (11)
Ross Lyon would have wished he could leave the ground at half time and head home to Easter dinner and some chocolates.
After some good wins to start the year, St Kilda has crashed back to earth with back-to-back losses.
The concerning part for the Saints is only managing 56 points, and being unable to stop a rampant Dogs forward line, who for most of the game were without rising star Sam Darcy.
It doesn’t get easier with the Lions up next.
15. Richmond (16)
On paper, it was a David and Goliath battle as Damien Hardwick and his undefeated Suns returned to Victoria against his old club Richmond – but were soon had a fight on their hands.
Tim Taranto had a game-high 35 disposals and Nick Vlastuin had 15 intercept possessions, as the Tigers held on despite five unanswered goals in the final term that threatened to erase the lead.
With a lot of the pre-game focus on Noah Balta’s inclusion, Adam Yze had plenty to be impressed about when it came to his younger contingent.
16. Melbourne (18)
This was not the Demons side that had turned up for the first five rounds of the competition, completely outplaying top-eight contender Fremantle.
Max Gawn led from the front with 28 disposals, 31 hitouts and 10 clearances as his side controlled the scoreboard from the opening quarter, with Jake Bowey having a team-high 29 touches.
One win is not enough to silence all the critics, but at least it releases some of the pressure and talk of disunity at the club.
17. West Coast (17)
Footy can be a cruel game sometimes. The Eagles were arguably playing stronger for most of the contest, only to be run down and lose by two points in the end.
The Bombers’ fightback can be put down to the boot of Peter Wright, who kicked six goals for the game, with the Eagles winning the inside 50 count and Jake Waterman’s four goals.
They still have no wins from six matches, but are not the worst after that performance.
18. North Melbourne (15)
After some positive signs early in the season, North Melbourne have slipped right back to the bottom after the demolition against Carlton.
The defence was terrible; it’s the fifth time this season they have conceded over 100 points and nine goals coming alone in the final term.
There was very little to get excited about for Roos fans who managed just 39 inside 50s, with an efficiency of just 41 per cent.
Just how does Alastair Clarkson find improvement from here?
