Remember when we were starting to come to grips with season 2025?
Well, we can pretty throw a lot of it out the window after a chaotic Round 19 – and in particular, a dramatic Sunday that has added another twist to a fascinating premiership race.
Fremantle, the jabronis of the footy world a mere fortnight ago, suddenly have eyes on a top-four berth, after a famous win over Collingwood at the MCG in the most unlikely manner of all – coming from the clouds to beat the greatest close-finish team in football history at their own game.
Adelaide, meanwhile, had it far easier, with a 61-point mauling of Gold Coast – and in particular a nine goal to zilch first half – confirming their top-four status and cementing their standing as third-favourites for the flag, and in both rankings looking like the only way is up.
On the flipside, defeat leaves both the Magpies and Suns sitting precariously – the Pies’ once-impregnable hold on top spot has now shrunk to just two points, and an upcoming date with Brisbane at the MCG looms as a minor premiership play-off. The Suns, meanwhile, suddenly have an injury crisis, sit eighth on the ladder – albeit with a game in hand – and might just be the team in the top eight most vulnerable should either Sydney or the Western Bulldogs get their act together.
Naturally, there’s Tribunal discussion to be had, some truly terrible takes to make fun of, and the most entertaining ugly game of the year to chat about around the water cooler on Monday, too.
Let’s begin.
1. How Freo out-clutched the close game kings
At some point in the last 30 years, Fremantle have probably had a greater home-and-away win than what they produced on Sunday at the MCG.
It’s just hard to think of one.
It’s not just taking down ladder-leaders Collingwood on their own turf – it’s doing it after falling 22 points behind early in the last quarter to leave the most vocal supporter base in the land in full cry, and from the brink of defeat kicking the last four goals of the game to hit the front, and then doing what so many sides have failed to do in close finishes against Craig McRae’s Magpies, and actually sticking the landing.
It’s the most sweet atonement for last year’s spectacular, season-wrecking capitulation against Essendon on the same ground, and, now two games clear inside the top eight and with precious breathing space, can leave Freo free to focus on throwing the kitchen sink at a top-four berth without needing to be constantly looking over their shoulders.
The dying stages, and in particular the last minute, was a masterclass in how to play clutch, final-moments footy from both teams.
Before that, though, the Dockers had employed a play straight out of the Collingwood guide to tight games: they took the game on with fast handballs, kept numbers ahead of the footy, constantly looked to hit the corridor, and – most difficult of all to replicate – kicked straight enough for it to count on the scoreboard.
Then, when it came time to hold their lead, Freo were ice-cool: they retained possession as long as they could, defended spectacularly to time and again deny the Pies their surge up the field with perfectly executed smothers or despairing handballs; and most impressively of all, whenever the ball was in dispute, they kept it in tight and refused to allow the Pies any space to spread into.
It was honestly amazing to watch how both teams handled things: Freo did everything to keep the ball in tight without at any point diving on it – Nathan O’Driscoll putting a hand to the Sherrin while keeping his body far away from it the highlight – while the Pies repeatedly began a tackle, then released their opponent, forcing them to dispose of the ball. Which the Dockers did, but never more than a metre away, consistently forcing the Pies to re-tackle them.
At the flashpoint, Josh Treacy was perfectly positioned in the goalsquare, and then had the presence of mind to read Lachie Schultz’s kick to the hot spot better than anyone else to take the game-saving mark.
And a quick note on the boos that rang around the MCG as the siren sounded.
Collingwood fans – you’re kidding, right?
For one thing, the Magpies had quite clearly the rub of the green throughout the evening – from a contentious holding the ball against Luke Jackson when he moved the barest of millimetres – if that – off his mark in the final quarter, to an umpire plucking the first dissent 50m penalty all year to gift Schultz a goal after Karl Worner made the mortal sin of gesturing in the vague direction of the scoreboard, no one watching could possibly think the Pies were robbed.
I can only assume the boos were directed at the 50m penalty Moore gave away following Treacy’s mark to ice the game – frankly, the captain will be lucky if a 50 is the worst thing he cops for that, because in my book a dog act like sliding into an unsuspecting opponent’s back with knees up, a totally unnecessary act given Moore wasn’t in the marking contest to begin with, should mean a week on the sidelines.
No doubt Freo fans are wallowing in those boos right now, but for a supporter base that has had as good a run of enjoyment in the game’s history over the past four years short of multi-flag dynasties, is it too much to ask for you to be gracious losers when you’ve been legitimately outplayed?
2. What Steven May SHOULD have done
The problem with an incident like Steven May’s collision with Francis Evans on Saturday night is that it’s completely possible to apply your pre-existing worldview to it – and that’s exactly what has happened since Evans was taken from the MCG with nose splattered across his face and a tooth seemingly knocked out.
Those who believe the game has gone soft can argue with a completely straight face that this is just an unfortunate accident part and parcel with a contact sport, and that there was no realistic alternative for May beyond shirking the contest, something that can never be tolerated from our footballers.
Others who argue the game needs to do everything it can to stamp out incidents of concussion, or just those who think May’s a grub and meant to snipe Evans, will argue that this incident is the textbook case of what the AFL wants removed from football, and as such can justifiably call for a ban of anywhere between three and six weeks.
Of the latter camp, David King’s assessment that May ‘picked him off’ is the harshest I’ve yet seen – and while it’s impossible to know what was going through the Demon’s mind at the moment his shoulder made contact with Evans’ face, where I sit is somewhere right in the middle of all of it.
It’s unfair of King to suggest May meant to, in his words, ‘pick him off’ – you can see on the slow-mo that he has eyes firmly fixed on the ball before, at the final nanosecond, seeing Evans come in his direction and instinctively beginning to flinch.
As with several incidents in recent times – including, I would argue, Peter Wright cannoning into Harry Cunningham last year – the incident became a disaster when May obeyed the natural urge to protect himself from oncoming danger.
However, I also don’t think May had no alternative but to contest the ball – because I’d argue, at the moment of contact, he was not in fact contesting the ball. Arms that had begun to reach for the footy split-seconds earlier are tucked in, and his shoulder turns ever so slightly to point fairly and squarely at Evans’ chin.
What the AFL, I suspect, will argue on Tuesday when they call for a hefty sanction for May is that he should have anticipated earlier that he would be second to the ball, and reacted accordingly by either opening his arms to tackle, which would have removed his shoulder from harm’s way, or lowering his body to more vigorously attack the footy in the time afforded to him.
In an individual case, it’s unfair to ask so much of footballers in such microscopic amounts of time – but what must be remembered here is the AFL is hoping to change behaviours when they dole out suspensions for incidents such as this.
It’s no longer acceptable in our game for avoidable concussions to occur – and this, I would argue, was totally avoidable.
But if May does pay the price, and future cases are judged similarly, I would hope we can re-evaluate our suspension guidelines so incidents like this one, where the major fault was a case of self-preservation, don’t receive three- or four-game bans, and are instead judged commensurate to how culpable the offendor was in that given moment – which would mean one or two games on the sidelines.
To be honest, though, a good enough lawyer has a huge chance of getting May completely off the hook. That’s how divisive this incident is, and how impactful its verdict will be on the fabric of the game.
3. Footy will be poorer for not having Ken Hinkley
When Ken Hinkley departs Port Adelaide, be it at the end of the season or after a farewell game, he will do so with a mixed legacy.
No coach in VFL/AFL history has coached more games without a grand final – and it’s not even close. Then again, a winning percentage that has only dipped below 60 per cent amid this season’s struggles stacks up well with coaching greats of any era, from Damien Hardwick in modern times to John Kenney Sr and Norm Smith of a bygone age.
When all is said and done, though, I, as a neutral supporter, think Hinkley has ultimately been great for the game. And nothing exemplified that better than his amused, classy reaction to Jack Ginnivan returning his infamous ‘aeroplane’ taunt after sealing Hawthorn’s win over the Power.
Granted, there was little Hinkley could do other than grin and bear it – but he spoke in his post-match press conference with great candour, and certainly didn’t have to give the Hawks and Ginnivan credit for the way they approach their footy.
But that has always been his way – rarely does he hide behind the usual platitudes coaches do when dealing with the media, the ‘I didn’t see it’ line of deflection, but he has also been wildly entertaining in both victory and defeat.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and bleeds for his players – quite often, he’ll say or do something questionable to attempt to deflect attention away from the team that let him down on the day. Sometimes, that manifests itself in a slightly unsavoury way, as it did following last year’s semi final, but that aftermath was any footy writer’s dream. Hinkley was rarely less than a gift from the content gods.
There’s every chance Hinkley will coach at senior level again. If he doesn’t, a high-profile administration role at club land, or a senior assistant position, is virtually a given if he wants it. Men that coach nearly 300 games at the highest level have plenty of credits in the bank regardless of their lack of major success.
I can’t remember many coaches who are remembered more fondly by fans of other clubs than their own supporters – but I imagine that will be Hinkley’s enduring legacy until he has another crack at it somewhere else, if he chooses that path.
4. The suspension farce you probably missed
With Adam Cerra, Tristan Xerri and Zac Bailey fronting the AFL Tribunal this week, the debate surrounding those three incidents, especially the first two, certainly overshadowed similar drama at VFL level.
Father-son Blue Ben Camporeale received a four-week ban, upheld at the Tribunal, for a push that left two Lions players in Deven Robertson and James Tunstill concussed.
Fair enough. No arguments here.
The farce is that Robertson also received a suspension for violently retailiating on Camporeale shortly after. Not because punching him repeatedly on the ground wasn’t worth weeks, but that it was seemingly only looked at when Blues fans kicked up a stink on social media.
It took nearly 24 hours after Camporeale’s suspension was handed down for Robertson’s ban to be confirmed, despite the incidents happening one after the other.
The only explanation is surely that MRO Michael Christian was alerted to the former by Brisbane’s injury report confirming the pair of concussions – and a few broken teeth – and didn’t even see the Robertson response until it was pointed out to him.
Not a great look, I wouldn’t have said.
5. A draft lottery is absolutely ridiculous
I don’t need to say anything more about Channel 7 footy reporter Mitch Cleary’s post on X about the AFL having ‘never needed a draft lottery more than it does now’ that the Internet hasn’t already said.
It’s safe to say, though, that that take was already silly when posted last week, and has aged like milk after witnessing West Coast’s embarrassing performance on Saturday night against the then-second-worst team in the league this year in Richmond.
If ever a team has needed the number one draft pick, it’s the Eagles. Not just to add some talent to a list that desperately requires it, but to provide hope for the biggest supporter base in the AFL, and something to get excited about.
The idea that the clearest worst team in footy we’ve seen since GWS in its infancy – remember, even when the Eagles have sucked over the last four years they’ve had North Melbourne and Richmond riding shotgun with them – could miss out on pick 1 via a lottery system that hands a St Kilda or an Essendon that pick for finishing 15th with six or seven extra wins is patently ridiculous and defeats the purpose of a draft even more than the father-son and Academy picks do.
We’re at the point now where the question shouldn’t be whether the Eagles should get pick 1 – after four straight years of utter misery, surely they merit a high-level priority pick as well.
Put it this way: should West Coast, as expected, go through the rest of 2025 winless, their record since the start of 2022 will read: 11 wins, 80 losses.
In their own four-year stretch of hell from 2016 to 2019, Gold Coast had a 19-69 win-loss record. That was serious enough for the AFL to grant them both picks 1 and 2 in the draft, and with it the Matt Rowell-Noah Anderson combination that has fired the Suns headlong towards a finals berth this season.
There’s no combination of childhood best mates who happen to also be superstars for the Eagles to nab in a similar situation; but the two best players in the draft would go a long way towards improving a future that looks bleaker than ever, and give Harley Reid some badly needed support.
And a quick note on Reid – it’s worth the Eagles treading exceptionally carefully with him over the next few months.
Quite clearly their biggest asset, and a clear standout against the Tigers, even Eagles fans are starting to accept that Reid would be well within his rights to get out if he possibly can.
No doubt West Coast should move heaven and earth, and pay him whatever it takes to keep him at the club – but if Reid’s departure once his contract expires is a foregone conclusion, the truth is he’s worth infinitely more now than in 12 months’ time.
I think Richmond, for one, would definitely be willing to trade their first-rounder and the one they netted from North Melbourne in exchange for Reid – he’s an absolute superstar – but the offer will certainly diminish if the Eagles allow his contract to expire, just as we saw with Bailey Smith. Plus, if they wait on it, there’s a real danger Reid will pick a new home for himself, reducing his value in a trade to whatever that rival club can stump up for him – again, the Bailey Smith example showcases the perils there.
I’ve never before recommended a club even consider trading a star player – I was even against the Tigers offloading a swathe of premiership heroes for high picks last year – but imagine a situation where the Eagles, by virtue of a priority pick AND two high picks from the Tigers, take 1, 2, 3 and 4 to the draft.
Even if father-son and Academy picks dilute their value a touch, that’s still a game-changing hand.
6. Screw the roof – wet weather, wild wind footy is awesome
For many onlookers, Saturday afternoon at UTAS Stadium was the perfect demonstration for why Tasmania’s new Mac Point stadium absolutely needs a roof.
It was freezing cold, pouring rain, the wind took any ball more than ten metres off the ground and sent it spinning out of control whether a kick or a boundary throw-in, and the skill level was shot to pieces as a result.
But you know what? I loved every second of it.
The AFL in 2025 is such a polished affair most of the time: played in uniformly pristine conditions on impeccably maintained grounds, guernseys end nearly every match with barely a fleck of mud on them.
It makes games like Hawthorn’s win over Port Adelaide so unique, both as a spectacle and a challenge to the players – it relegates even the most skilful, beautifully balanced players to scrapping desperately for the footy, soccering the ball off the ground as a first port of call, fumbling like a clubbie and spraying a waterlogged Sherrin every which way.
It made moments of brilliance stand out even more: from Jack Gunston’s laserlike set shot from so deep in the pocket he started his run-up in Hobart, to Jarman Impey’s three final-quarter goals, to Calsher Dear’s adhesive mitts for hands in the slipperiest of conditions, to Zak Butters’ stunningly courageous mark running back with the flight. The cream certainly rose to the top.
Then there was the tactical battle between Sam Mitchell and Ken Hinkley in the coaches’ box, which had to add to their list of things to take into account the heavy gale that favoured one end of the ground. In the end, it was the Hawks’ ability to have the scores level at quarter time while kicking into the wind that won the day as much as their final-quarter flurry that blew the margin out.
It was chaotic, unpredictable and, for me at least, spectacularly fun.
As an added bonus, the gap between the Hawks and the Power was kept in check throughout: a Port team minus Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis fought Hawthorn to a near-standstill for the best part of three and a half quarters, and a 38-point final margin doesn’t do justice to their efforts.
One thing that makes Aussie Rules so unique, and entertaining even at its worst, is that no two games are alike. Some matches are epic thrillers, some are boring slugfests, and sometimes the elements take control.
You wouldn’t want every game to be like Saturday afternoon’s, but it’s worth noting that Tasmania isn’t the only state in the country where bad weather sometimes rears its head.
Wet-weather, wild-wind footy is just so different from what we usually see at the top level that it’s impossible for me not to love it. And anyone who’d prefer a more sanitised version of the game 100 per cent of the time if and when Tasmania joins the league is, I think, missing part of what makes footy great.
Random thoughts
– I don’t think we’re fully appreciating how funny it would be for Richmond to finish above North Melbourne this year – while holding their first-round pick.
– Anyone who thinks the AFL doesn’t have enough talent for 20 teams has clearly missed Patrick Voss kicking six goals to win a game against the flag favourites at the MCG after years of not being deemed good enough at ESSENDON.
– Jack Gunston on Saturday showed just how huge a difference-maker a dead-eye in front of goals is. Hawks could have been in real trouble without him.
– Isaac Heeney is a cheat code.
– And I’m fairly sure watching Brodie Grundy towel up Brynn Teakle and Jack Darling in the same game would have given Tim English PTSD.
– The Ashcroft brothers dominate the Brisbane father-son discussion, but Jaspa Fletcher was just as big a bargain. A footballer’s footballer.
– Even more baffled now as to why it took so long for Carlton to give Ashton Moir a go at AFL level.
– RIP my Gauntlet. Thanks for nothing, West Coast.
