Easter has been and gone, and Gab Rossi is in the middle of learning plenty about the 2025 AFL Season. Here’s what he picked up this week.
- I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT COLLINGWOOD ARE GOOD
You only need to cast your minds back just six weeks ago following that debacle against the Giants in Opening Round, which saw a fairly insipid-looking Magpie team get comprehensively beaten by 52 points. The media wasted no time in pointing out their ageing list and lack of run, and for all intents and purposes, pretty much wrote Collingwood off for this year and even beyond. The same commentators making such claims are strangely silent now following a five-game winning streak which has the previously undefeated Brisbane as Collingwood’s latest victim by the same margin that the Giants won by in that Opening Round clash.
Craig McRae may have forced them to read what was being said about them in the press at the time. Something has certainly fired up Steele Sidebottom this year, because at age 34 he’s playing like a man possessed with 26 touches in another solid effort. Even Pendles is playing at a high level after celebrating his 37th birthday back in January. If he’s still getting 21 touches in games there’s a fair chance the Pies are going well. The Daicos brothers continued their fine form amassing 68 possessions between them which included 38 for Nick and 30 for Josh.
Goalkickers for the Magpies were shared among the team which boasted ten players who hit the scoreboard. Former Lion Daniel McStay showed his old club what he can do with a three-goal haul. In his 200th game, Jamie Elliott scored a couple majors as did De Goey, Hill and Mihocek. It’s all going along very nicely since that shaky start to their season, and the non-Collingwood fans can only look on with envy at the way they’ve been able to remain competitive from year to year. Next Friday the Magpies will be primed for the Anzac Day clash with the Bombers. A win there will set up a possible Top 4 finish and another genuine tilt at their 17th flag. For me, after what was an indifferent 2024 and a very ordinary start to their season, Collingwood are the biggest surprise for the year. At least so far anyway.
Most keen observers of this great game would’ve seen this loss was due for the Lions. Although they started the round without a loss, they’ve been far from convincing in many games. What we didn’t see coming was the 52 point margin. In similar fashion to their win against the Swans last week, Collingwood also won every quarter and scored four goals in all of them while the Lions could only manage seven for the entire match. Lachie Neale was Brisbane’s top possession-getter with 25 touches, but he would readily admit that he didn’t have his usual impact. For the first time in possibly forever, the small forward trio of Cameron, Bailey and Ah Chee were all kept goalless while Hipwood, Rayner and McInerney scored two each.
Brisbane are still placed nicely to play finals and to go deep at this stage, but something tells me they are going to have to find a little more than they have shown if they want to be serious contenders. Next week they take on the Saints at Marvel Stadium in what might be a danger game.
2. CARLTON’S LAST FOUR WINS HAVE BEEN AGAINST NORTH AND THE EAGLES
The Blues have had two wins on the trot by an average of 76.5 points, and perhaps the coach can breathe a sigh of relief as a loss in either or both of those games would’ve had him cleaning out his desk. While the club and fans alike will be feeling a little better than they were a couple of weeks ago, there really shouldn’t be too much cause for celebration at this stage. It’s a sobering thought that out of their last 15 matches, their mediocre return of just four wins have come at the hands of North Melbourne and West Coast twice apiece. When you consider the position these two clubs have occupied for the best part of three seasons now, it doesn’t exactly fill you with great confidence that the Blues have steadied the sinking ship with more wins to come.
Carlton could be looked upon as the schoolyard bully who beats up on the little guy but runs and hides when the tougher kids come along. They’ll get their chance soon enough when they take on the Cats next week at the MCG. A win there might be proof of better things to come, but a loss might show us that they’re still way off the mark despite the past fortnight.
The Blues started strongly with a seven-goal first term and the Kangaroos hit back just before half time to trim the margin to a respectable 20 points. Kangaroos fans looking on might’ve held out some hope of a customary poor second half by the Blues to allow their team a chance at victory, but they were treated to a 15 goals to 5 mauling in the second half which resulted in an 82 point belting. Charlie Curnow booted four goals, as did Zac Williams. Motlop took a while to get into the game but managed three goals in the final term, while Will White also kicked three majors in just his 3rd AFL game.
George Hewett finished the game with 34 touches in a best on ground performance following on from his 39 disposals against the Eagles. He’s in career best form right now and is starting to really cement himself in that midfield as the one to watch. Hopefully a couple of big wins, albeit against weaker teams, will restore some belief in the playing group, because one imagines it will be greatly required going into battle with Geelong next round.
North Melbourne’s quest for respect in season 2025 is in tatters. The light shone briefly following their impressive victory against Melbourne, but their last three outings have seen them lose by an average of 11 goals, and each performance seems to decline slightly week by week. Paul Curtis was their only threatening forward. He finished with three goals while Nick Larkey was well held by Weitering and could only manage one major for the game. Luke Parker showed a bit of class finishing with two goals from 23 touches. Sheezel once again got over 30 touches which seems the norm for him.
Carlton’s 64 inside 50 entries for the game showed the dominance through the middle and provided headaches for the Kangaroos defence. Once again we are talking about the Kangaroos and their ongoing tale of woe. With Clarko in his 3rd year, it does raise the question whether he can resurrect this club’s fortunes or not. The fans would’ve liked to have seen some progress by now. How much more patience do they have? The trip to Adelaide to take on the Power next week will probably provide more bad news.
3. ESSENDON ESCAPE WITH A WIN THANKS TO TWO METRE PETER
In a game where your team wins by just two points and you’ve only scored 11 goals in victory, it’s pretty hard to go past a guy who kicks six goals from 17 touches for best on ground honours. It was a masterful display of goal-kicking, and it’s actually even better when you consider it’s his first game for the season. Wright seems to save his best when returning from several weeks on the sidelines. If you cast your minds back to 2023 against Carlton in Round 13, Wright was also returning for his first outing that year and he helped Essendon achieve a 34 point win against the wayward Blues with five goals on that occasion. An in-form Peter Wright could really help the Bombers’ fortunes in a big way. He’s been very good at times but he can go missing for a few games in a row. I’m sure Essendon supporters would be hoping for more of the same from the former Sun as he looks to maintain his form as well as his fitness.
The Eagles were unable to take advantage of another decent start. It was a five-goal-to-one first quarter, and the Bombers slowly clawed their way back finally taking the lead early in the final term with a goal to Nic Martin followed by number six to Wright eight minutes later. The Eagles nearly stole the win with a couple of late goals but, in the end, fell agonisingly short by just two points and now find themselves the only team without a win in 2025. Martin and Merrett both had 26 touches. Dylan Shiel looks back to somewhere near his best. He scored a goal from 23 touches and is seemingly enjoying his football after a couple of seasons he would admit weren’t his best.
The Bombers find themselves in reasonable shape having won three from five games, and it will make for an interesting clash for the Anzac Day spectacular. They’ll need another big effort from Two Metre Peter this coming Friday.
West Coast’s bright start to the game included four goals in the opening term to Jake Waterman. Unfortunately for Jake, he was unable to add to that, but his return is starting to prove his importance, and maybe a few more games under his belt may see him hitting the scoreboard on a more consistent basis. Elijah Hewett was impressive with two goals from 22 touches. A victory over the Bombers would’ve done wonders for the football club, and being so close would no doubt be frustrating for supporters, but after some of their horror losses, a game like this shows a win isn’t completely out of reach. I imagine it won’t be at the expense of the Hawks at Marvel Stadium next week, but it’s coming. Maybe Round 8 against the Demons in Perth?
4. FREMANTLE’S TRAVELLING TROUBLES WILL COST THEM FINALS
I have a great deal of sympathy for the teams who have to travel at least 11 times a season, and possibly even more so for the Western Australian clubs. Those great premiership Eagles teams were able to win games on the road against quality teams. Fremantle are yet to win a flag and were runners-up in 2013, but for the most part they’ve endured countless seasons where the difference between their form in Perth and their away games is as great as any can be. It’s almost like they’re two completely different teams.
Coming up against the winless Dees, who were averaging just 62 points per game before this match, they ended up conceding 107 points and looked nothing like the highly defensive unit we are used to. Sure, Melbourne were due to find some kind of form at some stage, but if Fremantle are serious about playing finals this year, these games have to be won.
Melbourne set the tone early and were very good. Kysaiah Pickett was simply awesome spending some time in the middle as well as forward. He provided the spark early in the game and he finished with five goals and 24 touches in a best afield performance. Harrison Petty was thrown forward with success. He’s been used there a few times since he scored six in a match, but this is the first time in over a year that it’s worked this well. His four goals were also very valuable. Gawn was back to his best with 28 touches and Jake Bowey topped that list with 29.
The midfield honours were pretty even, but the Dees might’ve had the edge as they had Oliver, Petracca and Viney doing more damage. As much as Fremantle’s travelling woes seem to be a concern, Melbourne were very good in this game and withstood the challenge to hang on by 10 points to finally open their account for this year. They’ve found an avenue to goal for the time being, but is that the long term solution? Time will tell. In the meantime, they’ll be eyeing off their second win against Richmond this coming Thursday, although the Tigers have surprised a couple of sides already and may have some belief.
Many had Fremantle playing finals this year, and on paper they do have the ingredients for a Top 8 team, but losing to struggling teams away from home will be what keeps them from September action. The midfield group of Brayshaw, Serong and Young were prolific with their possession counts, and Shai Bolton was very good kicking three goals from 20 touches. Jye Amiss also had three goals while the Demon defence were able to keep the in-form Josh Treacy down to one solitary goal.
Simon Goodwin did his homework and came out with a different game-style that paid dividends. Other than the first goal of the game, the Dockers never lead the match and drew close to Melbourne in the final term but couldn’t pinch a valuable away victory. Fremantle will be back at home next week to take on the Adelaide Crows. They simply must win that game to stay in touch with the eight, but the Crows don’t seem to mind travelling as much as the Dockers and could easily take the points. It’s an important game for both clubs and Fremantle’s season is hanging by a thread.
5. THE CROWS V GIANTS GAME WAS HARD TO WRITE ABOUT
The first half between Adelaide and GWS at the Adelaide Oval can only be described as bizarre with just four goals scored between the two teams in dry but windy conditions. If that wasn’t bad enough, then the rain came after half time to make what was already an ugly game to watch even more hard on the eyes. The end result was an 18 point victory to the home side who only managed 7.10 for the game against a poor return of just 4.10 for the Giants. Overall, the Giants had more possessions than the Crows, which included 39 to Whitfield, 36 to Green, 29 to Ash and 27 to Callaghan. Despite having 23 more possessions, the inside 50 count favoured the Crows 56 to 43. Somebody might have forgotten to tell the GWS playing group where the goals were, because it looked very much like they had lost their GPS tracking system and couldn’t find their forward zone.
A club with so many tall forward options as the Giants certainly should be able to cover the loss of Jesse Hogan to injury, but he seemed to be sorely missed. Jake Stringer is still struggling to convert his chances at his third club finishing with 1.3 in the trying conditions. In fact, in his four appearances so far at his new home he has only been able to score a grand total of 3.11. The Giants venture to Canberra to take on the Bulldogs who have just come off a huge win against the Saints. Canberra has had mixed results for the Giants in past seasons, and a loss there will see them slipping back into that middle rung of teams vying for a spot in the eight.
Good sides have to win ugly from time to time, and the Crows did just that as they were able to handle the testing conditions a little better than their opponents. Tex Walker was the only multiple goal scorer for the game finishing with two in what is proving to be a better season than his injury-plagued 2024. Jordan Dawson was his brilliant best yet again with 27 touches and Matt Crouch had a solid game with 26. It was an important win for the Crows who had lost their last two and were looking down the barrel of falling further down the ladder against a quality team. In the end, they got the job done and find themselves in the mix with a 4-2 record. The trip to Perth to take on the Dockers will be a huge test for the Crows.
Fremantle are certainly a much tougher proposition on their home soil, and they’ll be pretty keen to make amends for their shock loss to the Demons. This will be only the third game on the road for the Crows, but their record so far has been admirable with a big win over the Bombers and a 1-point loss to the Suns in Queensland. They have the firepower to beat Freo, although it looks likely Fogarty will be missing. It’s a big game for both clubs.
6. THE GOLD COAST SUNS FALL VICTIM TO OLD HABITS
With the Suns coming into this encounter undefeated, and with the Tigers coming off four-straight losses with an average margin above ten goals, nobody in their right minds could’ve envisaged a Tigers victory. Some of us had even fallen for the idea that Gold Coast might actually stop putting in soft performances on the road under a more seasoned coach like Hardwick. This young group of Tigers came out fighting and outplayed the Suns to go into the long break with a 14-point lead due in part to the wayward Suns who had 3.9 on the board.
Most of us expected Richmond to fall away after half time and allow the Suns to enjoy a healthy victory away from home, but the third quarter was all Richmond’s who kicked six goals to one for the Suns. Two late goals to Short and Campbell both from outside 50 on tight angles were a feature and perhaps gave an indication it was going to be the Tigers’ night. And with a 43 point lead at three quarter time, it certainly looked like it was going their way.
The last quarter did see a spirited comeback from the Suns who had kicked the first three goals in rapid time which no doubt caused consternation in the Tiger camp. But after the initial onslaught, the Tigers were able to slow the game down just enough to hang on by 11 points in the end, but it was also on the back of more inaccuracy from the Suns. There are still a few players on the Richmond list that were part of their premiership era.
One player from that great period is Nick Vlaustin, and his performance in this game is as good as any in his long and successful career. He had 27 touches which included 13 marks, and he also had a staggering 15 intercepts. The result might’ve been vastly different had he not been playing, such was his influence. Tim Taranto has come under some fire this season. He answered his critics with 35 touches and a goal. A lot of people thought the Tigers might go winless this year, and here they are now with two wins on the board and it’s only Round 6. Who knows? Maybe the Demons might give them an opportunity for a third win next week.
Damien Hardwick may believe that Marvel Stadium has some kind of curse on him. As coach of Richmond, he made that famous statement about how much he hates games being scheduled there, and he certainly has had no success there ever since and even beforehand. As much as people like to get caught up in these kinds of stories, the truth is his team should never have folded the way they did in the third quarter particularly, and it will serve as a reminder of past failings. The challenge for him now is to ensure they don’t revert to being the easybeats they have been on the road in the past.
It’s a credit to the Tigers that despite the trio of Miller, Anderson and Rowell getting plenty of the ball, their defence made their impact manageable. Ben King was barely sighted all night kicking an early goal and only managing four possessions in a very quiet outing. Ben Long was the only forward who looked genuinely dangerous all night. He finished with three goals for the Suns and certainly won his battle on the night, but as far as the forward line went, he would’ve been on his own in that regard. The challenge now, for the Suns, is to put this behind them, and focus on their Round Seven match-up with Sydney.
7. SYDNEY STILL WINLESS AT THE SCG THIS SEASON
In recent times, Sydney have been very tough to beat at the SCG. They’ve suffered three straight losses at home to Hawthorn, Brisbane, and now the latest, Port Adelaide. They now find themselves 2-4 to start the season and are looking nowhere near the power team they were last year under Longmire. There’s no doubt that inaccurate kicking played a big part in Sunday’s loss to the Power, but they were behind on the scoreboard the whole time and were as much as 34 points down early in the final term before they stormed home to only lose by eight points in the end. That said, the final term saw them kicking a very wasteful 5.8 to finish 10.17 for the match, while their opponents took their chances scoring 13.7.
Goal scorers for the Swans included three to the forgotten man in Aaron Francis who might’ve been given an opportunity on the back of the injured Amartey. Hayden McLean was one of the culprits relating to wayward kicking finishing with 2.4. Nick Blakey was prominent with 27 touches, but his forays forward only managed three behinds. Heeney kicked a couple goals from 22 touches in another nice game, but still isn’t the 2024 version that dominated. This club that was the benchmark for most of last year now seem very much on the back foot, and a few clubs have seemingly laid out the blueprint on how to beat them. Next week is very much make or break for them. If they lose to the Suns, you could just about put a line through them. Something tells me they won’t let it happen. But will the Suns show up from the first bounce next week to atone for their hiccup?
The Power looked well and truly done and dusted after their Round Four loss at home to St Kilda. Sitting on 1-3 and seemingly going nowhere, it looked as though their season was just going to meander along with a few wins here and there and some heavy losses. Then, of course, they came out and blew the Hawks off the park in the first half and now, they’ve beaten the Swans at the SCG and are back in contention. The Butters and Rozee combination is back in full swing with both having 27 possessions in solid games. Rioli and Georgiades both finished with three goals each while Powell-Pepper scored two.
I’d like to take a moment to talk about Powell-Pepper. I very much like the way this guy goes about it. He’s the sort of guy you’d love on your team and he brings a lot of energy onto the field. I say the Power are a better team when he’s out there, if for no other reason than his sheer tenacity. Next week should see the Power chalking up their fourth win at home against the Kangaroos who seem to have fallen into a hole again. It’s onwards and upwards from there.
8. BONTEMPELLI NEEDED NO GAME TIME TO BE AT HIS BEST
Everybody would agree that the Bulldogs are a better team with Marcus Bontempelli playing. Having missed the first five games of the season and no doubt a fair chunk of pre-season training, one could be forgiven for thinking that his first game back might not be as impactful as we’ve come to expect. But by midway through the opening term, you could see that he’d lost none of his touch and, as the game wore on, he was the same match-winner as always and looked as though he hadn’t missed anything. There were plenty of good players for the Bulldogs on Easter Sunday at Marvel. In fact, 11 Bulldogs had more than 20 touches while the Saints could only manage four. The inside 50 count was a whopping 69 to 31. The stats do reflect what a 71 point thumping might look like, and to think that the Saints had four of the first five goals on the board to lead by three goals halfway through the first term makes it even more astounding.
The Saints’ season had started with so much promise with victories over Geelong and the Power away from home. Last week’s loss to the Giants was disappointing, but this loss to the Dogs is calamitous to say the least. The only thing they can be thankful for was the Bulldogs wayward kicking for goal. Some of their misses were inexcusable, but their dominance was such that it could’ve been a 100-point massacre. It’s hard to find a lot of positives for the Saints. Maybe Wanganeen-Milera and Wilkie in defence broke even with their opponents. Sinclair was OK with 21 possessions but we often see him with numbers above 30. Mitch Owens kicked three goals from limited opportunities. Tim English probably got the better of Marshall on this occasion.
After a good start to their season, it seems all too familiar that a reality check should come along and send them back to the drawing board. On today’s form, next week’s encounter against the Lions at Marvel could get ugly, although the latest effort by Brisbane suggests that they’re not exactly world-beaters at this point in time. Either way we’re going to learn something about both teams next week.
Doggies fans may well be asking where this has been all year? All the hard-running and desperation that essentially proved too much for the Saints may have scored them more wins against Collingwood where they lost narrowly, and possibly against the Lions where they surrendered a 39 point lead. Aaron Naughton finished with 3.3 and missed a couple sodas along the way. He could’ve finished with five or more. Rhylee West kicked three as well and did so from just ten disposals. You had a host of players that booted two, including Bontempelli, Freijah and Kennedy, who seems to be having the last laugh over the Carlton Football Club that strangely let him go. It was an obliteration that came at a huge cost with young star Sam Darcy leaving the ground with a possible ACL injury. Latest news suggests it is a fracture which is only mildly better news as the 21 year old will still miss a few months of football. Whilst he will be missed, if the Bulldogs bring that effort to each game they play, they might manage just fine without him.
If I was a betting man, I’d almost put a sly fifty on the Dogs to beat the Giants in Canberra next week. But what are the chances that, if I did do that, they’d go out there and put up one of their inconsistent stinkers they’ve been known to do. It was a seriously strong showing on Sunday at Marvel. That effort would challenge every team in the competition. It’s a pity they can’t produce that every single week. It’s also a pity that the gap between their best and worst is still too big to be able to trust them. I might keep that fifty bucks for something else.
9. THE CATS V HAWKS GAME SAVES THE ROUND
I have to say that as an avid football fan, all of the above games that I’ve been talking about weren’t exactly the sort of games you’d want to watch again. Starting with Thursday night’s meek performance by Brisbane, North were deplorable, and although the game in Perth was a close one, had the Bombers lost to a team that’s barely given a yelp this year, it would’ve been a great embarrassment. The Dockers and Suns both disappointed once again while on the road, while the Crows and Giants had just four goals on the board between them by half time! Sydney kicked themselves out of the contest after letting Port jump them early, and the less said about St Kilda’s effort, the better.
Thankfully, we saved the best till last.
After Hawthorn’s poor first half in Adelaide last week, many were wondering if they were off the boil. On what we saw today, they’re fine. They didn’t get the points, and they’ll rue a few missed opportunities, but the same could be said of Geelong. Both sides missed the target in this high-pressure game. The usually cool Sicily would like a few moments again. Gunston finished with three goals but uncharacteristically missed some shots you would write down before he’d kick it. Chol was good finishing with three, but he banged it into the woodwork from just outside the square early on. The Wiz kicked a couple and was busy. Karl Amon (29) and Jai Newcombe (28) were among Hawthorn’s best. It was simply a case of the Cars having their noses in front for a sizeable chunk of proceedings, and that’s all happened to be the case when the siren went.
Bailey Smith is loving life as a Cat playing his best football to date. He had 28 touches and was everywhere, although the MRO might assess his actions towards Jarman Impey. Shaun Mannagh had his moment late in the game when his third goal put Geelong seven points ahead with around two minutes remaining. Dangerfield booted another three to tar his season tally up to 14, remarkably just four goals behind the Coleman Medal leaders.
The Cats will be tested again next week as they take on Carlton who are back on the winners’ list after their very poor start to the year. It’s a game that will reveal if the Blues are truly back in town, or whether those big wins against struggling teams are meaningless. A win to the Cats will set their season up for another tilt at September action while snuffing out any hopes of a Carlton resurgence. A win to Carlton will take a lot of pressure off the coach. Anybody that thinks this could be a one-sided affair would be sorely mistaken. It just depends on which Carlton shows up. And let’s not forget that Carlton has the privilege of two days more recovery time. By now, if you’re still reading this far, you might’ve worked out I’m a Blues fan. I can dream…
