We’re days away from the kickoff of the 2026 AFL Season, but before we do, there is the little matter of summing up the AAMI Series.
I’m a massive footy nerd, and as I tend to do, I watched every game. What a loser, huh?
Anyway, in true Mongrel style, here are the Winners and Losers of this year’s pre-season “competition”.
THE WINNERS
JAGGA SMITH
You don’t want to get your hopes up too high when a young bloke is coming back from an ACL injury, right?
And then he goes out there, carves up the opposition with his precision kicking, and collects 37 touches, continuing to run hard when everyone else was slowing down. If you needed convincing that the wait was going to be worthwhile, I present to you Jagga Smith in the AAMI Series.
Start engraving the Ron Evans Medal now.
WADE DERKSEN
Unable to get a run at GWS, Derksen now finds himself looking right at home in the Carlton defence.
He was responsible for minding Shannon Neale through the first half, and restricted the Geelong big man to just one disposal. That is how you lock someone down!
TANNER BRUHN
It would have been a sight for sore eyes for Cats supporters, with Bruhn finding the footy for fun in the first quarter.
With 12 of his 27 touches coming in the opening quarter, he looked every bit like a player who had been forced to sit out for 12 months.
Welcome back, Tanner.
BRODIE GRUNDY
Well, he was one of the names people started uttering when we were told that the new ruck rules were going to change things in the middle.
Men make plans, and great ruckmen laugh.
Grundy was all over Nick Madden and Jake Riccardi in this game, and as expected, demonstrated a couple of work-arounds for the new rules.
NICK BLAKEY
When you allow Blakey to play the role he prefers, he cuts you to pieces.
Yes, it was only the AAMI series, and yes, the Giants didn’t put any time into him, but this serves as a lesson to other teams who believe they can allow Blakey to run around and not be completely killed.
Do not, under any circumstances, allow him to play his natural game.
SAM COLLINS
As important to this Suns team as Harris Andrews is to the Lions.
Collins is basically babysitting the defence until he gets help back in the form of Charlie Ballard. His biggest help at the moment is also one of the club’s biggest hindrances, in Mac Andrew, who according to him, has never given away a free kick in his life.
Collins will have to do some heavy lifting this season.
ZAC BAILEY
Owned the first half, and gave a clear indication that he is ready to take his game to a new level in 2026.
This is a contract year for Bailey, and if this game was any indication, he is absolutely ready to establish himself as a top-ten player in the league.
Also, have a look at the way his body has developed. He is no longer the elusive half-forward. He is now built for power. Strong legs, big upper body, plenty of core strength… Zac is going to be a problem in 2026.
Start freeing up some pretty serious coin, Brisbane… and whoever else thinks they’re in with a shot at landing him.
BEN LONG
If the Suns could bottle the drive this bloke has, and then inject it into Ben King and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, they’d be unstoppable.
I get why some don’t like Long – he is an old school player. He hits hard, and when it is his turn to get hit, he doesn’t flinch.
He’d be just as good a player 35 years ago as he is now, and that is a high compliment.
LOGAN MORRIS
After 50 goals last season, Morris, in one quarter, helped the Lions break the game open against the Suns.
His three third-quarter goals gave the Lions the breathing room they needed to put the foot down in the last quarter and finish the Suns off. Matched up against Mac Andrew for the most part, Morris used his body brilliantly in marking contests and picked his spots well to finish the game with four snags.
JACOB VAN ROOYEN
The Dees have been waiting to see this type of form from their young key forward, and with the game being called off not long into the third quarter, van Rooyen looked as though he was on course for a big day out.
At that stage, he’d kicked 3.2 and was presenting like a true key forward. This has been one of the Demons’ biggest issues for a number of years, and they’ve been quite patient. Maybe that patience is about to start paying off.
KANE MCAULIFFE
Lined up on the wing for the Tigers, and collected the footy at will.
McAuliffe, whose name I always seem to misspell, no matter how much I think about it, ran hard both ways, picking up 17 touches and four inside 50s in the shortened format.
CALEB WINDSOR
He needed a good outing in the middle, and he got it in this one.
With ten touches and a goal in the first quarter, he was the catalyst for the Demons’ early dominance, and at just 20 years of age, has a hugely bright future ahead of him. Funny, I always thought he’d be a wingman, but he evidently has the tools to be a midfielder.
TIM ENGLISH
I like Lloyd Meek, and I reckon he is a very good hustling type of ruck, but he lacks the class of Tim English, and that was apparent in their AAMI Series Clash.
English delivered elite numbers, picking up 23 touches, 28 hit outs, and pushed forward to slot two goals, as well. With the Dogs blessed with key forward talent, having English slip in and hit the scoreboard is a massive bonus.
BUKU KHAMIS
Dominated the air in defence, taking eight marks and recording 13 intercepts as he and his fellow defenders cut the Hawks off at the knees.
Plenty of credit also has to go to the Bulldogs’ midfield, which pushed back hard to prevent easy entries, but whenever the Hawks did string a chain of possession together, it seemed like Khamis was ready and waiting to foil them.
BIG WANG
Everyone loves Big Wang, and for good reason.
Nasiah was on fire in this one, clocking in at 28 disposals, four goals, and a couple of goal assists amongst his 12 score involvements.
It had Ken Hinkley proclaiming him as the best player in the game. I’m looking forward to the Round Zero clash with the Pies… with player 1A on the other team.
MARCUS WINDHAGER
41 touches as he patrolled between half-back and the midfield, once again proving he is so much more than a tagger.
Windhager, at 22, can play either role, and as the Saints continue to develop their squad, his dual roles are going to play a vital role in terms of how far St Kilda can climb this year.
ZAK JOHNSON
I missed the boat a little on Johnson, but was impressed with his work in cleaning up the mess in the Essendon defence this past weekend.
He was clean with the footy, made good decisions, and looks like he is an absolute keeper for the Bombers.
JOSH TREACY
This weekend, there was no Thilthorpe and there was no Darcy… but there was Josh Treacy, and he stamped himself as one of the players looking at taking the next step in 2026.
I love his work rate – it is the standard other key forwards will be judged by – and when he hits a pack, it stays hit. I know some of the others get the plaudits, but he is the one I like to keep my eye on. He plays the game I like to watch.
LUKE JACKSON
After Lachie McAndrew had a good run in the Match Sims, Luke Jackson took it upon himself to dismantle the Crows big man, and suddenly made Reilly O’Brien look like a good idea.
But for poor kicking (he goaled on just one of six shots) he was a monster all game.
LUKE PEDLAR
One of Adelaide’s real mongrels, Pedlar has an element of danger about him. He finished the game with three goals, ending up as the Crows’ leading goal kicker.
He has been on the fringe of the team a bit too much over the course of his career. Time to make this pressure half-forward spot his own.
JY SIMPKIN
I was really harsh on him in the season preview, but his response in this game was exactly the type you’d want to see from a leader.
Worked hard on the wing, picked up 27 touches, and whilst his disposal can still be pretty ordinary, he is doing the hardest part well – winning the footy. He could be one of the best wings in the game if he decides to fully commit himself to the role.
TOM BLAMIRES
What a way to start for Blamires, who basically made one mistake for the entire game.
Slotted in at half-back, had 24 disposals and six intercepts, and really filled a role that North have struggled with over the years. If he can hold this down, like Riley Bice did at Sydney in 2025, it frees up McKercher to be more attacking.
NED LONG
He might be getting close to being the hardest bloke in the league to bring down in a tackle. They grab him, scrag him, and try to drag him to the ground, and the bloke just wrestles his arms free, and gets the handball out.
He finished with 22 touches, of which 14 were contested, and continues to be one of the best bargain signings in recent years.
CONNOR ROZEE
Oh yes… the captain back in the middle. I have only one thing to say.
About bloody time!
Rozee was electrifying against the Eagles, dancing out of trouble, setting up teammates, and slotting back into the role that made him one of the more dangerous players in the business.
On-ball Rozee is inspiring. Half-back Rozee… let’s hope we don’t see that one too much.
MITCH GEORGIADES
Looked like a genuine old-school full forward, as he dismantled the Eagles defence.
Of course, we have to take into consideration that West Coast was abysmal, but you still need to be good enough to impose your will, and that’s exactly what Georgiades was.
DEV ROBERTSON
Tough to pick a winner for West Coast, as often, one player would do something, and his teammates would cock it up immediately.
That said, Dev Robertson was brought into the side to add some toughness at stoppages, and that is what he did. He collected 28 touches and seven clearances as he flew the flag as best he could for West Coast.
THE LOSERS
BRAD CLOSE
77% of game time for one effective disposal.
This is VERY unlike Brad Close, who is one of my favourite Geelong players, and not just because he looks like a vaudevillian bad guy. Everyone has the occasional down day. This one might have been his.
JAKE RICCARDI
I was wrong on this one – he is not going to make a lick of difference to the way GWS run their midfield. He is not the answer to the question of having a more athletic ruckman in the mix, and after two games where he has struggled to get his hand on the footy, it is time to pull the pin on this and either get Leek Aleer right to have a crack, or stick with the duo of Madden and Briggs.
CAMPBELL GRAY
He’s a young bloke, so I don’t want to belittle him, but when he got switched into the ruck as a backup, he was quickly sacrificed at the altar of Gawn.
I don’t want to see him in that role again for at least another 18-24 months.
MITCH LEWIS
The Hawks need a powerful presence inside 50. Even if it is just three or four times per game, they need someone to contest and take a few grabs.
That is what Mitch Lewis is supposed to be to this team.
That is what Mitch Lewis was anything but in this game.
BEN MCKAY
This is not because he had low stat numbers. I don’t give a rat’s ass about them.
This is more because he looks so damn passive out there. He is one of the bigger units in the Bombers defence, but he plays like he is made of charcoal.
Was responsible for Mitch Owens, but the Saint gave him the run around up the field, and later, inside 50. McKay needs to spend more time honing his defensive craft, and less time counting the copious amount of coin he is taking from the Bombers.
THE WEST COAST EAGLES SKILLS COACH
Remember during the preseason when the video of Carlton missing targets at training surfaced, and people were mocking them?
At least Carlton only did it at training. The Eagles looked like they watched that footage and tried their best to emulate it… only they did it worse!
Some of their disposals in the first quarter were so disgusting, I expected Joe Ganino to ask them on a date! They were doing the hard stuff – winning the footy. However, they were bringing themselves undone with what seemed like every second disposal. It was the worst display of skills I’ve ever seen in dry conditions.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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