Alright, since I am in a writing mood, and have a day off, I have decided to continue on with what I commenced last week and name my best performers of the week.
Of course, there will be some who miss out, and some who will point that out to me – I get it, we all see things differently, but here are my best performers of Round 11.
BLAKE HARDWICK
No Gunston?
No worries!
The Hawks threw their normally reliable defender into attack, as they have done in the past, to play the role of deepest forward, and lead up at the ball the same way Jack Gunston usually does. Lo and behold… playing someone with genuine footy smarts as a deep forward actually works, with Hardwick not only kicking four vital goals, but beating one of the best defenders in the game in the process, Josh Worrell.
Whilst I am sure the Hawks will be eager to get Gunners back on the park, you can just picture Hardwick giving the old fella a wink and telling him to take his time, as he has this forward caper under control.
Worth noting that Hardwick was a dominant forward in junior competition, so going forward is a lot like going home to him. He certainly made himself at home against the Crows.
SETH CAMPBELL
There were better players on the park for the Tigers, and I am not even going to look at whether the AFL website listed him in the best players, as they tend to go by stats. However, what I will do is tell you how much I enjoyed seeing Seth have a run through the middle of the ground.
There are not many players in the Richmond team (at the moment, anyway), who have the confidence to press pause, survey what’s around them, and dance through a bit of traffic before selecting their target, but Campbell stood out as one who could.
With the Bombers looking disjointed and sad (which could really be their motto this season), Campbell was one of the few Tigers with both the ability and the willingness to take the game on and punish them.
His 22 touches won’t likely have stat-heads raving about him, but he passed the eye test with flying colours in this one, and will develop into a real weapon for the club.
MURPHY REID
What can I say about Murphy Reid that Freo fans haven’t already stated?
He has thirteen toes?
He’s an underwater bike riding champion?
He has very similar attributes to Gary Ablett Junior?
Now we’re cooking. Comparing someone to The Little Master is always bound to have people scoff. It’s ludicrous to do so, in a way, and I know it. However, the more I watch Reid, the more I am seeing similarities. He may never ascend to the top of the league the way Ablett did, but the skills and the vision… he sees things in places that other players didn’t even know existed.
In just his second year, he is quickly developing into a classy midfielder, and with back-to-back games of 30 damaging disposals, we’re now getting a glimpse at something very special in the making.
Go out, hit ebay, and invest in his signed draft pick trading cards. In five years, you’ll be pretty happy with the purchase.
GEORGE F’N WARDLAW
Another one who passed the eye test with flying colours.
When there is pressure to be applied, I want George Wardlaw applying it. When there is a scramble for a loose ball late in the game, I want Wardlaw on my team.
He had 19 touches in the win over the Suns, but if you try telling me that there was a more important player in blue and white in the late stages of the game, I might just poke you in the eye. Did you see the tenacity with which he attacks the footy? That stuff simply cannot be taught – you either have it, or you don’t.
Wardlaw almost has enough of that stuff for his entire team. He is like an animal that is uncaged at the exact right moment to make the biggest impact.
David King compared him to Wayne Schimmelbusch on the weekend – what a badge of honour. Schimma was my favourite player when I was a kid. Wardlaw is my favourite Kangaroo right now. The more things change…
OISIN MULLIN
He is fast becoming the best two-way runner in the game, and it was interesting to see how Isaac Heeney did NOT wish to be the next person in the line completely outworked by Oisin Mullin going the other way.
Two weeks ago, it was Nick Daicos being exposed for a lack of defensive run. Last week, it was Lachie Neale. This week, matched up against Heeney, Mullin tested him, as well, and though Heeney worked his backside off to keep pace, you could tell the star Swan was completely gassed by the effort.
Watching Mullin’s development over the last year has been wonderful. Chris Scott found him a role commensurate with his skill set, and the Irishman has embraced it, and improved on it. What a story, and what a success he has been thus far in 2026.
NICK DAICOS
I can hear Anti-Collingwood people groaning at the mention of his name, but I am putting this out there – without Nick Daicos playing this game, the celebrations for Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking game would have been non-existent.
With three goals from his 34 touches, Daicos was the difference, and even though his disposal is still letting him down (I think he is trying so hard to be perfect with every kick, he is actually overthinking things), his 14 score involvements meant that he had a hand in over half of the Pies’ scores.
Love him or hate him, he is a bonafide star of the game
LACHIE COWAN
Huh? What the hell is HB smoking?
There are times when a team has a complete team game, and that occurred this weekend with the Blues, as they upset the Power. Whilst Port was reliant on a few (Jason Horne-Francis and Zak Butters yet again), the Blues had a great spread of contributors, and one of the most unsung of the bunch was Cowan, who was rock solid down back.
He is not a flashy player, and doesn’t get the love he deserves from anyone outside the Blues (or their warring podcasts… ) but I wanted to give Cowan a pat on the back, here.
Outside Jacob Weitering, the Blues are a bit of a patchwork quilt in defence – a series of seemingly random players thrown together to concoct something resembling defensive cohesion. It hasn’t worked quite a bit this season, but it worked this week, with Cowan one of the Blues’ more reliable intercept and pressure players when the ball hit the deck.
PHOENIX GOTHARD
One of the stars of the blistering third quarter, Gothard made a statement with 13 touches and two goals amid the massacre of the Lions.
Playing high half forward, he had a career-best game, picking up 29 valuable touches, and giving the Giants a heap of defensive pressure, laying six of his ten tackles inside attacking fifty.
He and his fellow young guns (Thomas, McMullin, Cadman) were big drivers of the incredible Giants run that sunk the Lions in spectacular fashion, and Gothard announced himself to those unaccustomed with his work, quite loudly in this one.
RYLEY SANDERS
He has not been coddled through his AFL infancy, with Luke Beveridge never reluctant to send Sanders off to do some extra work on his game.
And my gosh, it has started to pay big dividends for both the payer and the coach in 2026.
As the Dogs’ midfield has coughed and spluttered at times this season, Sanders’ continued development as a ball winner, and an emerging defensive runner, has been something that has given the Dogs plenty to look forward to.
Whilst Bont and Richards were dominant in the win, the work of Sanders should not be disregarded. His work early in the game to give the Dogs the ascendancy, was first-rate, and if he keeps this up, the Dogs have their heir apparent to the midfield role over the next ten years.
Got some of your own standouts? As always, I’d love to hear who they are, and why they stood out to you. You know where to go – the comments section is below and our socials are not hard to find.
Cheers – HB
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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