The AFL has a habit of taking what could be great stories and making them bad.
Not intentionally, but it happens.
The recent injury to Patrick Dangerfield will likely rob him of the opportunity to contend for a record-breaking ninth All-Australian selection. He started the season like a bullet, but with his hamstring injury, the Cats would be wise to manage him through the second half of 2025, as they make a run to finals.
The injury to Sam Darcy was another that derailed a great story, with the young Dog seemingly on the verge of tearing games apart before he landed awkwardly, and buckled his knee. The story could have been worse, but still, it was not the script Dogs fans wanted to read.
And then there has been Jake Stringer’s olive branch from the GWS Giants. Jake seems to have tripped over that branch and fallen down a flight of stairs. Early inaccuracy has now been compounded by an injury that sees him sitting on the sidelines.
There is time for all these stories to have great endings, but for the time being, fate has stepped in to derail them.
But the opposite is also true, and we’ve seen some players come from nowhere to establish themselves in 2025.
Here at The Mongrel, I like a bit of positivity. It doesn’t sell memberships, sadly, but it is what it is, and I refuse to be sucked down the rabbit hole of negativity each and every week.
Well, most weeks, anyway.
With that in mind, let’s check out some of the great stories of 2025 to date.
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