It’s Half-Time in the AFL
Back To The Future
If the Sydney Swans, Essendon, Port Adelaide and/or Melbourne could borrow the keys to the DeLorean DMC-12 and go back to the halfway mark of last season to recapture their 2024 form, their 2024 energy, and their 2024 ‘vibe’, they would all be smiling like a Leprechaun on St Patricks Day. Like Leprechauns, time travel is not real, and that was then and this now, so suck it up and get on with life.
The vibe man, it’s all in the vibe!
So which teams have the ‘Vibe’ at the halfway mark of season 2025?
Collingwood and Brisbane currently head a chasing pack of teams all desperate for some September action, including the Gold Coast Suns, the Adelaide Crows, as well as Geelong and Hawthorn.
Sitting third and fourth respectively on the ladder, the Suns and the Crows are the surprise packets of the year. This is rarified air for both clubs, and it will be intriguing to see if they embrace the challenge ahead, or do they succumb to the pressure of expectations.
Last season both the Bombers and the Dees nosedived after the halfway mark of the season and finished eleventh and fourteenth respectively by seasons end. It should serve as a warning to all teams currently in the eight, being a May champion counts for naught, zero, niente, bugger all – you get my point.
Form, like the ‘vibe’, can be fleeting, and teams outside of the eight can take heart that the Brisbane Lions were written off at this stage last year before going on to be the Lion Kings, while the Hawks were only a James Sicily kick away from being in a Preliminary Final.
The Formula
Given each team plays 23 games this year, the halfway mark of the season falls somewhere between Rounds 11 and 12, with each club having 12 more games to improve their lot before the end of the season. The battle for hierarchy and overall ladder positions starts to really heat up from here on in.
With the second quarter of the season in the rearview mirror, how has your club performed during the second quarter of the season (rounds 7-11), and what does your club need to do to improve their rankings as we enter the third quarter (rounds 12-18 includes the bye) of the season.
In the second quarter of the season some clubs have performed well, some clubs have been okayish, while other clubs have, let’s just say they are looking forward to the bye and a chance to reset. A handful of clubs have already started planning for season 2026.
Premiership aren’t won in May, so it is not beyond reasonable expectation that some clubs who may have been a bit disappointing to start the season will attempt to mount a fresh challenge in the second half of the season, ala Brisbane Lions.
Strange things happen in the second half of the season as the form teams tighten up and the chasing pack start to prey upon the weak.
How This Works
After the first quarter of the season (round 0-6), I graded each club, and now each club will be graded for their performances over the last five rounds (second quarter), and finally all clubs will be graded overall for the season to date (half time). For example, Adelaide was given a B+ for the first quarter of the season, and they have maintained the B+ for winning their three of their last five games while building a healthy percentage, which means their overall halftime score is B+.
Half Time at the O.K. Corral
Adelaide Crows – 4th (130.6%)
1st Quarter grade (4 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) B+
Halftime grade (7 wins) B+
Average score 101.2 for and 77.5 against
The rise and rise of Adelaide to this point of this season has been spectacular. One of the unluckiest teams since the end of season 2017 now rides a wave of form which means their future is no longer dependant on luck. The test for the Crows now is their ability and guile to not only maintain their form for the rest of the season, but to continue their upward trajectory and perfect the little things that make a huge difference deep in September.
While some have claimed the Crows have had a relatively easy draw to this point of the season, they have still had to win those games to place themselves in a position to launch for the rest of the season. A lot more will be known about the Crows over the next six rounds as they take on teams above them or around them.
Next 6 matches:
Sydney (SCG), Brisbane (AO), Hawthorn (UTAS), Richmond (MCG), Melbourne (A) and Bulldogs (Marvel).
Brisbane Lions – 2nd (111.6%)
1st Quarter grade (5 wins) A-
2nd Quarter grade (3.5 wins) B
Halftime grade (8.5 wins) A-
Average score 88.6 for and 78.3 against
Brisbane had only won two and a half games at the corresponding time last season, and their season was spiralling out of control, but they turned it around big time and lifted the Cup by season’s end. It truly was a remarkable effort.
Move forward another twelve months and the Lions have themselves in a great position to challenge for back-to-back silverware.
The Lions’ form has waned a bit recently with a loss to the Dees and a draw with the Roos, but it should be of little concern. This time last season the Lions were in a world of hurt and fought back, this season they have been on the hunt since the zero round, and they are stalking their prey (especially Magpies).
Next 6 matches:
Essendon (GABBA), Adelaide (AO), GWS (GABBA), Geelong (GMHBA), Port Adelaide (GABBA) and Carlton (Marvel).
Carlton – 12th (102.8%)
1st Quarter grade (2 wins) C-
2nd Quarter grade (2 wins) D
Halftime grade (4 wins) D+
Average score 80.8 for and 78.6 against
The Blues fitness regime really needs to be questioned?
If a team wants to be a player at the pointy end of the season they must be fit enough and hungry enough to finish games as strong as they start. Too many times this year the Blues have been in a winning position, or at least breaking even at three quarter time, only to fall apart in the last quarter.
The anger of Bagger fans is pulpable. One only needs to listen to talk back radio for a half an hour any day of the week to hear the angst felt by the Baggers diehards.
The saving grace for the Blues is their percentage. Further, putting the Swans game to one side, the Baggers have been in a winning position on a number of occasions, only to lose all form in the last quarters.
If it is going to click for Voss’ Bluemen, then it needs to click soon. The bye has come at the right time for the Blues to regroup and attack the back end of the season.
On paper it looks like the draw opens a bit for the Blues to string a few wins together.
Next 6 matches:
Essendon (MCG), West Coast (Optus), North Melbourne (MCG), Port Adeliade (AO), Collingwood (MCG), and Brisbane (Marvel).
Collingwood – 1st (132.9%)
1st Quarter grade (5 wins) A
2nd Quarter grade (4 wins) A+
Halftime grade (9 wins effectively) A+
Average score 92.5 for and 69.6 against
Collingwood are officially the May Champions, and it will be interesting to see if they can hold this form the rest of the season and beyond. Fly McRae is more concerned with the playing group being in peak readiness going into September, over being the Minor Premier in May or at the end of the home and away season.
Credit much be given to the manner in which the Pies have traversed the first half of the season. It is arguable the Pies have had a few form slumps already this year, but such is their overall game structure/s the Maggies have been able to still win games despite of any slumps.
The biggest enemy for Collingwood is the age of their list, but if last weekend is any guide, then the club will take a chance of losing a game or two to rest the players they will need deep into September.
Next 6 matches:
Hawthorn (MCG), Melbourne (MCG), St Kilda (Marvel), West Coast (Marvel), Carlton (MCG), and Gold Coast (People First Stadium).
Essendon – 10th (85.0%)
1st Quarter grade (3 wins from 5 games) B-
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) B
Halftime grade (6 wins) B
Average score 68 for and 80 against
This time last season the Bombers were second on the ladder, but they looked vulnerable and not surprisingly they failed to make the finals. This season the Bombers have won six games from ten matches, but I prefer this version of the Bombers compared to last season.
The success starved throng of supporters who follow the red sash are on par with Carlton supporters when it comes to spewing out their disdain for the club they love as another season is starting to look like the same as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, etc.
Essendon is on the precipice of either going up and making the finals or completely bottoming out. The Bombers have thirteen games left this season (same as Gold Coast) to break the chains of AFL purgatory (finishing ninth to fourteenth each year) by either improving and making finals or totally bottoming out.
Winning a final would whet the appetite of the starving masses and give confidence for the future, while totally bottoming out would force the changes necessary to make a serious assault on September action in years to come.
The worst result for Essendon this year would be another season finishing in purgatory.
Next 6 games:
Brisbane (Gabba), Carlton (MCG), Geelong (MCG), Fremantle (Optus), Gold Coast (MCG), and Richmond (MCG).
Fremantle – 9th (105.6%)
1st Quarter grade (3 wins) C
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) C
Halftime grade (6.5 wins) C
Average score 85.2 for and 80.7 against
Who are you Freo? What do you stand for? When do you realise your potential? Where do you want to be come September?
The who, what, when and where has been a constant theme for the Dockers since their inception to the AFL. I’ve written enough reviews of Dockers’ games over the last few years to know how passionate their fans are, and they will stand up for their team come hell or high water, but they want success.
With Fremantle it seems the more things change the more they remain the same. At the halfway mark of last season I wrote, “at the halfway mark of the season the Dockers are well situated to have a decent crack at stringing enough wins together to make the finals.” Verbatim, nothing has changed.
Next 6 matches:
Gold Coast (People First Stadium), North Melbourne (Optus), Essendon (Optus), St Kilda (Optus), Swans (SCG), and Hawthorn (Optus).
Geelong – 5th (122.0%)
1st Quarter grade (4 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) B-
Halftime grade (7 wins) B
Average score 99.8 for and 81.8 against
As predictable as night becomes day, the Cats are again in the hunt to have a crack at another taste of the ultimate success in September.
Geelong is safely in the eight again, but are they the same old same old stoic Cats?
For years I had a pet hatred on the Cats, in particular a certain red head who may or may not have once played for the Swans, but this year I have been sucked in by the allure of Bailey ‘the Heartbreak Kid’ Smith, and Ollie Dempsey. Both are amongst my must watch players in the competition.
Bailey the ‘Boy Toy’ and ‘Boy Wonder’ Ollie have added a certain ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ flair and unpredictability to Cats circa 2025 making the hoops a very attractive and exciting team to watch. Further, Jeramy ‘Jezza” Cameron has been allowed more freedom this season by Chris Scott to explore and display his true ‘avant garde’ footballing artistry.
Silently, the Cats are my tip for the flag this year and I get the feeling they will do it their way, and it will be very entertaining.
Next 6 matches:
West Coast (Optus), Gold Coast (Cattery), Essendon (MCG), Brisbane (Cattery), Richmond (Cattery), and GWS (Engie).
Gold Coast Suns – 3rd (131.9%)
1st Quarter grade (4 wins from 5 games) A+
2nd Quarter grade (4 wins) A
Halftime grade (6 wins) A+
Average score 92.1 for and 69.8 against
Watching a team finally realising its own potential is something special. While many predicted the Suns to improve this year, not many would have believed the improvement could be so stark.
Dimma’s eighty percent team from 2024 has grown up.
The most impressive improvement of the new look Suns is their defensive pressure. Gold Coast are the second-best defensive team this year, only marginally behind the Pies, while at the other end they have multiple goal scoring guns to keep the score keepers busy.
Dimma’s rising Suns gameplan has a good balance of defensive and offensive football, which is a prerequisite for success in September.
Gold Coast remind me of the 2017 Tigers.
Next 6 matches:
Fremantle (Carrara), Geelong (Cattery), GWS (Bankstown), Melbourne (People First Stadium), Essendon (Marvel), and Collingwood (Carrara People First Stadium somewhere near Robina and you need to take the bus from Pacific Fair to get to the ground).
Greater Western Sydney Giants – 8th (109.9%)
1st Quarter grade (4 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (2 wins) D
Halftime grade (6 wins) C
Average score 86.4 for and 78.6 against
Pundits can be fickle, and no more than in the case of the Giants. The once favourite for the flag in 2025 has had a shaky start to the season, and many have jumped of the Big big sound faster than the rats on the Titanic.
Fickle, very fickle.
With a relatively healthy percentage and a winning ration of 6 games and 5 losses, the Giants are perched to make up some serious ground on the teams above in the second half of the season.
In 2024 GWS were bundled out of the finals in straight sets. With the scars of 2024 in mind, Adam Kingsley and his coaching staff would be tuning the Giants to peak at the pointy end of the season to avoid 2024 repeating.
At this stage of the season they are where they should be and if they do make the dance then there will be many pundits with egg on their face.
Next 6 matches:
Richmond (Engie), Port Adelaide (Corroboree Group Manuka Oval – why can’t they just say Canberra), Brisbane (Gabba), Gold Coast Suns (Bankstown), West Coast (Optus), and Geelong (Engie).
Hawthorn – 6th (117.4%)
1st Quarter grade (4 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) C+
Halftime grade (4 wins) B
Average score 92.1 for and 78.4 against.
It was this time last year when the Hawks hatched a plan to storm the second half of the season and make a run from nowhere for the finals. In short, they succeeded and in the process the team once known as the ‘unsociable Hawks’ played an infectious style of football which captivated the competition.
Come forward twelve months, and while the Hawks are well positioned, there are cracks appearing. At this stage the cracks aren’t necessarily fatal, but if they aren’t corrected on the go then the Hawks might not make it to September.
The Hawks are still a work in progress, and it will be interesting how they respond in the run home carrying the weight of the real or perceived pressure for them to succeed.
Next 6 matches:
Collingwood (MCG), Western Bulldogs (Marvel), Adelaide (UTAS), North Melbourne (UTAS), St Kilda (Marvel), and Fremantle (Optus).
Melbourne – 4th (116.9%)
1st Quarter grade (1 win) D
2nd Quarter grade (4 wins) A
Halftime grade (5 wins) B-
Average score 80.8 for and 90.5 against
Melbourne is the team with a bullet beside their name as they climb back up the ladder after a less than flattering start to the season.
The performance of the Demons in their win over the Swans in round 11 was one of the most complete wins of any team this year. While close games get all the headlines, games where one team totally dominant another team are often overlooked, The Demons round 11 win over the Swans signalled the return of the Dees coherent skills based gameplan which saw them lift the 2021 Cup.
The grand old flag is back in the hunt.
Let’s see where the Dees sit at the end of the ski season.
Just quietly, Melbourne has a terrible draw coming up, playing twice in Adelaide, once in the Alice and People First Stadium to boot.
Next 6 matches:
St Kilda (Alice Springs), Collingwood (MCG), Port Adelaide (AO), Gold Coast Suns (Carrara), Adelaide (AO), and North Melbourne (MCG).
North Melbourne – 17th (78.1%)
1st Quarter grade (1 win) D-
2nd Quarter grade (1.5 wins) D
Halftime grade (2,5 wins) D-
Average score 79.4 for and 101.7 against
The first sign a team is on the improve is they tighten up defensively reducing the scores kicked against them. For poor old North Melbourne their defensive unit is still leaking over 101 points per game, which is dismal by any standard, and it begs the question about whether the Roos are on the improve or not?
Excuses have been made since time immortal about why the Kangaroos stay firmly at the bottom of the ladder, but the time for excuses is over.
The Kangaroos have shared the bottom rungs of the ladder with a few different teams since Covid and it is now time the Roos showed their members, their sponsors, their fans, and the public in general some sign/s they are improving.
I would hate to follow the Kangaroos – it must be very soul deflating.
Dumb question, but who came up with the bright idea for North Melbourne to give up two home games to Western Australia? It defies logic.
North’s next 6 matches:
West Coast (Hands Oval – Bunbury), Fremantle (Optus), Carlton (MCG), Hawthorn (UTAS), Western Bulldogs (Marvel), and Melburne (MCG).
Port Adelaide – 15th (79.1%)
1st Quarter grade (3 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (1 win) F
Halftime grade (4 wins) E+
Average score 79.5 for and 96 against
Goodness gracious me, what has become of the Power?
Port Adelaide are now in freefall, and there is very little they can do to improve their lot.
While some teams have had poor starts to the season, the Power are different as they are playing like a team totally defeated.
Most in the football world hope the Port Adelaide Board allows Ken Hinkley to leave the game with his dignity in tack, whether that be now or at seasons end.
Just in case you aren’t coaching before the next instalment of this series, thanks for being Kenny – your time at Alberton has been one of the great and most enjoyable ongoing soap operas in AFL history.
Next 6 matches:
GWS (Manuka), Melbourne (AO), Sydney (AO), Carlton (AO), Brisbane (Gabba), and West Coast (AO).
Richmond – 16th (69.2%)
1st Quarter grade (2 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (1 win) E
Halftime grade (3 wins) C-
Average score 67.2 for and 97.1 against
The boys from Punt Round are a work in progress and they have shown some improvement this year which has their supporters in high spirits for what beckons.
What separates the Tigers from the Kangaroos, the Eagles and the Power is the players are playing with a youthful exuberance and the gradual improvement is quantifiable to naked eye, or to express it in plain English, the Tiger Cubs give real hope for the future.
Fair warning though, if the Tribe doesn’t see the win ratio go up some time the next eighteen months it highly likely a truck load full of manure may be dumped at the club.
Next 6 matches:
GWS (Bankstown), Sydney (MCG), Western Bulldogs (Marvel), Adelaide (MCG), Geelong (Cattery), and Essendon (MCG).
St Kilda – 14th (89.8%)
1st Quarter grade (3 wins) C
2nd Quarter grade (1 win) F
Halftime grade (4 wins) E
Average score 82 for and 91.2 against
Once upon a time, a great servant of the downtrodden told me in no uncertain terms, “…do not promise something to a person down on their luck unless you are willing to follow through. You may forget it and not even give it a second thought, but the person you promised will be devastated if you don’t deliver on your promise – they don’t forget..”
The hardcore Saints supporter has been let down over and over again since Barry Breen kicked his famous point in 1966. Near on 60 years of broken promises has left the faithful, downtrodden, diehard Saint tragic broken-hearted, and suffering permanent, and incurable trauma.
2025 is another letdown year for the Saints, with the one-time Messiah sounding more and more like a snake oil salesperson as the Saints remain in the mire surrounded by more false prophecies which do little to ease what ails the grieving diehard Sainter.
Next 6 matches:
Melbourne (TIO upon the Alice), Western Bulldogs (Marvel), Collingwood (Marvel), Fremantle (Optus), Hawthorn (Marvel), and Sydney (Marvel).
Sydney Swans – 13th (93.2%)
1st Quarter grade (2 wins) D-
2nd Quarter grade (2 wins) D-
Halftime grade (4 wins) F
Average score 80.2 for and 86.1 against
To the relief of most neutral supporters, the chances of the Swans buggering up Grand Final Day are getting less and less with each passing week.
My, how the mighty have fallen!
At the halfway mark of 2024 the Swans looked like they had the flag all wrapped for the year as they dominated every metric possible against which success is judged. Shortly thereafter the cracks started to appear and since then the Swans have continued to nosedive, and they are now heading to the island of irrelevancy.
Good teams are highly disciplined, while the Swans in 2025 have had players missing every week due to erratic and stupid actions on the field.
If the Swans can win four or five matches in the next run of six games then they will be back in the hunt, but given the number of players out every week through suspension and injury it seems highly unlikely.
Mad Monday Mills should be removed as Captain for various reasons (missing most of last season because of an injury suffered from the mad Monday in 2023, constant ongoing injuries, and now missing through suspension) with Lloyd, Rowbottom and/or Heeney taking over the on-field leadership roles.
Next 6 matches:
Adelaide (SCG), Richmond (SCG), Port Adelaide (AO), Western Bulldogs (SCG), Fremantle (SCG), and St Kilda (Marvel).
West Coast Eagles – 18th (64.6%)
1st Quarter grade (0 wins) E
2nd Quarter grade (1 win) D
Halftime grade (3 wins) D-
Average score 69.7 for and 107.9 against
The Eagles are a difficult team to analyse.
Any team that allows over 107 points to be kicked against it each week under normally circumstances is considered poo, however, take Tom Barrass and Jeremy McGovern out any backline and there are solid reasons why the Eagle’s backline is leaking goals.
McGovern is a huge out for the young and developing Eagles as they try to restructure.
It is to be hoped Jeremy McGovern is okay, and whether he plays again or not he has been one of the Eagles best.
Over the last few weeks there are little signs the Weagles are heading in the right direction, and now is the time to pump as many games into the young fledgelings as possible.
Next 6 matches:
Geelong (Optus), North Melbourne (Hands Oval Bunbury), Carlton (Optus), Collingwood (Marvel), GWS (Optus), and Port Adelaide (AO).
Western Bulldogs – 7th (126.5%)
1st Quarter grade (3 wins) B+
2nd Quarter grade (3 wins) B
Halftime grade (6 wins) B
Average score 104.6 for and 82.7 against
Are the Bulldogs the real deal or are they flat track bullies?
Including the Premiership year of 2016, and every season since, the Doggies have never finished a season in the top four. The Western Bulldogs have consistently finished each season since 2016 in the bottom half of the eight or thereabouts, and they have ridden their luck by firstly stealing the flag in 2016 and making it back to the dance in 2021.
While the Dogs win the games they should, they struggle to get over the line in matches with teams above them or level with them on the ladder – it has been a constant for many years now. Part of the reason can be pointed at the number of games the club sells to other venues to raise revenue. It is something the club needs to reevaluate, as it does affect their form. One week the poor Doggies are running through snow at Mars or Manuka and the next week they are suffering from sun and heat stroke in Darwin or Surfers Paradise.
If this is to be the year of the Dog, then it is imperative they build upon the foundations they have franked during the first half and strive for a top four position.
It would be interesting to see how the Doggies perform in September if they allowed themselves to have the luxury of the second chance.
Next 6 matches:
Hawthorn (Marvel), St Kilda (Marvel), Richmond (Marvel), Sydney (SCG), North Melbourne (Marvel), and Adelaide (Marvel).
