Another week flooded with byes and mind-boggling umpiring decisions. This is the AFL in 2026.
I am tasked with picking the nine best performances across the weekend, so here goes.
BUKU KHAMIS
It seems we only ever hear about defenders when they have things go wrong. Someone kicks a bag on them, and all of a sudden, questions are raised about systems, chemistry, and individual capacity.
This has been the story for the Dogs, and for Buku Khamis this season, as he started well and then found himself having to take responsibility for players probably above his pay grade. Playing undersized, he has been out-muscled through little fault of his own, but in this one, he got a matchup he could sink his teeth into.
And he took a big bite out of Liam Ryan!
Ryan came in as the hottest forward in the game, with 11 goals in the past two weeks. He left ice cold, resorting to trying to take a series of hangers, and succeeding in none of the attempts, as Khamis had his number all game.
A very good matchup for Buku, and he made the most of it.
LUKE JACKSON
If for some reason, you’re not yet watching Freo games, this bloke is worth tuning in, irrespective of how well everyone else on the team is performing.
Watching him do as he pleased against a Geelong ruck division that has been an issue for years, you come to understand why Luke Jackson could be the man to propel the Dockers into the stratosphere this September. His leap, his balance, his ground ball skills, and his pace away from the contest – all were on display as he registered 28 touches, 25 hit outs, and moved forward to snag three goals.
Right now, it is tough to displace Max Gawn as the number one ruck in All-Australian calculations, but if Max is 1, then LJ is 1A, and if you’re a selector, you have both these guys in your team, or you’re a fool.
WILL DAY
I know a lot of people will gravitate to Jai Newcombe when it comes to impact for the Hawks, but this bloke is the key to their fortunes, and you could see his influence in real time on Friday night, as he took charge of the centre restarts and powered the Hawks back, after the Suns jumped them.
Will Day is a powerful unit, much in the same way Bont is. High praise, I know, particularly as Day has not proven anything over any extended stretch of time, but the way he collects the footy and bursts from stoppage… not many can do that.
Others had better stats, and I know supercoach nerds rate players on those metrics, but in watching the game, Day was the one who turned the tide for the Hawks, and once he did, the team jumped onboard with him.
If he stays healthy, anything is possible for Hawthorn this year.
MARK KEANE
Welcome back, Mark – good to see you pick up exactly where you left off.
Keane was fantastic as the Crows got over the line against a plucky Melbourne team. His presence in defensive fifty gave Adelaide yet another weapon to deploy as we start to round toward the business end of the season.
With 22 disposals and nine intercepts, he gave a timely reminder as to why the Crows defence was so stingy in 2025, and why they could be the key to Adelaide’s chances again in 2026. I was of the belief, and I was apparently in the vast minority, that Keane should have been in the AA team last year – not squad. I genuinely thought he was every bit as good as Josh Worrell last year… but the selectors thought otherwise on both of them.
This duo, combined with the hulking James Borlase, and determined Nick Murray, gave the Crows exactly what they needed in defence. This team is going to be a tough nut to crack over the coming weeks.
Great to have you back, Mark.
MATT COTTRELL
This guy had a day, didn’t he?
The walk off after kicking a goal.
Snagging two whilst shutting down the run and carry of Lachie Whitfield.
And then, to top it all off, he breaks out the harmonica and gives us a bit of the Piano Man intro as the Blues prepped to sing their song.
Look, there were better overall performers out there for the Blues – Walsh, Cripps, Hewett, and probably Acres – but if you wanted to capture the difference in Carlton six weeks ago, and now, then take a gander at the way Cottrell looks to be loving his footy, and how his teammates react to him.
This is how you build chemistry and camaraderie.
JORDAN DE GOEY
I know, I know… a lot of you would like to see Nick Daicos in this section, but far out… the work of Jordan de Goey deserves to be praised.
When the Pies were down early, it was the move of de Goey forward that ignited them. His back-to-back goals in the second quarter kick-started a Collingwood team that was starting to look like they might succumb to the Port Adelaide pressure.
He went on to finish with three goals from his 26 touches, and whilst he was a bit messy with the footy at times, his power in teh contest and ability to wade into and through tackles, made him one of the reasons the Pies were able to power away from Port in the second and third quarters.
Without him, I am not sure the Pies get over the line.
COOPER TREMBATH
He’s had some quieter ones this year, and you expect that of a key forward of his age, but when Coops puts it together, he looks like the best player on the park.
Working as a forward and moving into the ruck, he gave the Tigers fits with his athleticism. Winning big hit outs to advantage to give North first use, and then going forward to pluck one-hand grabs, Trembath was the highlight of a game that really, has very few of them.
He has added so much to this North team already, and at just 20 years of age, the future of the North forward line looks incredibly bright with Trembath in the mix.
MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
Whilst Big Wang ran around collecting the footy at will, Bont did just as much as he did with ten fewer touches of the footy.
He also did it without p;laying the Gary Ablett Junior at Gold Coast role, where the team automatically gives him the handball to use him at every stage. That’s what the Saints did with Nasiah, but Bont won 15 of his34 touches in the contest and had more score involvements with less of the footy.
His goal, gathering the footy down low at pace, turning and losing Hugo Garcia, and snapping on his left, emphasised that there are ties that Bont is playing at a level others can only aspire to.
Is his best THE best?
It’d be damn close.
KADE CHANDLER
Might seem a strange one, but I am adding Kade in here because the impact he has had on Melbourne this season has been huge.
Go back 12 months, and what did you think about this bloke? Did you think about this bloke? I’m guessing most people outside Melbourne supporters didn’t. Hell, I had a hard time not calling him Kyle Chandler for a while, and I don’t even know why.
Anyway, he has started to split time between half-forward and the wing, and is quietly building an excellent season.
He is at career-high numbers for disposals, tackles, inside 50s, and clearances, as he has absolutely jumped on the opportunities available after the star departures of 2025.
He may not be the most glamorous player in the caper, but with 20 touches and a couple of goals this week, he is a huge reason the Dees have shot up the ladder this season.
Got any you want to add? The comments section is below, and you can always find me on our socials. We just love footy here, at The Mongrel… not the greatest fan of shitty rules, though.
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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