It’s becoming the Swans competition if it hasn’t already as they dismantled Geelong, the Blues remind us where the Bombers sit, the Hawks continue their rise, and the Roos bank their first win!
With a few teams rising back into finals contention and a few teams slipping out, there’s a lot to learn heading into Round 14.
Each week, we put it all together in the five-leg multi of hindsight we like to call AFL Five Lessons Learned.
1. Lions roaring back
Both sides can’t make their mind up where they sit in the context of 2024, but the Lions proved they’ve still got the class to make a late surge in the season.
Brisbane took over after the second quarter, bursting away to a five-goal lead, led by Lachie Neale’s big 38 disposal outing, along with two goals to the tally.
It’s been either hot or cold for the Lions, and with no maintained consistency across the first half of the year, they’ve left themselves in an undesirable position, needing to make up a lot of ground.
But with such quality in the midfield, their stoppage dominance rivals the best and it blew the Bulldogs away with a +18 win in the centre.
It’s an oddity to see Eric Hipwood come up with a bag, but certainly well welcomed, a big six for Eric, who was able to flex his contested ability.
Brisbane is the most likely in the bottom half to make a midseason turnaround, and with personnel like Will Ashcroft waiting in the wings, there’s definitely hope the Lions can compete if they are to sneak into this year’s AFL finals.
A winnable run to come, with a trip back to the Gabba to face the Saints, a winnable trip to Adelaide against the Power, the Demons and Crows at home, and over to the West against the Eagles.
2. The Newest Finals Contenders
Every obstacle placed ahead of them, the Hawks find a way to win, it’s gutsy and bold, and it’s something you typically see the top teams do.
Hawthorn absorbed the late Giants pressure, going down a point with five minutes to play, they hit back hard with one more goal of their own, given away by an ill-disciplined hit after the kick by the Giants.
The Giants held a three-goal lead early into the third quarter and were able to control the contests around the ground but weren’t able to get the lead out to truly challenge the Hawks.
It was a game where neither was able to truly grab the game by the scruff of the neck, but it was a game of moments, where the likes of Mabior Chol and Luke Bruest were able to pop up with a crucial goal to settle things and keep things in their favour.
So where does this sit Hawthorn in the finals debate? They’re clearly capable of contending against strong sides, although they haven’t beaten any top-five teams this year.
With the next two games to come against the Tigers and Eagles, they’ll most likely sit at 8-7, realistically needing a minimum of five wins from their last nine games to likely secure an Elimination spot.
Some of those final games include Geelong at GMHBA, Collingwood, Fremantle, GWS in Sydney, and Carlton.
With likely certainties against Adelaide, Richmond a second time, and North Melbourne in each team’s current form, they’ll at the very least be in contention to knock someone out of the top eight.
It’s a daring and bold style they’ve committed to, and it’s working, they’re getting consistent looks inside 50, a stark contrast to the start of their year.
Beware the Hawks.
3. Good Old’ North Melbourne
It’s a joy that North fans would want to capture in a bottle, and they’ve done the hard yards watching the Roos fall into a slump all season.
Finally, after twelve weeks of football, they were able to muster up their first win of the year, on the road against the Eagles.
In reality, the game was not one of the prettiest, and with the score sitting at 3-1 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the feel was it was anyone’s game with a decent five-to-ten-minute patch.
The Roos got ahead in the third quarter, spearheaded by Nick Larkey who kicked five crucial goals to get some breathing space.
As Jye Simpkin sailed through his first in the last quarter to extend the lead out to 33 points, it seemed like it was heading for a cruisy last quarter for the Kangas, before the Eagles turned it on.
Six goals in a row saw the Eagles surge back and hit the front with five minutes remaining, almost sinking the hope of North Melbourne supporters who were sure it was their day.
Luckily, it still was, and as per usual, a controversial call decided the contest as Elliot Yeo was pinned for holding the ball, 40 metres out from goal.
By letter of the law, it was holding the ball, but common sense says otherwise.
Nonetheless, it was the ultimate captain’s goal, as Jye Simpkin nailed the set shot from nearly 50 metres out, securing the Roos first four points of the year.
4. Let’s never speak of this again
Seriously, let’s leave this for the history books, probably not in the area of thrillers, but one that tested the endurance and patience of all football fans across Australia.
The Saints and Suns played out a slow and rebounding affair at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, to the tune of 51 to 48, a scoreline that reflects the tempo of the game.
Whilst most of the discussion revolves around Mac Andrew’s free-kick he gave away late in the fourth quarter, which was confirmed by the AFL as the wrong call, the Suns are still flat-track bullies.
They move to 0-6 on the road, and there’s simply no denying that they’re not near a genuine finals contender with such an alarming inability to perform on the road.
That being against a poor St Kilda side that has lacked edge and clarity all year.
Ross Lyon locked down defensively on the Suns, minimising their transition game and quick ball use on the outside.
The problem with that was the Saints inability to generate any pace themselves, which wasn’t an entertaining watch for most.
The Suns play four teams inside the top 10 in the next five rounds, with the odd game out against North at Marvel, which funnily isn’t a guarantee by any stretch.
All that class and talent, but seemingly no culture to sustain on the road, will it ever change?
5. Sydney v who in the Grand Final?
When you think they’re done, the streak is over, the dominance is dying down. No, it’s just a one-quarter lapse.
The Swans were yet again lethal at home, and whilst the Cats got out to a 29-point lead, similar to the Blues a few weeks back, the Swans flicked the switch and turned it on from the second quarter onwards.
Their ability to match their opponent around the stoppage and absorb some pressure is elite, and whilst teams have shown ways to beat the Swans, none have done it for four quarters.
Certainly helps to have Warner, Gulden, and Heeney roaming your midfield, and all three had stellar performances to lift the Swans, especially in the second-quarter surge.
Forward strength was on display by the likes of Amartey, and as per usual, Tom Papley provided some spark from outside 50 and inside 50 with eye-catching small forward craft, the ultimate X-Factor.
The Swans now sit at a commanding 12-1, with a game in hand, they’ve almost certainly secured a top-eight spot, and the top four is only about four wins away with nine games to go.
They’ll have their poor patch at some point, but they’ve done the hard work early and put themselves in a prime position to peak at the right time.