Round 13 delivers a bit of everything — genuine top-four shapers, rivalry games with plenty of bite, and a few spots where the market might be getting a little carried away.
From Adelaide looking to snap a hoodoo against Geelong to Fremantle chasing a 12th straight and a King’s Birthday coin flip at the ‘G, there’s no shortage of angles to attack.
Round 13 of the AFL kicks off with a blockbuster match-up between two sides eyeing off a top four finish in 2026.
The Cats, who travel across the border fresh off a surprise loss to Carlton, have won six on the trot against the Crows and will be looking to sure up a top four spot after last week’s defeat.
Jack Martin is set to return after being managed against the Blues.
The home side will emerge from their bye without Riley Thilthorpe (suspension) or Izak Rankine (calf).
The big Texan will replace Thilthy up forward, while the Crows will also unleash mid-season draftee Hugo Hall-Kahan in his debut, but a six-game losing streak against the Cats will need some mental resilience they’ve yet to show.
Meeting for the second time this season, Hawthorn will attempt to go 2-0 against the Western Bulldogs in ’26 when they clash at the MCG on Friday night.
Having defeated the Dogs by 40 points in Gather Round, the Hawks have maintained third spot on the ladder while their opponents have fallen from fourth to seventh.
Despite their overall drop in form since Round 5, the Dogs have more recently pieced together three wins from four and a four-point victory over Collingwood.
The Hawks, who have won their last two against Adelaide and St Kilda, could be strengthened by the returns of Tom Barrass and Conor Nash.
Hawthorn has covered the line in each of its last five matches against the Western Bulldogs and we expect them to emulate those performances this week.
How will North Melbourne possibly end Wharfie time?
The Fremantle Dockers are rocking and rolling their way towards finals in 2026 and possibly their first premiership as $4.60 favourites with Ladbrokes.
They’re a game clear on top of the ladder, on a record-breaking 11-game winning streak and just pummelled the back-to-back premiers by 25 points at the Gabba.
While North will be well-rested after the bye, it’s hard to see them making any inroads as $3.80 outsiders.
Tristan Xerri will be of the utmost importance in the ruck battle against Luke Jackson, but the return of Hayden Young will comfortably be enough to ensure 12 in a row for the Purple Haze.
Another epic chapter of the Q-Clash will be written this Saturday when the Gold Coast Suns take on an embattled Brisbane Lions at People First Stadium.
There’s no hiding the fact the reigning premiers are in an enormous slump, with their three consecutive losses equalling their longest single-season losing streak since 2018.
They were no match for premiership favourites Fremantle last weekend and will need to find cover for injured defender Keidean Coleman (hamstring) who nows joins Dayne Zorko, Oscar Allen and Ryan Lester for an extended stint on the sidelines.
The Suns, who had plenty of time to reflect on their Round 11 loss to North Melbourne while on a bye, welcome Will Graham (concussion) back as they look to re-enter the top four.
Touk Miller has recorded 25+ disposals in each of his last seven appearances against Brisbane, and another display like that might result in a fourth-straight for the Lions.
Who’d have thought $2.25 about the Eagles could be considered value?
Ndrew McQualter’s men could be considered overs considering they dominated Essendon last week to the tune of 30 points and won this corresponding clash against the Power by two points in Round 3.
Not to mention, gun defender and Lions premiership player Brandon Starcevich is expected to make his club debut after recovering from a calf injury and playing back-to-back games in the WAFL.
The Power will be buoyant about the returns of Lachie Jones and Jack Lukosius, as well as the form of Zak Butters who has recorded 30+ disposals in nine of Port Adelaide’s last 10 matches.
Not as one-sided as the current market suggests.
Good luck, Ross.
The Saints will well and truly be up against it when they travel to the SCG for a date with the Swans, having lost three of their previous four games and sitting in 12th spot on the ladder.
The positive news for the Sainters is the potential return of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mitch Owens and Liam Ryan, all of whom will face fitness tests this week.
As for the Swannies, they’re coming off a 114-point demolition of the Tigers off the back of 32 disposals and five goals from Isaac Heeney.
Won’t enter triple-figure areas, but there’s no doubt the Swans should be improving their SCG record to 7-0 for the year.
Three in a row and eyeing off a spot in the top 10 – we can’t be talking about Carlton.
The team who just couldn’t finish under previous senior coach Michael Voss have turned their form around under interim Josh Fraser with wins against the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and finals contenders Geelong.
Patrick Cripps has gone to another level as he eyes a third Charlie and he could piece together another three-voter against a Bombers side void of any talent, confident or desire to get a hard ball.
Sam Durham, Mason Redman and Jordan Ridley could all make their much-needed comeback for the Bombers, but it won’t change the fact the Blues should get it does comfortably.
It’s a juicy King’s Birthday clash between the Pies and Dees this year, with both sides coming off disappointing Round 12 losses.
The Dees are surprising underdogs at $1.94 and will need to respond after pummelled by GWS to the tune of 49 points in Alice.
While they’ve lost two in a row, their form across the length of the season has been far superior to Collingwood’s across most metrics, barring the fact their defence is allowing 97.4 per against.
The Pies, who’s four-point loss to the Bulldogs was masked slightly by a five-goal fourth quarter, could regain Harry Perryman for the blockbuster Monday match.
Recent history is certainly on Collingwood’s side with 11 wins from their past 12 against the Dees at the ‘G.
