Essendon captain Zach Merrett says he would have relished extra time to decide a winner on Anzac Day, while Collingwood coach Craig McRae felt a draw was the right result at the end of a gripping contest. Almost three decades on from their fabled 1995 draw, the Bombers and Magpies played out another instant classic at the MCG on Thursday. It reignited the debate about whether extra time should be played to settle tied AFL home-and-away matches. McRae said he predicted the discussion as he joked with a security guard on his way off the ground after the final siren. “We fought for 120 minutes an ..read more

The Blues are on fire and while all the fanfare is justifiably on how well their stars are playing, it’s Carlton’s unsung heroes who will validate the club’s premiership push. We’ve arguably never seen the Charlie Curnow/Harry McKay connection as dominant as we’ve seen it now. Patrick Cripps has had a strong start to the season, Sam Walsh’s return has been typically prolific and Jacob Weitering’s barely missed a beat – but none of this is surprising. What really separates the best teams in the league from the rest is depth and the ability to rely on role players and those outside the best team ..read more

It’s a festival of footy as Anzac Round dawns, with matches to be played across a whopping five days in 2024’s most spread-out ‘weekend’ of action. That’s good news for some, bad news for others – like say, those poor souls whose job it is to write something on every day AFL footy is played – and it makes for a challenge when doing a weekly expert tipping write-up, too. So this round, we’re doing things a little differently – to give our experts enough time to mull over this weekend’s games, catch up on line-ups and make their choices, we’ll be updating this week’s tips daily with all the upco ..read more

For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over the years: Essendon and Collingwood both being properly good. The Magpies finished the 1990s meekly; the Bombers haven’t made it past week one of the finals since 2004. The quality of the match as a spectacle has seldom suffered, but not since 2002 has one of these games felt as significant as 2024’s edition. This was a cracking game of football by anyone’s measure; there were rapid momentum swings, statement moments from star players, more than o ..read more

There’s no disputing that season 2024 has been entertaining and tough to predict. Coming into Round 7 Geelong are the only team that’s undefeated, while at the other end of the ladder, North Melbourne is the solitary team that’s failed to win a game. All 18 teams are once again featuring across nine games, with every team having had a bye – although one game has been completed, Richmond v Melbourne. We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games. Essendon v Collingwood Essendon Zach Merrett has led from the front fo ..read more

It’s a festival of footy as Anzac Round dawns, with matches to be played across a whopping five days in 2024’s most spread-out ‘weekend’ of action. That’s good news for some, bad news for others – like say, those poor souls whose job it is to write something on every day AFL footy is played – and it makes for a challenge when doing a weekly expert tipping write-up, too. So this round, we’re doing things a little differently – to give our experts enough time to mull over this weekend’s games, catch up on line-ups and make their choices, we’ll be updating this week’s tips daily with all the upco ..read more

There’s an old saying that you should never argue with an idiot, because they’ll drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. Up until half time on Anzac Day Eve, Melbourne were doing a pretty fine job of being the arguers in this analogy, with Richmond sticking pridefully to their role as resident idiots. And it worked – to an extent. No side without a key forward to speak of was going to kick a winning score against a backline featuring Jake Lever and Steven May; indeed, five goals and 17 scoring shots are about as much as you could have reasonably expected from the Tigers ..read more

Round six of the AFL provided us with plenty of talking points. Some teams are starting to build momentum whilst others are struggling to string together strong performances. Below I have given my thoughts on Round 6 and how the Brownlow medal votes should be shaping up. St Kilda Saints vs Western Bulldogs – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Western Bulldogs won by 60 points. What a ruthless performance from the Dogs. The heat was turned up during the week after their poor showing against Essendon, but they responded in the best possible way. Marcus Bontempelli. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via G ..read more

Has there ever been a team more “quietly” unbeaten and on top of the ladder, like Geelong this year? The Cats are a game and percentage clear of second spot, but you wouldn’t know it based on the commentary surrounding the AFL over the first seven rounds. Sydney and GWS have captured the most notices as early premiership favourites, Carlton have made headlines, Port have shown their usual capacity to dazzle and disappoint, while last year’s grand finalists Collingwood and Brisbane have mostly been in the news for the wrong reasons. Partly, the ridiculous stop-start nature of the season is to b ..read more

West Coast are set to rest No.1 draft pick Harley Reid against the Suns this weekend as the hype surrounding his breakout season hype goes into overdrive to ensure he is ready for the blockbuster against the Bombers the following round. And the 19-year-old could become a very rich teenager very quickly after it was revealed he will become a $1 million player in just his third season depending on clauses in his contract. According to Fox Footy, he will recieve huge bonuses if he finishes in the top 10 in the Brownlow Medal, top five in West Coast’s best and fairest or the AFL Rising Star award ..read more