AFL round 4: Nathan Buckley previews Super Saturday on Fox Footy
Super Saturday doesn’t get much bigger than when Gather Round hits, with four crucial clashes set to take place. Nathan Buckley writes, the Demons are going to have to get bold.
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Super Saturday hits Gather Round in 2025, and it’s a blockbuster slate of games.
The blowtorch will be on Carlton and Melbourne if they can’t secure wins at Adelaide Oval, we’ll get introduced to Barossa and the Lions and the Bulldogs will fight it out at Norwood.
NORTH MELBOURNE v GOLD COAST - Barossa Park, 12.35pm
# The undefeated Suns head to Barossa Park to break new ground for the club. They have never been 4-0 and will feel like their game is in great order after the stern test against the Crows last week. Their ball use has given their forwards plenty of supply and they have scored heavily accordingly.
# Ben Long has flown under the radar since being settled as a forward in Damien Hardwick’s plan. He amassed 43 scoring shots in 2024 and kicked 26.17 from 17 games. This year he has proven more of a handful, kicking seven goals in the first three games. He is a lethal dose of hardness and creativity which, with added consistency, has made him one of the most impactful front-half players of the season.
# North Melbourne will look to establish a more consistent brand of footy over these four quarters. The Swans picked their way through North’s team defence and they meet this year’s No.1 ball movement team in the Suns. If they can’t win contests in front of the ball, the Roos will struggle to slow their opposition in general play.
# Nick Larkey continues to be North’s go-to man in front of the ball. Despite modest supply at times, he presents constantly and is a handful to quell. Will Mac Andrew be handed the challenge to step up against the opposition’s best? It’ll depend on where Larkey roams but the decision will be instructive for the role the Suns wish him to play.
FAST FACT: Gold Coast has won 11 of its 21 matches against North Melbourne, its highest victory tally against any side.
CARLTON v WEST COAST - Adelaide Oval, 1.20pm
# This is a game the Blues just have to win. They have continued to be scarred by the shock loss in round 1 against the Tigers and getting on the board here is crucial. It doesn’t need to be pretty and most likely won’t be, but the grind is where it’s at, and absolute effort and investment in “team” needs to be visible to all.
# Harry McKay returns to the Blues in what everyone surely sees as a good thing all round. His openness during the week was brilliant and I am looking forward to him running around, playing the game he loves and contributing to his team. You don’t have to be perfect Harry, just go out, have a crack and show us what you’ve got.
# The Tim Kelly non-selection is a sign of reinforcing standards in the Eagles’ camp. While we can see vision where workrate off the ball has been highlighted, no one externally can know all the reasons that this decision was made. The coaches’ role is to set non-negotiables on and off the field for the benefit of the team. When these aren’t met, decisions need to be made, no matter the status you may have held in the game.
# There has been plenty of commentary around Oscar Allen for a few weeks now. This has overshadowed his poor form. His challenge, as always, is to find the necessary intrinsic motivation and purpose in his football to find form regardless of what is happening off the field. What’s done is done, and what will be will be, so empty out as a leader of your team and bring all of your obvious talents to the table.
FAST FACT: Carlton has won its past four matches against West Coast by an average winning margin of 77 points. Charlie Curnow booted 24 goals in three of those victories. He missed last year’s round 23 clash because of injury.
WESTERN BULLDOGS v BRISBANE LIONS - Norwood Oval, 4.15pm
# For the first time this year the Dogs ran out of puff in their attempt to chase down the Dockers last week. This week’s challenge will be very different on the tight confines of Norwood Oval … hardness in the clinches will be the order of the day and the big bodies of Tom Liberatore, Ed Richards, Matt Kennedy, James Harmes and Ryley Sanders will be called upon to impose their inside game.
# In that space “Libba” has been in great shape and is in perhaps career-best form in the early rounds this year. If you get the chance to watch him live, he just takes the direct line to contests and wins them. Again and again and again. He doesn’t have a classical running gait and there is nothing conventional about Libba but, my god, how effective he is!!
# Harris Andrews has been one of the elite intercept players in the competition for many years but he hasn’t always played on the opposition’s best forwards. Sam Darcy has quickly become the best tall forward target in the league and Andrews’ guile, aggression and body smarts will be fully tested in what proves to be a marquee match up.
# Jaspa Fletcher has been freed up from his wing and is exploring his creativity from half-back. In modern football the discipline required of the wing role often holds you on one side of the ground, and it can be a high workrate, thankless task. In his new role, we are seeing Fletcher showcase a different skill-set from behind the ball which in the long term is going to see him fully develop into his AFL career.
FAST FACT: Western Bulldogs have won three of their past seven games against the Brisbane Lions. The Dogs have not kicked more than 80 points in any of those clashes.
MELBOURNE v ESSENDON - Adelaide Oval, 7.35pm
# Melbourne tried to get its ball use going last week with an extra number around the ball. While the Demons lost the game, they did have more inside 50s than Geelong. Will they go to the well again this week? Can they get better at using the extra number up the ground so that the last kick inside 50 is in the hands of a player with more time and space? The Bombers will give them a look, so stay aggressive and be prepared to swallow any mistakes as you continue the adjustment.
# Kade Chandler has shone through the early-season Melbourne gloom. Either as a high forward, or up on the wing last week, his consistent workrate and contest has been admirable. He seems like a very team oriented player, disciplined in role and fit and ready to commit to team. It’s no wonder he is playing career-best footy.
# What have the Bombers focused on during their early season bye? We should expect a reinforcement of the attitude and effort that gave them a welcome win against Port Adelaide a fortnight ago. The coach shifted a lot of magnets and his players responded. A midfield target for Sam Durham, Dylan Shiel back in the guts, Harrison Jones forward, and Zach Reid on the opposition’s most dangerous. Get these roles right and Zach Merrett and Nic Martin’s impact goes through the roof.
# Saad El-Hawli showed some run and dare as the sub late in the Port Adelaide contest. It’s exciting and refreshing to see unshackled talent for the first time and the difference it made was clear to all. That type of attitude can rub off on teammates so expect Mason Redman and Andrew McGrath to take the game on even further in El-Hawli’s wake.
FAST FACT: Melbourne averages a paltry 62 points per game from four matches this season. Its highest score has been 11.8 (74) in round 1 against Greater Western Sydney.
Originally published as AFL round 4: Nathan Buckley previews Super Saturday on Fox Footy
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