Early Tackle: All the likes and dislikes from round 7 so far

Sam Powell-Pepper has filed his contender for the miss of the season, comically failing to goal from 10m out against North Melbourne. Round 7 likes and dislikes.

Dominated by the Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG, round 7 has already been a big one. And with no shortage of talking points.

Steele Sidebottom isn’t finished yet, the Pies might be premiership favourites, Melbourne has a secret weapon and Fremantle’s win over Adelaide raised more questions about both sides.

Glenn McFarlane dissects it all and names his early likes and dislikes.

Jamie Elliott booted five on Anzac Day. Picture: Michael Klein

LIKES

‘BILLY’ THE BOMBER BUSTER

Essendon fans must feel nauseous wherever they see the Collingwood No.5 jumper.

We’re not just talking about memories of Nathan Buckley, but the man who has worn that jumper since 2015 – Jamie Elliott – has reserved some of his best work for the Bombers.

Thirty years on from when Buckley turned in an inspirational game in the inaugural Pies-Bombers Anzac Day drawn clash, Elliott was one of the Magpie stars of the 2025 game, kicking five goals – half the number of majors kicked by Essendon.

On Friday Elliott became the 15th Collingwood player in VFL-AFL history to kick more than 300 goals – and the way the 32-year-old is playing, he might even push into the top 10 before his career ends.

It came just a week after he played his 200th AFL match.

‘Billy’ Elliott famously sunk the Bombers with a remarkable after-the-siren goal in 2022, which is forever etched in the rivalry between these two sides, and he has kicked more majors against Essendon than against any other club (32 goals from 16 games).

Only two Collingwood players this century have kicked more goals than Elliott – Travis Cloke 441 and Anthony Rocca 321 (404 across his whole career).

Incredibly, in terms of goals, Elliott could already be in the high 300s or perhaps the 400s if it hadn’t been for his battle with his body at stages of his career.

He missed two full seasons (2016 and 2018) and Champion Data stats reveal he has missed a total of 91 games to injury in his career – including 31 with hamstrings, 25 with his back and 15 with his ankle.

He told colleague Jon Ralph recently that he feared his career was in jeopardy last year when he faced a complicated vascular issue in his foot. That seems a million miles away now, as Elliott is in outstanding form this season as he eyes off another premiership assault.

PRIDE AND PRESSURE LIONS

The scoreboard was ugly last week for the Lions against the Magpies, but Chris Fagan would have been just as furious with the tackle count.

The Lions had only 28 tackles.

Fagan’s reigning premiers were always going to smash that figure against the Saints after a week of soul searching and internal focus.

In fact, on Saturday, the Lions’ top four tacklers - Hugh McCluggage (11), Josh Dunkley (nine), Oscar McInerney (six) and Zak Bailey (five) - beat that tally by themselves as the team reeled in 57 tackles, almost 30 more than last week.

It was far from a complete performance from the Lions, and at times Fagan’s gum-chewing on the boundary line went into overdrive, but it was the tough, gritty win that his side simply needed as a response.

Brisbane players mob milestone man Callum Ah Chee after his goal against St Kilda.

Maybe the Magpies’ loss was an aberration. We’ll find that out soon, but Fagan could not have been critical of the application this week, even if the execution wasn’t always pinpoint.

It was a possession blitz as four Lions helped themselves to 30-plus disposals - Will Ashcroft (35), Dayne Zorko (34), Neale (31 and three goals) and Darcy Wilmot (30) - while Eric Hipwood kicked four goals and Bailey kicked three but it would have been more, including a close-in shot that could have been a goal of the year contender if it hadn’t sliced left.

One concern is Charlie Cameron’s dose of the yips. He finished with 0.4, and went without a major for the third straight week, for only the second time in his 234-game AFL career.

He’s never gone four weeks without a goal … so he will be a big watch against the Suns next Sunday.

STEELE OF THE 2008 DRAFT

If there was still any doubt – and there hasn’t been for quite a few years – Steele Sidebottom is the best performing player of the 2008 national draft.

Almost 17 years on from the much-talked about draft when Jack Watts and Nic Naitanui went head to head for the No.1 pick, the Magpies can still barely believe their luck that Sidebottom was there at pick 11, despite kicking 10 goals in a TAC Cup grand final only weeks beforehand.

They had quietly resolved to pick him after Sidebottom’s preliminary final performance, but Collingwood’s then recruiting guru Derek Hine thought the Pies had lost their chance after his grand final heroics.

Hine told us: “I distinctly remember ringing (Collingwood’s then assistant coach) Brad (Scott) after the (TAC grand final) and saying to him: ‘Well, that’s the f------ end of that, there is no chance we are going to get him at pick 11 now.”

The fear was that someone would put him earlier than pick 11, and the club that Sidebottom supported – Essendon – loomed large.

Instead, the Bombers went with Michael Hurley (who turned out to be a very good player impacted by injury) at pick five, and Carlton, Brisbane, Richmond, North Melbourne and Adelaide had selections that followed before Hine shouted out Sidebottom’s name.

Scott, now Essendon coach, must have wished on Friday that the Bombers had called out Sidebottom’s name back in 2008 as the Magpies veteran reeled off 35 disposals, 15 clearances and almost 600 metres gained.

It’s a solid draft on reassessment, with Naitanui winning two B&Fs and two All-Australians, with others including Rory Sloane, Luke Shuey, Daniel Rich, Jack Ziebell, Phil Davis, Dan Hannebery, Liam Shiels, Michael Walters and co having strong careers.

But Sidebottom is playing as well as ever – at 34 – and looks to have plenty left in the tank to add to his CV which already includes two flags, two B&Fs (with maybe another one this year), second in the 2018 Brownlow Medal, one All-Australian (with a downpayment already on this year) and the rare ability to be able to play in a host of roles.

Andrew Brayshaw a Brownlow smoky? Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

BRAYSHAW’S BROWNLOW CASE AND REVIEW THAT SHOOK UP DOCKERS

This was the response that Fremantle desperately needed, even if the Dockers took their foot off Adelaide’s throat in the last half hour.

Can we trust them yet?

It’s too early for that, but Friday’s victory was a big step forward on the Easter shocker against Melbourne and a lot of it clearly had to do with the coach.

Star midfielder Caleb Serong said Freo’s review of that Demons game was stark and to the point, and while it was a players’ led response, he made it clear on Fox Footy that Justin Longmuir’s stern approach had a fair bit to do with it.

“JL challenged us early in the week, but it was a player driven thing,” Serong said. “There was frustration earlier in the week from a playing perspective … and (also) at training.”

And the usually low-key Luke Ryan was one of the most vocal in challenging the group, with Serong saying: “Lukey Ryan is a man of few words in team meetings, but he led the charge … when he speaks, guys listen.”

On the field, it was Andrew Brayshaw and Serong who led the midfield charge, with the star mids likely splitting the three and two Brownlow votes – and not for the first time in 2025.

Both are proven Brownlow vote getters, and Brayshaw ($21) and Serong ($15) might be worth a little each way bet.

And while we are at it, well done to Freo for the way they have built the Len Hall Anzac match into such a great occasion over almost 30 years.

THE BOWSER FACTOR

Checker Hughes Medal winner Max Gawn was right post-game when he gave important Melbourne defender Jake Bowey a massive shoutout after the Demons’ solid win over Richmond on Anzac Eve.

He joked post-game on Channel 7 that Bowey would be leading the Demons best and fairest after round 7 “by about 100 votes”.

That’s not the case but Bowey could well be in front of the Bluey Truscott Medal if voting stopped now after a slashing start to what has been a challenging season for his club so far.

He is a great user of the ball when it is in his hands and the beauty of Bowey’s form this year is that he is getting it much more than he has in the past.

He is averaging 24 disposals per game – seven more than his next best return – and his 32-disposal, nine mark and five clearance game against the Tigers highlighted his work.

Injuries hurt the 22-year-old’s impact last year and even when he returned he couldn’t quite get going but the 2021 premiership player is in career-best form.

DISLIKES

SPP's horror miss

HOW DID SPP MISS THAT?

We’ve had plenty of unforgettable misses and shanked shots so far this season (Pete Ladhams included), but Sam Powell-Pepper almost took it to a new level on Saturday.

He was standing at the top of the square and ready to slot through what looked like a certain goal when the moment got to him.

The Power forward stepped in and ended up coming in too close to the mark and he barrelled the kick right into Charlie Comben as the Adelaide Oval crowd watched on in disbelief.

Powell-Pepper’s teammate Mitch Georgiades had his own shocker in the second term when he marked about 15 metres out on a slight angle. He played on and his left foot snap went sky-high and almost at right angles, failing to even score.

THE STATS THAT DAMNED THE SAINTS

Ross Lyon has a problem. For the third straight week the Saints lost the territory battle and they paid for it on the scoreboard.

It was always going to be an issue for St Kilda coming up against the reigning premier who had been wounded by an Easter Thursday flogging.

But other than 15 minutes here and there — and a few other hand-picked moments — the Saints were outclassed by a better, more experienced outfit eager on striking early.

This game could have been over as early as the first term when the Saints had only six inside 50s to Brisbane’s 24, but the Lions’ inaccuracy in front of goal left the door ajar.

But the Saints weren’t capable of barging through it.

Ross Lyon and his Saints suddenly have big problems to solve. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Three early wins this season gave St Kilda fans hope, but the three losses that have followed have been very disappointing -28 against GWS, -71 against the Bulldogs and -45 against the Lions. Add to that, a -63 loss to Adelaide in round 1.

The 3-4 win-loss ratio isn’t a surprise, given the tough fixture to start the season, but clashes with Fremantle and Carlton in the next fortnight could determine their fortunes.

The Saints’ task wasn’t made any easier when they subbed out Hugo Garcia before halftime which left them one-man short when Mason Wood suffered a concussion during the third term.

Lyon made some changes which might pay dividends, changing up the midfield mix at stages, which included pushing Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera into the mix.

Nas got going after halftime, with 32 disposals and more than 700 metres gained.

But the reality was, the Saints couldn’t get close to their opponents…

The gap was a chasm, and Lyon’s men have plenty of work to do.

WILL THE REAL ADELAIDE PLEASE STAND UP?

Three wins to start the season; then three losses in their past four games … It’s hard to know what to make of Adelaide in a make-or-break year for coach Matthew Nicks.

Their best is sublime, powerful and high-scoring. Their worst is middle of the road stuff and we got both versions against the Dockers.

The Crows were blown out of the water in the first half hour, conceding six goals to one in the first term and Nicks’ side was playing catch-up thereafter.

Yes, they made the margin more respectable with a four-goal to nil final term, but their efforts in the first and third terms showed some real vulnerability.

The much-vaunted midfield was smashed. They lost the clearances 30-38, centre clearances 7-11 and the stoppage clearances 23-27.

And the absence of Darcy Fogarty in attack hurt, so Nicks will be praying that Riley Thilthorpe overcomes the finger issue that troubled him on Friday night.

It wasn’t a good night in Perth for Riley Thilthorpe and the Crows. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

At 4-3, it is not a time to panic, but with three crunch matches coming up against Carlton (Adelaide Oval), Port Adelaide and Collingwood (MCG) ahead, we’ll get to know a lot more about a team on face value that should be playing finals in 2025.

Anything else after a 3-0 start would be a failure.

MASSIVE TICK FOR ANZAC DAY BUT CAN WE GET MORE THAN 92,000 AT THE ‘G?

When is a sell-out not a sell-out?

It’s a pertinent question because – as always – one of the hottest tickets in town during the week was to the Collingwood-Essendon Anzac Day clash.

Yet several thousand people who paid for a ticket didn’t turn up, perhaps turned away by threat of heavy rain.

We shouldn’t ever say that 92,044 fans turning up to the MCG on arguably the greatest day on the calendar is a disappointment, but so many people who wanted a ticket and missed out would have looked at the final attendance and wondered how it happened.

It’s a complicated issue and not easily fixed because people are within their rights to buy a ticket and not turn up.

But is there a way we could look at an EPL-style situation where if you can’t make it to the game for some reason, you can on-sell it for the same price to ensure we push closer to 95,000+ rather than 92,044?

Let’s hope so.

TIGERS NEED TO BE BETTER IN DEALING WITH PRESSURE

Richmond has already won two more games than some critics thought it would this year, but they do need to keep working on dealing with pressure.

They have been ranked 17th and 18th for pressure and tackling, and it showed in patches of the Anzac Eve clash with Melbourne.

Those two things have to be non-negotiables going forward.

The Tigers could manage only 42 tackles – 30 less than their opponents on Friday – seven less than their season average.

Yes, we understand why, given how young Adem Yze’s team is right now, but it is definitely an RFA going forward.

Dealing with the pressure off the field is another point too.

Tigers chief executive Shane Dunne conceded on 3AW that in hindsight he should have attended the Yze press conference during the week to address the Noah Balta penalties, which included a curfew that cost the big man playing in the Anzac Eve clash.

It shouldn’t have just been the coach fronting up. But at least Dunne acknowledged that.

Originally published as Early Tackle: All the likes and dislikes from round 7 so far