Early Tackle: All the early likes and dislikes from round 18 of the AFL season
On the road against the Bulldogs, the Crows showed just how far they've come in 2025. Now, it's time to officially mark them as a premiership chance.
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The Suns are golden, the Lions have put their on the road issues to bed, the Pies have a missing link and where two for the Blues’ biggest stars?
Glenn McFarlane names his likes and dislikes of round 18 so far.
LIKES
TIGERS WIN ‘WORST GAME IN YEARS’
Let’s allocate those four premiership points to Richmond, laud three-time premiership defender Nick Vlastuin in his 250th game … and never speak of this game again.
It was a fair dinkum shocker, and surely one of the worst AFL games of the modern era.
The Tigers deserved to win because they fought harder and wanted it now for their milestone man, who fittingly laid a desperate spoil in the dying seconds as Essendon was going forward.
It was typical Vlastuin, a selfless act in a moment when his team needed him, as he has done across his career.
Richmond had come from behind to win this awful match, kicking three goals to one in the second half after both sides failed to kick a major in a dreadful second term.
In fact, the Tigers didn’t kick a goal in the second or third quarters, but still won the game.
“It was ugly, but a win’s a win,” Vlastuin said on Fox Footy, praising the young Tigers, including debutant Taj Hotton, who kicked a goal on debut and helped to get his team moving when the game mattered in the final term.
“A lot of the boys were out on their feet … the young boys stood up. Taj stood up.”
Some predicted the Tigers might not win a game this season, but they are up to four now, scoring for the first time since round 9.
Winning ugly still counts for four points!
DOCKERS DO IT FOR SONNY
Fremantle leapt back into the top eight with a come-from-behind victory over Hawthorn that has restored faith in the club’s finals hopes and gifted retired veteran Michael ‘Sonny’ Walters the perfect farewell tribute.
Walters called it quits during the week after a long career at the Dockers, and his teammates played with his never-say-die spirit in the dying moments to overcome the Hawks.
The Dockers looked to be done and dusted at stages of the third term but inspired by a great comeback game from tenacious small forward Sam Switkowski, who kicked three goals and laid countless desperate defensive efforts, they pushed themselves back inside the top eight.
Walters watched on as the Dockers jumped above the Bulldogs on the ladder, and was fittingly chaired off after the game by Shai Bolton and Michael Fredericks.
It had been a huge week at the Dockers with coach Justin Longmuir defending his club after falling out of the top eight and his team responded magnificently.
They now must head to Melbourne to take on ladder leaders Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday, in what looms as another big challenge.
GOLD STANDARDS
Gold Coast had to beat Collingwood twice on Friday night, and that’s why this gritty six-point victory sits comfortably as the Suns’ greatest on-field moment in 5214 days.
That’s the span of the Suns’ first game against Carlton in 2011 through to the club’s first victory over a top of the table side on Friday night.
In many ways, this looks like being a defining moment for Gold Coast – for the football club and for the code in the region.
The stadium was humming, the club’s two most important players and Brownlow Medal fancies – Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell – were imperious under pressure, and as Bailey Humphrey said on Triple M, “the old Gold Coast would have lost that game.”
This time they didn’t.
Damien Hardwick’s team beat the Pies in the first half with fast-paced but disciplined football, which Rowell helped to set up.
Then they had to win it a second time midway through the last term after losing the lead, off the back of some Anderson heroics.
Two massive clearances from Anderson in the space of one minute and 13 seconds resulted in two game-winning goals midway through the last term.
The skipper helped set up the first one for Ben Long, then owned the moment by kicking the second.
Collingwood could only manage three behinds after that.
And Rowell was almost unstoppable through the midfield, with 32 disposals (18 contested), 12 clearances and 13 tackles.
The Suns still have some work to do to qualify for a maiden finals berth, but the down payment has been made.
BUCKLE UP, THIL-SEEKERS
Riley Thilthorpe wasn’t even born the last time Adelaide won a premiership and he was a Crows-mad teenager when the club last played in a finals series eight years ago.
Now the 22-year-old powerhouse forward, who kicked a career-best 6.0 to lead his team to victory over the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, “looms as a huge force” heading towards September, according to someone who should know.
Dermott Brereton said on Fox Footy that Thilthorpe could be the difference for the Crows as they look ahead to their first finals series since the club’s power stance backfired and Richmond smashed them in the 2017 grand final.
“They’ve just come around the corner at the 400-metre mark heading into the straight … and he (Thilthorpe) looms large,” Brereton said of the Crows race towards the finals.
In what was a land of the giants’ epic at Marvel Stadium, Thilthorpe combined for 11 goals with his triple threat teammates Darcy Fogarty (three goals) and Taylor Walker (two goals), while Aaron Naughton (5.1) and Sam Darcy (two goals) led the way at the other end.
The Crows started the season under intense pressure with Matthew Nicks’ job on the line, but their 12-5 scoreline means a top four berth should be theirs.
Four of their last six games in the rundown to the finals will be at the Adelaide Oval, with their two away games coming against West Coast and North Melbourne.
They did it the hard way against the Bulldogs, with defender Jordan Butts sent to hospital with a collapsed lung, while Brayden Cook was sidelined with concussion after a sickening, accidental head knock with Rory Lobb.
The cause of Butts’ injury remained a mystery, though vision showed he did cop a minor knock to the chest from his opponent Sam Darcy at one stage.
But the Crows were up for the challenge on Saturday, and just as ready for the greater challenges that lie ahead across the next few months.
Can they win the flag? Absolutely.
Any team with a potent forward line like the Crows must be rated a chance!
CAD’S SUPER SIX
Take a bow, Aaron Cadman, that was some sort of performance.
The young Giants’ forward kicked a career-high six goals, with his four goals in the space of 17 minutes during the third term turning the game in the home side’s favour.
Those goals came from all angles and all directions, and showed just how far the former No.1 draft pick has come in a relatively short time.
The 21-year-old soared high to drag down a few screamers and made it count when shooting for goal in a mature performance, taking his yearly tally to 32 goals from 17 games.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 31-year-old Jake Stringer delivered his most productive performance with his third club, nailing four goals.
The Giants have now won four games in a row, including three against contenders (Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast and Geelong), enhancing their September credentials.
It was a fitting way to celebrate Lachie Whitfield’s 250th AFL match.
ROAD WARRIORS
Remember when Brisbane Lions struggled to win away from the Gabba? That’s a distant memory now.
Chris Fagan’s team has a ‘win anywhere, win anytime’ philosophy and they thrive like the very good sides when they are on the road.
The Lions’ effortless win over Carlton – the final margin didn’t necessarily match the ease – on Thursday night was their 15th win away from their Gabba base since the club’s 2024 mid-season bye.
That’s 15 wins from their past 18 games away from the Gabba in that time. Two of those away losses came by less than a kick – a one-point MCG loss to Collingwood at the back end of last year’s home and away season and a five-point loss to Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in round 13 when the Lions kicked themselves out of it.
A draw with North Melbourne in Hobart was the only other non-win away from the Gabba in that time.
Part of the Lions’ success has come off the back of their forward 50m pressure and that was very much on show on Thursday night.
Brisbane had 20 forward 50m tackles against the Blues, which was the club’s second highest tally in four seasons.
They rank No.6 in terms of forward 50m tackles (averaging 11.5 per game) this season.
UMPS TEST CASE MIGHT BRING CHANGE OF BEHAVIOUR
All eyes will be on Adam Cerra’s tribunal appearance on Tuesday – and a likely heavy fine – as the AFL demands player behaviour change in relation to careless contact for umpires.
The Blues midfielder collided with umpire Rob O’Gorman on Thursday night, which was his fourth instance of umpire contact charge in two years.
He is at risk of being suspended, but is more likely to cop a big fine, as part of the AFL’s recent crackdown on umpire contact.
Player behaviour must change in this regard and while on-field congestion is always a challenging situation and the umps can also get better, we can’t have the officiators being bowled over week in and week out.
DISLIKES
OH NO, NOT AGAIN BOMBERS!
This is getting more predictable by the week … an undermanned and out of confidence Essendon lost another game and lost a few more key soldiers in the process.
The Bombers’ season from hell has gone from very bad to even worse, and it doesn’t get any easier as they have to face the Giants on Thursday night.
They lost their second best player Nic Martin to a knee injury just five minutes into the game, which is another hammerblow given their huge injury toll this season has pushed them to the brink.
It’s not yet known how serious Martin’s injury is but he was on crutches and had iced applied to his knee after the match.
Essendon also lost Will Setterfield during the game on a night to forget.
Neither team kicked a goal in the second term and it looked as if Brad Scott’s team might have the narrow ascendancy through the third term.
The Bombers had so many chances to score but just couldn’t find clear possession or a clear passage when it looked likely.
In the end, the experience of Richmond’s veterans and the dare of their youth just tipped the scales in their favour as the Bombers face a long run home to the end of the season.
Fans would have been happy to hear the final siren sound as this game was next level bad.
PIES’ MISSING LINK IN THEIR THREE LOSSES
Collingwood will take plenty of lessons out of the Gold Coast near-miss after turning a goalless first half into a stunning second half fightback that fell just short.
But the red alert in the Magpies’ three losses this season won’t be lost on Craig McRae – goal kicking efficiency.
Collingwood has kicked a combined 26.46 in its three losses this season.
That’s not the sole reason why the Magpies have lost to GWS (6.16), Geelong (12.15) and Gold Coast (8.15), but it has played a part in those defeats.
What started as a trickle of behinds on Friday night became a procession of 0.9 before Tim Membrey finally got the ball rolling in the second half.
Too many early misses hurt and the compound effect sapped the confidence of others. That is something that can – and must –- be fixed.
DOGS STILL SEEKING BIG SCALP
Luke Beveridge must be getting sick of honourable losses against top eight sides after falling 11 points short against Adelaide.
It wasn’t through a lack of trying, or some Marcus Bontempelli brilliance, but the result had a familiar narrative to it.
Add this loss to similar ones against Collingwood (-6), Fremantle (-16), Brisbane Lions (-21), Gold Coast (-10), Geelong (-14) and Hawthorn (-22).
Bevo joked last week that the Dogs were not “Navajo Indians” but he did acknowledge his team was doing everything possible to take a big scalp for the first time this season.
At times they looked capable of knocking off the Crows, but Adelaide was simply more adept at hitting the scoreboard and controlling play, hitting back each time the Dogs made a charge.
Naughton was outstanding with five goals, Bontempelli was unstoppable with 37 disposals and 778 metres gained, while Ed Richards nailed two goals in his haul of 29 possessions.
Would the Dogs have won this game if it had been played at Mars Stadium in Ballarat, as it had originally been scheduled? Perhaps.
But that doesn’t matter now.
The only thing that matters is that Bevo’s Bulldogs get another chance at knocking off a premiership contender next week, when they tackle Brisbane at the Gabba next Friday.
The degree of difficulty is huge. But the reward would be just as big, given their spot within the eight is still far from assured with six more games to go.
CATS’ GIANT PROBLEM
This is fast becoming a problem for Chris Scott’s Cats, who haven’t beaten the Giants in the past three seasons.
While Geelong kicked the first three goals of Saturday’s clash at Engie Stadium, they couldn’t match the home side when it mattered and this loss makes it four in a row against Greater Western Sydney.
Most of their big names failed to fire, with Jeremy Cameron clearly hampered by a groin issue and Patrick Dangerfield copping plenty of close attention and restricted to seven disposals.
Shannon Neale kicked five of the club’s 13 goals in a positive display, but he didn’t have enough support.
The loss leaves the Cats at 11-6, though their last six weeks pits them against teams currently out of the top eight (St Kilda, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Sydney and Richmond).
COULD TDK PAY THE PRICE IN THE COMING WEEKS?
Tom De Koning had an AFL Rating of No.10 in the first seven rounds of 2025; in the weeks since the out of form big man has slumped to No.250.
It’s clearly an indication of how much stress he is feeling at the moment as he considers the mind-boggling $1.7m per season offer from St Kilda, as well as dealing with the recent role change with the Blues.
Michael Voss is currently playing Marc Pittonet as the No.1 ruckman, while TDK is struggling to adapt forward, a position in which he doesn’t look comfortable
That’s OK while Harry McKay is out of the team injured, but the Blues’ big man squeeze is coming.
McKay is an outside chance to play next week against Melbourne, but is more likely to return the week after against Hawthorn.
If Pittonet’s solid form continues, and if TDK continues to struggle with the role and with the attention, a big decision might have to be made at selection.
Could the man considering the life-changing offer go back to the VFL at some stage?
CHARLIE’S 19 QUARTERS WITHOUT A MAJOR
It’s never a good sign when you have three separate surgeries heading in the space of a few months ahead of a new season.
Charlie Curnow is paying the price for that lack of a pre-season base now.
He started to clunk a few marks again on Thursday night but still couldn’t muster a goal for the fourth time in as many weeks.
It’s the first time he has done across four games since he was a 10-game player in 2017.
Curnow is 0.9 since he nailed his last goal – in the first term against West Coast in round 14, which means he hasn’t kicked a major in 19 consecutive quarters.
As Champion Data detailed, Curnow’s first half stats (6.8 disposals, 1.4 F50 marks and 1.2 goals) drop off in the second half (4.9 disposals, 0.8 F50 marks and 0.5 goals).
He’ll end that drought soon, but his second half drop offs this year is surely as much about missing pre-season conditioning as anything else.
Curnow has gone from an AFL Rating of 29 in the first 17 rounds of last season to 164 since round 18, 2024.
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Originally published as Early Tackle: All the early likes and dislikes from round 18 of the AFL season
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