Mick McGuane’s biggest disappointments, stars and improvers in 2025 so far
As we tick over the halfway mark of the season, Mick McGuane has decided to hand out some awards. See his votes across all nine categories here, including those who haven’t lived up to expectation.
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As clubs enjoy a break over the bye rounds, it is time to hand out some mid-season awards.
Here are Mick McGuane’s 3-2-1 votes across nine categories — including the clubs, coaches and players under the microscope and those who have lit up 2025 to date.
MOST IMPROVED TEAMS OF 2025
3 – Collingwood
2- Adelaide
1- Gold Coast
The Magpies finished ninth with 12 wins last season. This year they sit on top of the ladder and already have 10 wins under their belt. Players are conforming to roles within a strong system that is separating this team from the majority of the competition. Collingwood is generating intercepts and then going forward at speed, where it has a multitude of options to hit the scoreboard. But it is also the No. 1 team for defending its own turnovers and has kept some quality opposition sides to low scores overall, including the Western Bulldogs (70 points), Adelaide (68 points) and Hawthorn (56 points).
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks deserves credit for some good coaching on the run which has delivered a better balance in his side’s profile. Across the first five games, the Crows averaged 120 points for and 92 points against. Since then they have averaged 92 points for and just 67 points against, thanks to a greater emphasis on team defence which will get a good litmus test against Brisbane on Friday night.
Under second-year coach Damien Hardwick, Gold Coast is increasingly looking like Richmond of 2017 with its at-ball pressure, territory game, forward-half intercepts, team synergy and improved run off halfback. Captain Noah Anderson has taken his leadership to another level to head the charge.
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAMS OF 2025
3 - Sydney
2- Port Adelaide
1- Carlton
It has been a fair fall from grace for the Swans. Adelaide’s Wayne Milera described them as a “rabble” last week and that is exactly what they looked like, with their back-six being disconnected and easy to score against. There have been some key injuries — including to Erroll Gulden and Tom Papley — while the Tom McCartin forward experiment didn’t work and good players including Oliver Florent, James Rowbottom and Nick Blakey have been out of form. Sydney has been too reliant on too few to get the job done and as soon as the opposition has clogged up the corridor, there hasn’t been a plan B.
Port Adelaide has had similar problems with its defence, coughing up an average of 96 points against which is the club’s worst result under coach Ken Hinkley. The loss of Dan Houston cannot be underestimated in that equation, because he is not just a kicker but is also an interceptor who can play tall and has been sadly missed.
Carlton continues to do a lot right defensively and ranks third for inside-50 differential. But the Blues don’t have a class kicker going inside-50 to capitalise on their territory wins and recent drop-offs in form for Jacob Weitering and Tom De Koning haven’t helped the cause. Is his contract situation weighing down De Koning, after such a hot first seven rounds?
MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS OF 2025
3 – Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs)
2 – Ned Long (Collingwood)
1 – Ben Long (Gold Coast)
I’ve got nothing but admiration for Richards, the one-time rebounding halfback who got his midfield opportunity last year and has taken his game to another level again this season. He is Champion Data’s No. 1 rated player this season and does damage with his disposals. He has recorded 25 score assists this season — nine more than any other Bulldog. Even when he has received close opposition attention — as he did against Geelong in round 11 — Richards has been able to work through that and he turned the game to give his side a chance in that match against the Cats.
I thought Ned Long looked too slow and heavy last year, but he has got to work and has become a serious athlete with great power and brings competitiveness around the contest. He has become the clearance extractor that Collingwood desperately needed to complement Nick Daicos and others in that part of the ground.
Ben Long has been extraordinary for the Suns, hitting the scoreboard in all 10 matches and ranking elite for forward 50 marks, forward 50 pressure and goals (2.3 per game). Apologies go to Lachie Ash, Rhylee West and Mark Keane who could have also won a spot in this top-three.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYERS OF 2025
3 – Nick Blakey (Sydney)
2 – Tim Kelly (West Coast)
1 – Jacob van Rooyen (Melbourne)
I’ve always rated Blakey really highly, but he has been frustrating to watch in a disappointing year for the Swans. Statistically, most of his numbers are comparable to last year. But watching him closely, he has been making some questionable decisions on whether to go third or fourth up in marking contests and his ‘life and death’ defensive intent hasn’t been there. I feel like he’s playing passive footy, rather than the urgent mindset that his team desperately needs. One example of that is that he has only laid 17 tackles, compared to veteran Dane Rampe’s 33.
In a team that needs some experience and toughness around the footy, Kelly has gone missing. Especially with Elliot Yeo sidelined, it is time for him to take more responsibility and show young midfielders like Harley Reid and Elijah Hewett what it takes to become an elite onballer of the competition.
Melbourne would have been hoping to build its front half around van Rooyen and he is a competitive youngster who has teased the competition but has only kicked four goals across six games this year and has twice been dropped to the VFL. Other clubs will surely come knocking if that continues, thinking they could turn him into the next Jesse Hogan.
BEST 2024 OFF-SEASON TRADE OR FREE AGENCY MOVES
3 – Bailey Smith (Geelong)
2 – Matthew Kennedy (Western Bulldogs)
1 – Shai Bolton (Fremantle)
All three of these players have been transformational for their new clubs, with Smith and Kennedy both ranking among the top-20 players on Champion Data’s metrics. Smith penetrates the game with his run and makes things happen for the Cats when he gets involved in chains. He has been under the microscope — much of it brought on by himself — but has backed it up and has put himself in the Brownlow Medal conversation.
I thought Kennedy was too slow for Carlton’s midfield, but he has got to work to change his body shape and improve his speed. He has been second-highest clearance player at the Bulldogs this season and the third-highest inside-50 player, while he has also rotated forward at stages and has booted 14 goals. Bolton made a slow start to the season due to injury but has been building and can have a huge impact as a dynamic forward and change-up midfielder. Now he’s fit and is building connection with his new teammates, Bolton looks ready to explode in the second half of the season.
BEST OVERALL PLAYERS IN THE COMPETITION
3 – Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
2 – Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
1 – Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle)
We’re splitting hairs here, but Bontempelli gets my nomination as the best player in the competition right now. After missing the start of the season through injury, the Bulldogs skipper gave us a reminder of just how good he is in his first game back in round 6. Bontempelli does things others can’t and his ability to go forward and hit the scoreboard sets him apart. He ranks No. 1 in the competition for score involvements (9.5 per game) and has kicked eight goals from six games himself.
Daicos can play in all three areas of the ground. You might be able to slow him down for a quarter or a half, but his workrate and desire to win shone through against North Melbourne in round 11 as he has 28 disposals in the second half after being kept quiet to the main break. Brayshaw is not the Dockers captain, but he plays like he is. He’s a no fanfare player who works hard both sides of the ball and constantly keeps his head in the game. If he was at a big Melbourne club, the footy world would talk about him a lot more.
BEST UNDER-23 PLAYERS IN THE COMPETITION
3 – Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
2 – Sam Darcy (Western Bulldogs)
1 – Nasaiah Wanganeeen-Milera (St Kilda)
It’s remarkable what Daicos is already doing as a 22-year-old and he will only get better if he maintains his appetite for the grind. His gut-running to work from contest to contest stands out and it’s like if you stifle his run once, he’ll get you back with multiple surges of speed the next run. He simply outworks any opposition player or strategy to get the job done.
Darcy could have got the three votes on this list had he not been injured and continued his stunning first five games. Contested marking key forwards like him are hard to find and I can’t wait to see the 21-year-old back in action soon. He is the Bulldogs future. The Saints need to keep Wanganeen-Milera, who is going to evolve into an elite midfielder in time. He’s agile, can find space when in possession, sees the game really well and is classy by foot. Apologies go to Riley Thilthorpe, Max Holmes, Ollie Dempsey and Josh Rachele who all narrowly missed the cut but have impressed this year.
BEST OVER-30 VETERANS IN THE COMPETITION
3 – Max Gawn (Melbourne)
2 – Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
1 – Jamie Elliott (Collingwood)
Melbourne was 0-5 earlier this year when Gawn seemingly went, ‘Stuff this, follow me’. His next month of footy after that point was not only a sign of his ability but also his reliance and appetite to be a winner. He plays every game as a ruckman and gets battered every week, so his preparation has to be A1. He ranks No. 1 among ruckmen for contested possessions (14.5 per game) and score involvements (7.7 per game), but it is that leadership aspect that elevates him even further from his peers.
Liberatore is one of the best extractors of the ball from inside to outside that I have ever seen play the game, right up there with Gary Ablett Jnr. He’s a blue-collar onballer who you would want to play with and he not only brings ball-winning ability and defensive intent but also controlled aggression to stand up for his mates when there is some heat in the game. Elliott is the first player since Josh Kennedy (2006-07) to kick five goals four times in a six-week period. He’s only 177cm but is an incredibly difficult match up because he can beat an opponent in multiple ways.
MOST UNDER THE MICROSCOPE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR
3 – Ken Hinkley (Port Adelaide)
2 – Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
1 – Adam Kingsley (GWS Giants)
Will Ken Hinkley survive the year as Port Adelaide coach? I was never a fan of the succession plan and it is getting messier by the week. Having had a bye to analyse and assess what has gone wrong this season, we need to see some improvement quickly. Otherwise, it might come to a point where Hinkley goes to the club or the club goes to him and a decision is made to give Josh Carr some clean air.
De Goey could be the final piece in Collingwood’s premiership puzzle — if he can get himself fit. Having battled groin issues, he is back running and he looks to have lightened off in a bid to become more dynamic and less prone to groin troubles. Ned Long has taken De Goey’s spot in the midfield for now, but De Goey can also play forward and his return would put pressure on the other on-ballers to maintain their form, including veterans Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom.
At GWS, coach Adam Kingsley’s honeymoon is over. Can he now deliver the Giants a premiership? Kingsley’s side is still racking up some wins, despite being nowhere near their best. You don’t win flags in June but there is something wrong when the Giants are losing the contested possession count by 29 in a home game against Richmond.
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