The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from round 13
A looming date with his bunny St Kilda couldn’t come at a better time for Aaron Naughton, writes Jay Clark, as the Bulldogs slip from flag fancies to possibly losing touch with the top eight.
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There’s still some footy to come in round 13, but there’s enough to take in and reflect upon too, starting at the Bulldogs, who have quickly slipped from flag fancy to out of the current top eight.
Jay Clark gives his likes and dislikes from the weekend’s action so far.
DISLIKES
1. ASTRO-NAUGHT
Aaron Naughton has destroyed St Kilda on a couple of occasions.
The Saints overlooked the big man twice in the 2017 national draft when they took Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield ahead of the West Australian key defender-turned-forward.
With 16 goals against the Saints in his past four games including bags of five and six majors, Naughton has certainly made them pay.
They are his bunnies, the Saints.
And Thursday night’s clash between the Dogs and St Kilda has come around just in time for the spearhead whose form has wobbled and waned at times this season as the number one banana without Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Naughton is still on track for a 40-goal season after bagging 19 in 11 games which can’t be sneezed at.
But Naughton, 25, just hasn’t clunked marks like he did in other seasons.
The 195cm forward who reeled in 65 contested marks in 2021 and 53 in 2019 has taken only 12 contested grabs so far this season as he deals with collapsing defences in the wake of Darcy’s and Ugle-Hagan’s absence.
It is a huge game for the Dogs who are at risk of losing touch with the eight if they can’t knock off the Saints, after a promising start to the season guaranteed a two-year contract extension for coach Luke Beveridge.
And Naughton’s aerial attack on the ball and unwavering team ethos can rarely be faltered. His teammates adore his selflessness.
But the reality is the man who signed a whopping eight-year extension on more than $1 million a year is currently equal 12th at the Dogs for AFL Coaches’ Association votes on a total of four votes for the season.
Aside from the three votes he polled against an understrength North Melbourne defence in round 1, Naughton has polled only one coaches vote in the past 11 games.
And there won’t be any votes coming from his goalless performance against Hawthorn on Thursday night.
Ed Richards, Tom Liberatore, Bailey Dale and Marcus Bontempelli lead the Dogs in the AFLCA race.
Perhaps Naughton is sore, or his courageous aerial efforts have taken a toll on his body this year, the timing or technique of his marking isn’t quite as sharp, or the fact that he is often double teamed and body checked in the forward half makes life tough.
Swingman Rory Lobb also hasn’t had a great year either with just the one vote while Liam Jones remains stuck in the VFL.
It’s the prime midfielders, including former Blue Matt Kennedy, and the small men such as Rhylee West who have run rampant at the kennel this year.
Darcy will make his quicker-than-expected return from that knee injury which will significantly spread the load and take some of the defensive concentration off Naughton.
But equally Darcy will need time to regain touch and fitness, so expectations will have to be managed.
The Dogs are entering their softest part of the draw with four games against sides who all sit outside the eight, St Kilda, Richmond, Sydney Swans and North Melbourne.
But the bigger tests will be the more important ones in the run home as the Dogs, who have beaten only one top-eight side so far this year in GWS Giants, attempt to prove they can compete with the heavyweights.
St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie played one of the best defensive games of the season blunting Melbourne in Alice Springs last week.
And the task on Thursday night will be enormous against a team who have the wood on the Saints, beating them by 10 goals in three of their last four wins.
The Saints are one of about six clubs chasing GWS Giants’ Leek Aleer to help them with exactly this sort of match up from next season.
While the bulk of the attention will be on Darcy’s return for the Bulldogs, his co-pilot will be the one keen to get going this season.
2. SCORING FREEZE
When winter hits scoring drops.
Despite optimism around the stand rule which was introduced in 2021, coaches continue to be able to pull the handbrake on games.
And one of the most successful defensive tactics clubs employ these days is blocking short angled kicks towards the corridor on slow plays.
Collingwood is the master of trying to cover the middle part of the ground which has been a key driver in the Magpies’ resurgence as arguably the team to beat this season.
And when the opposition has the ball from a free kick or mark at half back, watch how disciplined and organised the Magpies are clogging up the middle part of the ground.
It will be crucial on Monday as the Demons will be looking inboard after ditching the long-down-the-line tactics which took it to the 2021 premiership.
They want to be aggressive, the Demons, but the Collingwood road block awaits. And they are excellent at exploiting the stand rule on the mark to try and cut off angles.
Broadly, the league has tried to open the game up to help eradicate congestion, but Saturday, in particular, was bleak if it is a sign of things to come this year.
Across the three games on Saturday, the six teams averaged 55 points each which was the lowest scoring day since 1989, according to ‘Swamp’ on social media platform X.
Weather was cold and wet, but even in sunny conditions in WA on Sunday scoring was a struggle for the Roos and Eagles as West Coast dealt with a severe case of goal kicking yips.
For the entire 2025 season, scoring is down marginally from 168.8 points a game last year to 168.6 per game this season.
3. GIANT DROP-OFF
It was once the most talented engine room in the game.
The GWS Giants had the Swans and the Lions on toast in the finals series last season before their agonising straight sets exit.
But the ‘Orange tsunami’ has become a placid lake this season, the midfield group has endured a significant drop off and they continually coughed up the ball on Saturday night in the loss to Port Adelaide.
And now coach Adam Kingsley will have to consider changes before their premiership hopes are dashed despite being a popular flag tip in the pre-season.
The Giants are a poor clearance side despite having one of the best hard ball winners in the game in Tom Green, and are 15th for inside 50s, 15th for points from clearances, 15th for contested possessions and 16th for clearances, according to Champion Data.
Toby Greene saved the Giants in the pulsating win over Carlton last month but when he went off with a corked leg, there was no late spark.
Sam Taylor and Jack Buckley were brilliant intercepting the ball across half back but they played lone hands.
A loss to reigning premier Brisbane Lions will leave the Giants vulnerable of falling out of the eight next week which is well below par for a team who should be neck deep in a premiership tilt.
CONCUSSION CONCERN
We talk about how concussion is the biggest issue in the game.
But it was a mystery how Carlton’s Adam Cerra can continue to play for 10 minutes out on the field after the heavy bump from Sam Durham on Sunday night.
There were enough red flags after the hit on Cerra for him to be taken from the field immediately out of an abundance of caution.
Cerra was eventually taken for head injury assessment which he passed, but Durham should get a two-match suspension because of the potential to cause serious injury upgrade.
Cerra has his head over the ball when Durham steamed in and made high contact.
The game has to ensure Cerra is assessed on the bench more quickly than he was on Sunday night, considering how forceful the hit was, and the concern around concussion.
It was a nervous night overall for the Blues who started strong and played with more polish inside 50m early which fuels hope of a 2025 recovery.
There is also a slight shift to the kids with a fifth promising debutant, Hudson O’Keeffe, impressing in a forward role in place of Harry McKay.
It will be an interesting period for the Blues who will look at their attacking setup without McKay amid calls to trade the big forward for more speed and balance in attack.
But Essendon dragged their way back into it on the back of work rate and tackle pressure and won’t be discouraged by the performance considering their outs, after almost pipping Brisbane last week.
While the Bombers aren’t playing finals this year, Brad Scott will like some of the developmental signs after a significant list turnover in recent years.
For where the Bombers are at, there is still plenty to like, and Nic Martin’s running goal late from 40m out underlined what a star of the game he has become.
Peter Wright is back having an impact forward and Darcy Parish was busy, if not a little rusty as expected, in his first game back.
Zach Merrett played more in defence again and Archie Perkins was subbed out, and together, didn’t have a huge influence.
While the Bombers aren’t racking up the wins, they are still taking steps forward.
LIKES
1. VETERAN VALIDATION
They were the 30 minutes which validated North Melbourne’s move for Luke Parker.
Staring down the barrel of an 18-point deficit in the last term against West Coast, North Melbourne’s rebuild would have faced serious questions if it got beaten by the Eagles - who are four years behind them - in a home game the Roos sold to play in the west.
But the former Sydney veteran Parker stepped up in the engine room turning the tide of a game which could be a significant stepping stone for a Kangaroos’ outfit which needs to finally lift out of the AFL doldrums.
Parker still believed he could make a meaningful contribution at the top level last year when he fell out of the Swans’ best side.
But it was his toughness in the clinches gathering 10 final term touches, four clearances and five tackles, as well as some big moments from Luke McDonald in defence, and Cam Zurhaar in attack which saved the Roos.
On a down day for Nick Larkey, Zurhaar took two big grabs to help the Roos kick four-straight goals late as Harry Sheezel bobbed a hand ball over the top to setup Jy Simpkin for the sealer.
It was a gritty win from the Roos after losing defender Charlie Comben to a shoulder injury and will make the WA trip a lot more palatable for the club’s administration amid criticism of the home game sell-off.
And coach Alastair Clarkson looked as relieved as we have seen him.
But West Coast blew it.
They had 22 more inside 50s and five more scoring shots and should have put this game away when they had all the momentum and supply in Bunbury.
But Harley Reid will not like the memory of fumbling two crucial chances late in the game just when he looked ready to tear away from a pack with the ball in hand.
These are the moments which have to drive him to become the star of the competition he can become.
But the Eagles tired with 12 players under 50 games experience.
And finally North finished off a game after failing the same late-game test so many times earlier in the year, and especially in the loss to Brisbane in Hobart.
2. POWER STILL PLAYING FOR KEN
Ken Hinkley will be hoping Port Adelaide has saved the best for last.
The win over GWS Giants in Canberra on Saturday night has opened the door on one of the biggest backs-to-the-wall footy stories of the season.
For months, pundits have been calling for Hinkley to hand the keys to assistant coach Josh Carr to get a head start on next season when he officially takes over as new coach.
But it remains clear that is not what the players want just yet after inspirational midfielder Zak Butters and Connor Rozee combined to make a statement and super sub Christian Moraes pounced on a Lachie Whitefield late clanger to seal the upset win.
But in the moments after the gutsy victory, inspirational ballwinner Butters lifted the lid on the playing group’s adoration for Hinkley, saying the season wasn’t over just yet.
“I love that man. I have got so much respect for him,” Butters said on Fox Footy.
“Everything he has done for me and I’m sure many other boys will speak so highly of him as well.
“I text him every day about footy, most things and what we are going to do on the weekend, and when we are watching the footy, like last night, we were texting about that.”
So the affinity remains strong, and Port have a chance to go on a run at home over the next three matches against non-finalists with Jason Horne-Francis back in the fold from a hamstring injury.
Key defender Esava Ratugolea and defensive rocket-launcher Kane Farrell also give the back half greater coverage and potency.
They take on Melbourne, Sydney Swans and Carlton on their home deck before taking on Brisbane Lions and West Coast and four wins out the five games will catapult them back into the finals mix.
If they remain alive, the Showdown in Round 20 will be built up as one of the games of the season.
3. SWAN’S DEEP CUT
IT has been a gutsy effort from Sydney Swans’ big man Brodie Grundy.
The ruckman suffered a deep laceration on his left knee from a suspected boot stud two weeks ago in the loss to Melbourne, which has required stitches and heavy bandaging to thwart the risk of infection.
But not only has Grundy not missed any footy despite often ending up on his knees at ground level, he has been one of the Swans’ best players over the past fortnight.
The man who was ditched by the Magpies and dumped by the Demons had 51 hitouts to take the honours over Toby Nankervis and help power the Swans to a win over Richmond on Saturday at the MCG.
And it came after he was arguably Sydney’s best player in the thrashing from Adelaide the week before.
So Grundy is delivering on his end despite the criticism from AFL legend Leigh Matthews about his “wrestling” ruck style which relies on his strength and size to help tie down his opposition big man.
Rucks like Grundy who have the strength but not the athleticism or jumping power are turning ball ups into grappling matches.
It might be ugly, but it is effective.
“I do not like the Grundy ruck style. I reckon he is wrecking the ruck work at centre bounces let around the ground,” Matthews said on 3AW.
“He just stands on the line and takes three steps towards the other ruckman and pushes his body into him.
“And all he does is wrestle under the ball. If one bloke wants to wrestle, the other bloke has got no choice.
“I reckon the umpires have let that go badly. You should be wanting blokes to jump at the ball.”
4. DEE OFF-LIMITS
Christian Petracca has wanted to let this footy do the talking this year.
The brilliant Melbourne midfielder will return to the King’s Birthday scene on Monday one year after he suffered the life-threatening internal injuries which ended his season.
It also ripped the lid off his frustrations with the club and opened discussions about a possible trade amid tense talks with teammates.
But 12 months on, Petracca has put an end to those doubts with his excellent performances which underline his claims to be considered the club’s next captain despite the trade talk.
Jake Lever might be the frontrunner to eventually be the man to take over from Max Gawn.
But Petracca has shown maturity bouncing back this year averaging 27 disposals, 10 ground balls and 7.3 score involvements a game this season.
It is an outstanding effort considering the serious internal injuries which left him unable to train for months last year.
Originally published as The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from round 13
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