Demons’ key questions answered: What is Clarry actually worth?
2025 might be a slow march toward the inevitable for Simon Goodwin and the Demons. Where do they go from here and who could be on the chopping block to accelerate the rebuild?
Jon Ralph
How Hawks thrive with forward six ‘no one else would dare attempt’
Right now, the Hawks are deserved premiership favourites, writes JON RALPH. But how do they do with without the big gun key forward? One factor looms as the secret to their success.
SuperCoach AFL recycling plant: ‘Yellow Bin’ strategy vs Ralphy’s masterplan
AFL writers Jon Ralph and Josh Barnes are taking very different SuperCoach paths in 2025. While one is fine-tuning his squad with precision the other is stacking their team with recycled gems looking for a second life.
Ralph: Cut the head off the snake, what else does Collingwood have?
The Pies aren’t dead and buried yet, but JON RALPH writes, there’s plenty of questions Craig McRae will need to address to avoid starting 0-2 in back-to-back seasons.
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Ralph: Suns-Dons finale entices — until you remember their history
The AFL’s fixture flip has set up the possibility of footy’s greatest home-and-away finish since 1987. JON RALPH writes, it’s more likely we see one of the most irrelevant games of footy ever.
Ralph: Footy’s ‘blood sport’ more ruthless than ever
There’s never been a worse year to be an AFL coach under pressure, writes JON RALPH, with the spectre of several modern greats looming large over the 2025 season.
Buddy, Gaz, Dusty? The 10 best AFL players this century ranked
Think naming the team of the century was hard? Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane have narrowed that down to 10 and determined the defining player of the 21st century. HAVE YOUR SAY.
Ralph: Clubs need to ‘move with the times’ and end Mad Mondays
Six players and an umpire have been suspended across two post-season celebrations for offensive costumes in the past month. JON RALPH writes clubs and the AFL needs to ban them.
Draft vs talent: Will Pies or Blues’ philosophy be proven right?
Arch rivals Carlton and Collingwood have adopted different strategies in their search for their next premiership. Which path will prove successful? JON RALPH examines the question.
Ralph: Dusty doesn’t owe cynical Tigers fans a thing
If Dustin Martin does move to the Suns, he’s not Dusty the Deserter, he doesn’t owe the Tiger army anything, writes Jon Ralph. But there’s a key question the legend must answer.
Why Bombers, Lions, Saints can’t match it with the best
Every club needs a player – ideally several – who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and drag his team over the line. JON RALPH writes the clubs without one are stuck in the wilderness.
Ralph: Confusion? The AFL’s tackle crackdown is working
The leave-the-game-aloners will argue that tackling will soon be a lost art, but with the concussion rate still high, it is clear the AFL must continue its crackdown to protect the head, writes JON RALPH.
$6m man? Why Hawks mega bid for Battle makes sense
Hawthorn’s huge offer to lure Josh Battle from St Kilda isn’t just about shoring up its backline. As JON RALPH explains, there’s another key to why the Hawks could offer close to $1m a year.
Ranked: AFL’s 15 biggest games in the ‘blockbuster-isation’ of footy
Gone are the days of the traditional afternoon slots, here is the blockbuster-isation of football. JON RALPH ranks the AFL’s 15 best blockbuster fixtures in a new era of sports attendance.
Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/expert-opinion/jon-ralph