The Tackle: Jay Clark’s likes and dislikes from round 15
The AFL introduced four umpires so it could have more eyes on the contest – but who was watching what Marcus Windhager was doing on Saturday night? See all the likes and dislikes.
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Carlton’s demise appears almost complete after a stunning loss to the Kangaroos at the MCG on Saturday.
So where do they turn to with change on the horizon?
Jay Clark gives his likes and dislikes from round 15.
DISLIKES
1. BLUES’ FALL FROM GRACE COMPLETE, SO WHAT NOW?
It took Carlton exactly 40 games to sink from contender to pretender.
One-and-a-half seasons ago the Blues led the Brisbane Lions by 29 points in a preliminary final.
But incoming CEO Graham Wright woke up Sunday morning after the spiritless loss to North Melbourne at the MCG wondering whether he rips out the chainsaw or the angle grinder to help fix the list.
Saturday’s loss was the performance which cemented the need to make significant change at Ikon Park at season’s end after fluffing a soft draw in 2025.
Inspirational captain and dual Brownlow Medalist Patrick Cripps is said to be the most optimistic man in football, and he has given absolutely everything to the navy blue cause over his career.
But he has two finals wins from his individually brilliant 221-game career that has not achieved the September success it deserves.
If there isn’t a change in direction in list management strategy, and potentially game-day planning and execution, this flag window is slamming shut.
And Michael Voss has nine games to show that he is in fact the man to keep hold of the reins next year with a reinvigorated list which can help turn the departures of ace ruckman Tom De Koning and potentially Harry McKay into the extra class, run and polished ball use this squad needs.
If the exit of either big bloke can help net the Blues silky ballwinner and Sydney Swans’ midfielder Ollie Florent, in potentially a straight swap for McKay, along with the return of pick three Jagga Smith, then it helps modernise a midfield unit which was hammered for its efficiency by North Melbourne.
That is the carrot which will drive Voss to trick-up a midfield engine which has been left behind the AFL pack.
Florent is a beautiful ball user who can provide the precision and wheels on the outside the Blues are lacking and with no guarantees on the body of Sam Walsh, Florent can become a lethal funnel forward to out-of-form spearhead Charlie Curnow.
Carlton’s list boss Mick Agresta was at Sydney Swans when he nabbed Florent in the national draft at pick 11 in 2016.
But Florent is currently in the twos at the Swans and while he’s not unhappy at Sydney, the two clubs needs to be bold and the Swans desperately need another key target like McKay.
Sydney’s midfield is already stacked, but the missing link is another key target.
Carlton was too closed-off in the prospect of trading McKay last year when the potential of landing Melbourne’s Christian Petracca bobbed up.
It was the trade which would have served both clubs, and it leaves Melbourne still also desperately looking for a key forward after missing out on Brisbane’s Logan Morris, after having a crack at Taylor Walker, Tom Hawkins and Jake Waterman in recent years.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin needs another decent marking goal kicker because Jake Melksham is currently trying to do it age 33.
But this is the year the Blues should pull the trigger on breaking up the twin towers and while De Koning hasn’t made a call on his future yet, he will be the most loyal man in football if he rejects the extra millions of dollars on offer from the Saints.
Wright knows the club needs a line breaking and playmaking defender, a classy outside midfielder such as Florent, a chaos-causing small forward, and a replacement ruckman to cover De Koning’s exit.
And Collingwood’s Darcy Cameron could be vulnerable to a poaching raid from Carlton unless the Magpies can improve a deal which is currently unders for one of the best big men in the competition.
Wright knows how good Cameron is and how much coin he is on because Wright was the one who brokered the deal for him to take over from Brodie Grundy at Collingwood.
Grundy wanted to stay, but Wright waved goodbye. He won’t sidestep the tough calls.
Cameron remains contracted at Collingwood for next year, and the Magpies could stick to their guns as they look to take out their second flag in three years.
Carlton, on the other hand, has found itself in football’s quicksand as part of a demise which has caught its fan base by complete surprise.
Voss will be the most under-pressure figure in the game in the lead-up to Thursday night’s clash against Port Adelaide and his good mate Ken Hinkley.
His veins were popping in his angry three-quarter time address because they look a mile off despite having some of the best top-end talent in the league.
He was pointing fingers at players for not playing their roles.
Is there a lack of connection, clarity, system or motivation?
Their forward half function has been average all season and the team played only one good quarter each in the wins over Essendon and West Coast in the past two outings.
Voss needs to show over the remaining two months he can deliver the system and improvement required to turn this ship around.
If the white flag goes up, the coach could be out.
2. DECISIONS TO BE MADE AT THE DONS
Kyle Langford has been one of Essendon’s most important players in recent years.
But some interesting selection decisions are on the horizon for the club with key players such as Mason Redman, Langford, Zach Reid and Jordan Ridley on the way back after the bye.
Langford has been unable to fire so far this season after scoring a recent pay upgrade on his deal which, along was alongside Zach Merrett’s increase. Another worry is Sam Draper’s unrestricted free agency status.
The unrestricted free agency status means the Bombers will be unable to match a likely bid from Adelaide for his services at season’s end.
But Langford, who is out with a quad, has booted only four goals from an average 10 touches a game so far this season.
Nate Caddy is the newest and most prized asset in the Essendon forward line after a brilliant performance in the loss to Fremantle showed exactly why there is so much hype and excitement around the goal kicker as he eyes a new two-year contract extension.
Not only is Caddy a brilliant marking forward, he is already one of the hardest-working and fittest players at the club, showing why Essendon sacrificed a second-round pick in the trade with Geelong which allowed the Bombers to secure him.
Their best-22 looks strong enough to give the club a good chance of toppling Richmond, St Kilda and Carlton on the way home, and perhaps no returning player is as important as Reid.
The centre half back was the silver lining of the season earlier in 2025 and if they can keep his body right the Bombers clearly have two outstanding bookends.
And captain Zach Merrett will want to round out the season feeling content the club will rise up the ladder next season after a long wait for finals success.
The RISE from Nate Caddy 🤯#AFLFreoDonspic.twitter.com/c8p1AswuDL
— AFL (@AFL) June 19, 2025
Merrett’s own position and role will be fascinating after trailing off as part of a move out of the engine room over the past two months after a blistering start to the year.
Merrett looked like a top-10 player in the competition early doors but tallies of 14 touches and 17 touches in the past three weeks have seen his impact wane.
Likewise, Archie Perkins is clinging to his spot and appears to be at an early crossroads after showing in glimpses some exciting potential as a forward half ballwinner.
Essendon traditionally fades out in the second half of the season, but with some key players not far off a return they may be able to reverse the trend over the next two months.
3. ON NOTICE
The responsibility is on the umpires to stamp out any rough-house tactics on Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos.
The league brought in the four-umpire system for the extra set of eyes in a bid to spot anything untoward on the best players in the game.
The jury remains out on whether it has had any affect on improving the standard of umpiring in today’s footy.
But Daicos and his tagger Marcus Windhager will feel like the Saint might have got away with a bit after some close attention on the jet Magpie on Saturday night.
Daicos might have been a little up and down this season but he was back to his best despite the heavy tag in the win over the Saints at Marvel Stadium.
Cameras caught Windhager lifting his knee into the back of Daicos’ hamstring and slapping the Magpie high at times throughout their match-up.
It wasn’t quite at Ryan Crowley levels but it certainly pushed the envelope and the AFL won’t love the look of it despite there being not enough force to warrant any match review sanction.
But this is on the umpires to keep an eye on them considering there is four whistleblowers out there as part of the new bolstered set-up.
Expect the reminder to go out that pinching, scratching and kneeing opponents won’t be tolerated, whether it is Daicos or not.
And Windhager is a good enough player in his own right not to have to enter those areas, whether he is tagging or not.
LIKES
1. SILVER SERVICE
Marcus Bontempelli is still the best kick in footy entering his 250th game.
The superstar Western Bulldog may have missed the first five matches with a calf issue this year, but perhaps the early break may benefit him in the back end of the season.
The ace ballwinner might just be warming up in 2025.
That is some grab from Rhylee West!#AFLDogsTigerspic.twitter.com/Q740qSGm0B
— AFL (@AFL) June 22, 2025
His use of the Sherrin has always been top shelf in a Darren Jarman way, but Bontempelli was a class above directing traffic and dictating leads in the big win over Richmond on Sunday.
And his surgical delivery made Sam Darcy’s eyes light up as the gun big man dined out on the Tigers with five goals.
When it wasn’t Bontempelli hitting Darcy up, it was Ed Richards. Combined with Tom Liberatore, it’s the best midfield unit in the game.
The challenge for Darcy and Aaron Naughton, who booted only one goal in the commanding victory, is ironing out the cohesion and system in the partnership which can elevate their combination even more.
Darcy will still be learning the ropes on that front, but the Tigers had a nightmare time trying to compete with the 208cm spearhead in the air.
And it will be the biggest headaches for rivals in the run home to September. How do they compete with the sky-scraping big man in the forward 50m?
That potency is what has bolstered the Bulldogs’ percentage to the second-best in the league at 133.4 per cent behind Adelaide.
2. TRUE NORTH
The wheel has turned for North Melbourne heading into the biggest grudge match in the game.
Alastair Clarkson’s faith and patience would have been tested more than any other senior coach earlier this year, but the win over Carlton is the nourishment in the club’s direction the Roos have desperately craved.
Surely, they have lifted up off rock bottom, and have begun the rise up the ladder after five torturous years. This talented list is finally beginning to mature.
The midfield brigade of Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Powell and George Wardlaw turned on the afterburners to once again showcase their enormous potential, while Harry Sheezel helped control tempo and flow, and Luke Parker has made an enormous impact in the middle part of the year.
Colby McKercher charges off the half back line he is on speed skates, he is becoming such a weapon helping open up the field for his teammates.
Backman Toby Pink delivered the most unlikely match-up win of the year helping shut-out superstar Charlie Curnow although the Blue will not be happy with the delivery he received.
And Paul Curtis has become a genuine star of the competition with his small forward muscle.
He can clunk the footy like few others his size and has continually been a headache of a match-up all year for the opposition.
Genuinely, Curtis is one who will put bums on seats at North games for the next decade.
They have been through hell, the Roos, and there were some very twitchy and uncomfortable moments after terrible losses to Sydney and Carlton, in particular, after the Good Friday loss to the Blues.
But revenge was sweet on Saturday.
And coach Alastair Clarkson would love to pinch one over his former club Hawthorn on Saturday afternoon in Launceston following some tense times in recent years.
Hawthorn’s rebuild hit warp speed last year, while the Roos have had endure years more torment at the bottom of the ladder.
This is a game Clarkson, in particular, would have had circled all year in a bid to show his young Roos aren’t as far off the Hawks as most would have thought earlier this season.
3. PACKAGE SENT
GWS Giants remain the biggest wildcard in the finals race.
Despite their season looking wobbly only a couple of weeks ago, the Giants are the only team who have toppled Collingwood, Geelong and Brisbane Lions.
JAKE STRINGER 🤯#AFLGiantsSunspic.twitter.com/KR40OHgpGU
— AFL (@AFL) June 22, 2025
And just when they looked gone again against the Suns, Jake Stringer turned on a blinder as the sub in the last term to help the club boots eight final-quarter majors.
Stringer’s spot in the team was under question as he went down with another soft tissue injury.
But the sub might just be the perfect role for the matchwinner.
Stringer from the other pocket now 😤#AFLGiantsSunspic.twitter.com/THLgV4kOfQ
— AFL (@AFL) June 22, 2025
And unsurprisingly the former Bomber and premiership Bulldog nailed two beauties from the boundary line late with the sort of goal kicking genius which has made him such a threat over his up-and-down career.
When he’s hot, few players can pull off the same moves chasing a bobbling ball, or splitting a pack chasing a ground ball.
Stringer and the Giants’ form have been on a similar rollercoaster in 2025, but they remain dangerous when a team which is traditionally an average clearance side is led by Tom Green’s 16 takeaways against Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
This was a shattering loss for the Suns from 22 points up but it is what normally happens in the second half from Gold Coast, they fade out.
But this is why they paid Damien Hardwick to lead them into a new era because anything less than a finals appearance for a team which was handed such an easy draw is a massive failure.
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