AFL round 4: Nathan Buckley previews Super Saturday on Fox Footy

Three weeks after it was riding high after a shock win over Carlton, the brutal reality is setting in for Richmond — and the reigning premier awaits. Read Nathan Buckley’s thoughts here.

Never before has a Gold Coast-Adelaide clash had so much riding on it.

Both clubs are flying high in the early part of the 2025 and can stamp themselves as leading finals contenders with victory in round 4.

Brisbane will be out to continue its charge when it takes on lowly Richmond before North Melbourne’s chance to show its improvement arrives against Sydney.

Scroll down to see Nathan Buckley’s full notes on every Super Saturday game.

The Crows and Gold Coast will kick off Super Saturday.

GOLD COAST v ADELAIDE

Carrara, 1.20pm

● Two of the four undefeated teams meet in an unexpected early-season blockbuster. Both have balanced inside grunt with outside run and have yet to be truly tested. The Crows have averaged 21 goals in their three games and the Suns 19 in their two matches. Scoring will not be as easy in this match.

● Matt Rowell may well be the most dedicated and professional player of his era. He came in highly touted and had some natural talents that shone from the start. But to see this 23-year-old’s physical transformation come to light early this season is to understand how much work has gone into it behind the scenes … all credit to him.

● Ben King continues to emerge as a premier key forward. His timing on leads and ability to read the flight of the ball in deeper one-v-one contests makes him a constant threat. If he continues to get this sort of supply, there are a few bags on the offering.

● Mitch Hinge is an underrated part of the Crows’ make-up and a prototype running defender. Fit, strong and fast, he makes great defensive positioning decisions and then wins contests both in the air and on the ground. His kicking and vision has stood out this year, creating damaging scoring opportunities from the Crows’ back half.

FAST FACT: Adelaide won the first 13 meetings between these two sides, but Gold Coast has won four of the six games since.

Richmond players after their heavy loss to St Kilda last round.

RICHMOND v BRISBANE LIONS

MCG, 4.15pm

● Brisbane returns to the ’G for the first time since its premiership victory last year. The Lions have had a low-key start to their season, despite going 3-0 and having strong wins against 2024 top-four sides Sydney and Geelong. There will be bigger tests to come, but a consistent four-quarter performance here will be their aim.

● The Tigers have come back to earth a little after their stirring round 1 victory against Carlton. They have had 21 and 20 goals put up against them in the past two weeks and will do well to prevent the stacked Lions’ front half from doing the same on Saturday.

● Jayden Short continues to give everything to the cause for the Tigers. He has won the ultimate individual award in football – the best and fairest winner in a premiership year (2020) – and although his team is in very different shape from back then, his talents are no less important. Hard run and rebound and elite use are his calling cards.

● The Ashcroft brothers delivered a one-two punch to Geelong last week as the Lions ran over the Cats in the second half. Will and Levi are a part of the father-son talent injection that has been significant for the Lions and they will only get better as they continue to blossom under Chris Fagan’s guidance.

FAST FACT: Brisbane has won its past three clashes with Richmond, the last two by a combined 200 points. Charlie Cameron kicked a total of 10 goals in those three victories.

Nathan Buckley is expecting super stopper James Jordon to hone in on Luke Davies-Uniacke.

NORTH MELBOURNE v SYDNEY

Marvel Stadium, 7.35pm

● The Kangaroos are back on their home deck and looking for another scalp. Their football in 2025 has been far more consistent and competitive and can test the Swans. Last week was the first game this year they were beaten at contested possessions and clearances so look for them to impose that from the start.

● Luke Davies-Uniacke has shown his class early this year. His cruising speed still blows potential tacklers away and, at his best getting from inside traffic to out, he asks questions of the opposition. Look for James Jordon to spend some time attempting to quell LDU’s influence.

● Nick Blakey has a running mate in Riley Bice. Players prepared to take the game on from the back half and distribute well are a must in modern footy. Bice brings these attributes in spades as he settles into AFL footy. On the fast Marvel deck, Bice, Blakey and Braeden Campbell will have the conditions to hurt North on rebound.

● Sydney’s forward set-up will be an interesting watch over the next month. Has the Tom McCartin experiment ended? What tall/small balance do the Swans want to work towards? In the two early losses they played with two talls rotating through the front six, and in the win against Fremantle, they played with three. It might not sound like much but balancing aerial contests with ground cover and running power is a big decision coach Dean Cox will have to make as the season progresses.

FAST FACT: Sydney has won the past eight meetings between these two clubs. North Melbourne last beat the Swans in 2018 when Kangaroo Shaun Higgins bagged three Brownlow Medal votes and Mason Wood kicked four goals.

Originally published as AFL round 4: Nathan Buckley previews Super Saturday on Fox Footy