Just two sides remain undefeated after six rounds.
The Western Bulldogs got the job done against GWS on Friday and Melbourne sent a warning to the competition with a massive win over Richmond.
Geelong, Port Adelaide and Brisbane all recorded important victories in their top four pursuits while Gold Coast, Fremantle, Hawthorn and Essendon would be pleased with their weekend results.
We have selected one positive and one negative from every club’s Round 6 performance.
See our thoughts below:
Positive: Thilthorpe debut, goalkicking accuracy
Riley Thilthorpe was selected by the Crows with pick 2 in last year’s draft, arriving at the club with massive expectations.
After spending three weeks in the SANFL, the 18-year-old won an opportunity at the elite level against Hawthorn and grabbed it with both hands… literally.
Thilthorpe took five marks (three contested) and booted five goals in hopefully for Crows fans, a sign of things to come.
It was the first bag of five from an AFL debutant since Marty McGrath in 2003 and one of the top showings ever by a Crow in their first game.
The Crows also took their chances, kicking 14.0 to half-time and 16.3 for the game, but ultimately went under in Tassie.
Negative: Costly lapse leads to defeat
Adelaide led by as much as 32 points in the third quarter but inexplicably let the Hawks back in.
The Crows conceded the last five goals of the game to go down by three points.
Lapses like this are likely to happen to a young and inexperienced side so it can be somewhat excused, but they'd rather it not happen when in a winning position.
Matthew Nicks and his coaching staff still have plenty of work to do in order to iron out these kinks, even if there are positive signs.
Andrew Slevison
Positive: Hugh McCluggage is an out and out star
If his last month of football is anything to go off, Hugh McCluggage could earn his first All-Australian blazer this year after narrowly missing out in 2020.
The silky wingman has had 28, 25, 32 and 33 disposals in his last four games and Brisbane have gone 3-1 alongside his strong performances.
He put the side on his back against Carlton with Lachie Neale playing on one foot and he’ll need a massive game again if they’re to get over the line against Port Adelaide this Saturday.
It is no coincidence that the 23-year-old’s form correlates to Brisbane’s win-loss record and he will be crucial to their top four hopes this season.
Negative: Harris Andrews’ form
Harris Andrews was soundly beaten by Harry McKay on Saturday.
The Blues spearhead kicked 6.2 and hauled in nine marks as he proved too strong in the air for the 2019 and 2020 All-Australian Lion.
The 24-year-old has been slightly down on form this season and he’ll be hoping to turn it around this week against the Power.
Andrews’ battle with Charlie Dixon looms as a pivotal match-up that could decide the result of the game and Chris Fagan will be hoping his star defender can find form sooner rather than later.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: The Sam Petrevski-Seton backline experiment has ended
After spending the last 18 months playing as a small defender, Carlton finally bit the bullet and put Sam Petrevski-Seton back in the midfield.
While he wasn’t phenomenal playing mostly on the wing against Brisbane, that is to be expected playing a new role.
Petrevski-Seton showed plenty of promise as an on-baller early in his career before the Blues suddenly decided to shift him into defence, where he has mostly struggled – fair enough too given he was drafted as a pure midfielder.
Now Liam Stocker is serving in the role of ‘highly touted young midfielder who must do an apprenticeship in the back pocket’, freeing up Petrevski-Seton to re-capture his form further up the ground.
Carlton must stick with him on the wing, on-ball and across half-forward for the remainder of the season.
Negative: Kicking themselves out of the game
Carlton kept pace with Brisbane for the entire evening, but could never get within striking distance.
The Blues had their moments. Patrick Cripps, again, missed a simple set shot, as did Eddie Betts.
Betts finished with four behinds and while he looked dangerous one-out at times, it didn’t show on the scoreboard.
Ultimately, Carlton is not a team that can afford to be inaccurate in front of goal, given their struggles to transition the ball and their issues with delivery going inside 50.
Nic Negrepontis
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Positive: Darcy Cameron
Have the Magpies have found the answer to their Mason Cox problem?
We can’t be sure as of yet, but Darcy Cameron definitely had a breakout game against Essendon on ANZAC Day.
The forward/ruck kicked three goals, had 22 disposals and took 10 marks in an eye-catching display.
Cameron presents as a better second ruck option for Collingwood as well, and at 25 should be preferred to the 30-year-old Cox going forward.
Don’t expect Cameron to turn into a superstar, but he could find a safe spot in the Magpies' 22 if paired alongside a dominant key forward in future years.
Negative: Season’s over
At 1-5 Collingwood’s hopes of making a fourth consecutive finals series are all but over.
Many saw the writing on the wall with the club’s much-publicised off-season and early season results have reaffirmed those opinions.
Collingwood have a worrying lack of depth at AFL level, and the only way to remedy this is through giving games to inexperienced youngsters who they hope can turn into genuine contributors in two to three years’ time.
Jay Rantall, Finlay Macrae, Will Kelly, Nathan Murphy and Beau McCreery all showed flashes against Essendon and the Magpies would hope to hand more games to Ollie Henry, Reef McInnes and Caleb Poulter before the season is over.
It’s simply the only option the Magpies have to take anything positive out of season 2021.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: Darcy Parish’s career-best performance
Kevin Sheedy has constantly said that a player gains eight games of experience by playing on ANZAC Day, with a young Bombers outfit gaining invaluable game time in Sunday’s win over Collingwood.
But while it was an overall positive performance for Ben Rutten’s side, it’s hard to go past Darcy Parish’s career-best game as the clear highlight, with his 42-disposal and two-goal performance winning him the ANZAC Day Medal.
Parish has toiled away largely as a dual midfielder/forward in recent years, but Dylan Shiel’s long-term injury has allowed him to play as a pure midfielder and he has averaged 31 touches a game since as a result.
Even when Shiel does come back, it’s hard to see Parish ever playing in a forward role again.
Negative: Cale Hooker is quiet
It’s difficult to pick a negative for the Bombers on Sunday, such was their all-round performance, but after starring in his new role forward of centre this year, Cale Hooker he was quiet on ANZAC Day.
While he kicked two behinds, he only took one mark and found the ball just six times.
It was a day where Peter Wright and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti shone brightest for the Bombers in the forward line, but Hooker has plenty of credits in the bank and has been fantastic for much of the season.
Laurence Rosen
Positive: David Mundy
Is David Mundy leading the Brownlow after seven rounds? It’s entirely possible as he has starred in the side’s wins so far this year.
Mundy picked up 30 disposals and booted three goals in Freo’s win over North Melbourne.
At 35, Mundy is somehow still getting better – averaging 26 disposals, eight score involvements and six clearances per game.
Negative: Brennan Cox joins lengthy injury list
There’s nothing worse than an injury late in a game when the result is already decided.
Brennan Cox went down with an ankle injury, caught in an awkward tackle from Cam Zurhaar.
The Dockers currently believe the injury isn’t too severe, but given they’re already missing Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce, they cannot afford to lose any more key defenders.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: The Jeremy Cameron hype is real
We’ve been made to wait for six weeks, but Jeremy Cameron’s Geelong debut lived up to all the billing.
While he may have been the beneficiary of Shannon Hurn's absence and Jeremy McGovern being subbed out during the match, Geelong’s thumping win at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday saw the best of Cameron and highlighted the different dynamic he’s going to bring Chris Scott’s side.
While he may have only kicked three goals from his five shots, it’s more what his inclusion represents to a Cats side that before ther weekend hadn’t put together four quarters of consistent football all season.
With both Hawkins and Cameron in the forward line, the Cats are going to be a formidable outfit this year.
Negative: Tougher tests to come
The Eagles were blown away on Saturday, in a game where Adam Simpson would go on to publicly call out his side’s “weak” effort.
Just how much you can read into the game from a Geelong performance is an interesting discussion point, considering just how poor the Eagles were.
They’ll be tougher tests to come for Scott’s side and they’ll have to prove themselves against stronger opposition if they want to put themselves well in the premiership discussion.
Laurence Rosen
Positive: Young guns shine in timely win
Gold Coast returned to the winners' list with a timely win over Sydney.
Ben King, Noah Anderson, Ben Ainsworth and Izak Rankine all made telling contributions as the Suns saluted by 40 points at Metricon Stadium.
King kicked a career-best five goals and dominated in the air while Ainsworth (20 disposals and three goals) and Rankine (18 and two goals) were lively.
Anderson (34 disposals and six clearances) is having a superb season – it’s the third time in six games the 20-year-old has finished with 30-plus possessions.
The quick ball movement and pressure around the ground would have pleased coach Stuart Dew.
No Negative
It’s been a tough three weeks for the Suns.
But Saturday’s win over a top eight opponent in the Swans should give them huge belief and provide a blueprint as to how they want to play ahead of winnable games against Collingwood (MCG) and St Kilda (Metricon Stadium).
Gold Coast is hanging tough in the midst of an injury crisis.
Alex Zaia
Positive: Young side stayed in the contest
The Giants went in with a clear game plan in mind and executed it well for the most part.
Leon Cameron had his side hold onto the ball for as long as possible in a bid to quell the high-possession strength of the Western Bulldogs.
They also implemented a lot of pressure around the ball which had them in the contest until early into the final quarter.
GWS had the youngest and least experienced side across the competition in Round 6 so excuses can be made for the late drop-off.
Negative: Haynes hamstring cause for concern?
Nick Haynes has been one of GWS’ most important players over the past few years, holding the defence together with his intercept expertise and rebounding prowess.
He went down with a hamstring injury on a cold Canberra Friday night and his absence could be felt if he is sidelined for the next few weeks.
Cameron said Haynes hadn’t done a hamstring in his life, admitting he was concerned that fatigue was evident after just six rounds.
“I think fatigue is setting in a fair bit now,” Cameron told reporters.
“Shorter pre-season, is it getting a hold of some players across the competition? I don’t know.
“But when Haynes does a hamstring there is a little concern.”
The Giants will be sweating on scans for the reigning joint best and fairest.
Andrew Slevison
Positive: The key forward stocks look strong
Hawthorn has spent almost no draft capital on key forwards. Mitchell Lewis was selected with pick 76 in the 2016 National Draft, Jacob Koschitzke with pick 52 in 2018 and Emerson Jeka is dominating in the VFL and was a rookie pick in 2019.
It’s a credit to their drafting and scouting, with all three looking like viable long-term AFL players.
Koschitzke had the breakout game he had been teasing on the weekend, booting five goals against Adelaide.
Negative: Another 30-minute lapse
Hawthorn so far this season has:
- Conceded eight-goal quarters against Essendon and Melbourne,
- Five unanswered goals against Fremantle,
- Gave up a 10-goal second quarter to Adelaide.
They have been mostly competitive this season and been in every game, with the exception of 30-minute lapses that let them down.
The Hawks sit 15th on the ladder with two wins, but could easily be higher if they were more consistent.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: Dees pass the Richmond acid test
Coming into Saturday night’s game, all eyes were on Simon Goodwin’s side and how they’d handle their first big test of the season.
They ultimately passed it with flying colours, weathering the storm early against the Tigers before running out winners.
The most pleasing aspect for long-suffering Demons fans would’ve been to see their game plan stand up in a big home and away game, absorbing the pressure of Saturday’s high-octane contest to turn defence into attack.
Negative: The importance of staying humble
Perhaps the loudest roar on Saturday night came in the fourth quarter on the back of a scuffle which saw Melbourne handed not one but two shots on goal as a result of off-the-ball incidents.
After kicking a goal, Kysaiah Pickett pointed to the scoreboard and was pictured in conversation with Simon Goodwin shortly after.
The Dees are one of the stories of the season so far, but it is only April and there’s a stack of football still to be played until the pressure is cranked up.
There's no doubt people internally will be wary of not getting too far ahead of themselves.
Laurence Rosen
Positive: Tom Powell
The Roos have absolutely found a player of the future in Tom Powell.
The first-year midfielder picked up 25 disposals, took eight marks and had four inside 50s in the loss to Fremantle.
He has been a consistent performer since Round 1 and should be rewarded with a Rising Star nomination in the coming weeks.
Negative: Dominated at stoppages
Despite winning the centre clearances 11-10, the Kangaroos were -13 in the clearances overall as Fremantle controlled the territory battle.
It was the usual suspects that put them to the sword, with David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe and Caleb Serong leading the clearances.
Ben Cunnington and Jy Simpkin combined for eight clearances, but their younger players tend to get beaten around the ground.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: Duo star in clinical win
Ollie Wines and Karl Amon did as they pleased in Port Adelaide’s clinical 54-point win over St Kilda.
Wines (36 disposals and eight clearances) was awarded the Peter Badcoe VC Medal for best afield while Amon (34 and 555 metres gained) put in a career-best performance.
Amon was opposed to St Kilda wingman Brad Hill and had 26 touches and 381 metres gained in the first half alone, outworking his Saints counterpart.
Orazio Fantasia and Steven Motlop were menacing all night finishing with three goals each.
Negative: Gave the Saints plenty of early looks
St Kilda had their fair share of chances in the first quarter but were unable to put it on the scoreboard.
The match might have played out differently if the Saints had have taken their opportunities – a better side would have capitalised.
Coach Ken Hinkley was pleased his defence withstood St Kilda’s early pressure as the Power cruised to their fifth win of the season.
“We copped a few and we held on the scoreboard,” Hinkley told reporters post-game.
“What I know about the game is that when you get repeat entries, the issue can be that when it breaks the other way you can get scored against and we were able to do that against St Kilda.”
Alex Zaia
Positive: Shai Bolton is pure class
Richmond should be working hard to re-sign Shai Bolton because he is a star.
The 22-year-old Western Australian is out of contract this year so the Tigers need to make it their priority to lock him away for the foreseeable future.
He was sublime in the 34-point loss to Melbourne, picking up 28 touches, four clearances, five score involvements while taking five contested of his nine marks.
Bolton is pure class and will be for years to come in the yellow and black provided they can tie him down to a new deal.
Negative: Three losses in four weeks plus injuries
It’s not panic stations, but the Tigers were beaten for the third time in four weeks.
That’s a trend they would not be all that happy with and now have a challenge ahead to improve their 3-3 record.
After a promising first quarter, the Tigers battled from there on, returning 3.9 after the first break as the Demons powered ahead. The ease of some of Melbourne’s goals would be a bit of a cause for concern for Damien Hardwick.
Also concerning is the concussion to Dustin Martin and calf injury to Kane Lambert which will keep them both out of Friday night’s massive clash with the top-of-the-table Bulldogs. Dylan Grimes also hurt his ankle and Dion Prestia suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring.
It’s a huge test for the Tigers this weekend.
Andrew Slevison
Positive: Seb Ross
Seb Ross stood out in what was another grim loss for St Kilda.
Ross had no problems finding the ball and gave the Saints plenty of drive collecting a season-high 31 disposals to go with eight tackles, six clearances and 511 metres gained.
The 27-year-old comes out of contract at the end of the season and performances like that will do his chances of earning a new deal no harm.
Rowan Marshall made an encouraging return after sitting out last week’s loss to Richmond.
Marshall, who suffered a foot injury during the pre-season, had 16 touches, five contested marks, seven tackles and 23 hit-outs.
Negative: Wasteful inside 50 entries
St Kilda were wasteful early and subsequently punished by a ruthless Port Adelaide outfit.
The Saints went inside 50 on 19 occasions compared to the Power’s seven in the first quarter but trailed by 15 points at the first change.
The 1.4 to 4.1 quarter-time scoreline illustrated the difference in class and skill level.
Despite breaking even in inside 50s (52 each), St Kilda were belted by 54 points as the Power made the visitors pay for their poor efficiency and wayward goalkicking.
In another alarming statistic, 13 Saints players laid one tackle or less.
Alex Zaia
Positive: Room for improvement inside 50
While the Swans looked flat and were outclassed by the Suns on Saturday, the 40-point loss doesn’t tell the full story.
Sydney managed to match the Suns around the ball and even led the inside 50 count 53-52, it was just their efficiency going forward which let them down.
Logan McDonald’s omission and Lance Franklin’s injury certainly don’t help, but the Swans will know they can significantly improve from the 15 shots they created from their 53 entries inside 50.
Expect John Longmire to remedy this issue before they face Geelong on Saturday night.
Negative: Teams have figured out young stars
Sydney’s blistering start to the season coincided with the surprising form of draftees in Logan McDonald, Braeden Campbell and Errol Gulden as they shot out to a 4-0 record in the competition’s first month.
Since then, the Swans have lost their last two games as Gulden struggles for form, Campbell has been related to the medical sub role and McDonald was dropped after the Giants game.
While it’s fair and expected for first-year players to struggle with consistency, the Swans have now lost their point of difference to other teams who have a similar talent base.
Sydney will be hoping their promising youngsters can recapture their early form, or they might soon find themselves on the outside of finals contention.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: Alex Witherden
The former Lion put in another shift on Saturday in the face of an overwhelming forward entry differential, recording 18 disposals, five intercepts, five rebound 50s and two inside 50s.
With a loping run and a good kick given time to calculate, Witherden complements the Eagles’ interceptors, and on the defensive end he brings a junkyard dog aspect Adam Simpson will be most grateful for on road trips.
For a shuffle of late selections, the 22-year-old appears a shrewd piece of business with stalwart half-back Shannon Hurn approaching the end of his career.
Negative: Were the Eagles down too many players?
After cruising out to an 11 point lead through Jarrod Brander in the first term, the Eagles conceded 20 of the next 22 goals to leave Kardinia Park with their heaviest defeat since 2009.
West Coast went in without skipper Luke Shuey and Elliot Yeo, former captain Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy and Liam Ryan were missing, while gatekeeper Jeremy McGovern was substituted out.
On a tough road trip, facing a Geelong side desperate to prove they can run up a score, it may have been too much.
There is no covering McGovern, however the Cats were also absent Patrick Dangerfield, while the Eagles have signalled their hopes that Oscar Allen will stand up when Kennedy calls time.
West Coast have excuses, but that might be part of the problem, particularly with several of the absentees on the wrong side of 30. This was a capitulation; when the game started to slip from the Eagles’ grasp, they lost interest.
We will find out whether it was an aberration, and whether they can grow from it.
Nathan John
Positive: Another test passed
Despite taking nearly 50 fewer games of experience per head into the match, the Giants were no easybeats on Friday.
Leon Cameron’s men worked strenuously throughout to deny the Dogs the lateral pass to an outlet runner, and limited them to just six goals at the final change.
The floodgates eventually opened as young bodies wearied, but more encouraging than the nine major avalanche for Luke Beveridge’s side was the in-game adjustment to dispose of the ball more vertically, best exemplified by the goals to Adam Treloar and Tom Liberatore.
With the sheer mental hurdle of turning the West Coast game around and the growth in forward chemistry hence, it is another in the series of refinements that has characterised this team’s hot start. Each additional layer will count at the pointy end.
Negative: The body count
After Lin Jong went down clutching his hamstring in the first quarter, followed by Josh Dunkley with a serious shoulder injury and Tim English with a concussion in the final term, minds wandered to the talent that ran around for Footscray the night before.
Rhylee West and Patrick Lipinski are in the frame to replace Dunkley after dominant displays, but the latter’s value proposition is unique. He eats ground balls for breakfast, is a key position-level aerial threat and regularly finds the big sticks. In a settled rotation, he will be missed.
English will miss a week under concussion protocols, while Jong’s playing future is under a cloud, a cruel turn for an explosive talent and a beloved clubman who has illustrated he belongs in the most competitive Dogs outfits we’ve seen.
Of far less importance than the long-term health of the players in question, it has, along with the injuries to Dustin Martin and Kane Lambert, deprived the spectacle of Friday night’s fixture with Richmond of too many stars.
Nathan John