Unheralded: Maligned Magpie gets reward for effort

We always know who the stars are in a particular game.

But what about those who played a pivotal defensive role or were influential without stuffing the stat sheet? They may have had an important assignment or have simply just flown under the radar.

These players might be spoken about amongst the supporters of their clubs, but not discussed as widely around the competition.

Below are the players we believe deserve more credit for their Round 2 performances.

Worpel out, Ward in

Plenty of other Hawks have been receiving the plaudits, but the performances of Josh Ward must not go unnoticed.

He replaced the injured James Worpel prior to Round 1 and has acquitted himself exceptionally well over the past two weeks.

Ward backed up his 22-disposal effort against Essendon with 24 touches, seven tackles and four clearances in Thursday night's win over Carlton.

The 21-year-old has done everything in his power to remain in Sam Mitchell's starting 22 moving forward.

Career-best Kade

Kade Chandler produced his best performance at AFL level in Melbourne’s loss to the Kangaroos.

He amassed 25 disposals - surpassing his previous best of 21 - and booted three goals.

Add in 10 score involvements and it was an outing worthy of a shoutout.

He’ll likely would have been named as one of the Demons’ very best with most media outlets, but the fanfare will be minimal due to Clayton Oliver’s best showing in some time and the fact they lost heavily.

Under-the-radar Eagles step up

In just his ninth appearance at the elite level, Tyrell Dewar was a spark for the Eagles as they pushed Brisbane all the way.

He kicked two goals from 20 touches and four inside 50s. Prior to that his best effort was 15 disposals.

It was also Ryan Maric’s best game as an AFL player.

He has been moved to defence this year and played a pivotal role with 26 disposals (comfortably a career high), and eight rebound 50s.

Coming-of-age Caminiti

Saturday night's win over Geelong was Anthony Caminiti's best game as a St Kilda defender.

He finished the match with 18 touches, 13 marks (easily a career high), nine rebound 50s, six intercept possessions and used the ball nicely out of defence.

Caminiti, initially picked up as a key forward, played a pivotal role as the Saints held on desperately for a memorable win.

It was also the best game Zak Jones (27 disposals, 5 tackles, 5 inside 50s) has played in some time.

Maligned Magpie gets reward for effort

Lachie Schultz has been under the spotlight since joining Collingwood from Fremantle at the end of the 2023 season.

Given the Magpies parted with a first-round pick for his services, many expected Schultz to immediately star, something he failed to live up to in his first season.

Even though his effort and pressure were appreciated inside Collingwood’s four walls, he hasn’t gotten much credit elsewhere as he’s been made to adapt to a new role.

Luckily for Magpies fans, it appears Schultz has done just that in 2025, and he was massive in Friday’s tight win over the Bulldogs with two huge goals, 17 disposals, seven tackles and six marks, including a gutsy overhead grab late in the fourth term.

It backed up his 17-disposal, one-goal, seven-tackle outing in the win over Port Adelaide the week prior.

This is the player Collingwood thought they were getting two off-seasons ago.

Veteran Docker winds back the clock in new role

He’s been a star at stages throughout his career, but Jaeger O’Meara is embracing being a role player in 2025.

Tasked with minding superstar Isaac Heeney in Saturday’s tight loss to Sydney, O’Meara found 32 disposals while helping restrict the Swan to just 21.

While the Dockers eventually went down by three points, O’Meara’s role absolutely helped put them in a position to win until they ultimately went down at the death.

If he can keep doing a job while getting his own footy the other way, he’ll be one of Freo’s most critical players this campaign.