Saturday Fallout: Alarming stats as Dogs thrashed in ruck

No English, no party

The Dogs really missed ruckman Tim English’s presence in their Gather Round matchup against the Hawks.

We all knew that this was going to be an issue heading into the game, but Hawthorn duo Lloyd Meek and Ned Reeves were able to completely expose the Dogs in ruck contests.

Hawthorn won the hitout battle 64-17, but even more alarmingly, the Dogs only managed three hitouts to advantage for the entire game, while the Hawks delivered 21. This discrepancy was a major part of the reason Hawthorn won the clearance count by 12 and ultimately crunched the Dogs by 40 points.

This game proved that English is crucial to the Dogs’ season if they want to be flag chances, and they need him from his MCL injury ASAP.

In worse news for the Dogs, gun midfielder Ed Richards was helped from the ground after rolling his ankle in the final term. Richards previously missed Round 4 due to injury, and he could potentially be back on the sidelines for the near future.

With the Dogs no longer undefeated, the race to top the ladder is heating up with Sydney, Fremantle, Hawthorn and the Dogs all holding an impressive record of four wins to one loss.

Connor Scanlon

Bombers take the first positive step in long journey

A week is a long time in football.

And for Essendon fans, the last 323 days would have felt like an eternity.

But after 17 straight losses, the Bombers have now finished a match and walked away with four premiership points, doing so with their biggest margin since 2023.

Brad Scott’s biggest wins as Essendon coach

• Round 1 2023 vs Hawthorn – 59 points
• Round 11 2023 vs West Coast – 50 points
• Round 5 2026 vs Melbourne - 45 points
• Round 11 2024 vs North Melbourne – 40 points
• Round 5 2025 vs Melbourne – 39 points

For a side that hasn't had much to cheer about, there were certainly some positive glimpses to take from this match.

Archie Roberts couldn't stop finding the ball as he amassed 42 disposals for the match (a career high), Isaac Kako played his best game of the year, kicking an important two goals, while the experience of Darcy Parish, Jye Caldwell and Zach Merrett led the way in Essendon's dominance from stoppage clearances.

Wins will be far and few between for the Bombers, but at least there is something to show for their efforts.

Nicholas Quinlan

JL's gritty Dockers; Fly’s dour Pies

Fremantle has been accused of perhaps being a bit flaky in recent times.

They’ve often lost games they should have won - see last year's Elimination Final against the Suns - just as people were starting to believe they’d truly arrived.

But this 2026 Dockers outfit is seemingly made of tougher stuff.

They could barely buy a goal against Collingwood on a wet and windy night at the Adelaide Oval in their 45-39 win.

Five of their seven goals were kicked in two bursts totalling less than five minutes which is emblematic of Justin Longmuir's new desire to play fast, attacking footy.

But that was all amongst a lot of defending and desperation on the back of a similar contest against the Crows at the same venue last weekend.

Desperate tackles from Andrew Brayshaw and Isaiah Dudley, the match-saving Josh Treacy mark, captain Alex Pearce's mark and several other desperate acts.

It wasn't a night for highlights - Jye Amiss and Matt Johnson goals aside - but the one percenters were on show for all to see from both teams.

The Dockers have set themselves up well with four wins from five and can take plenty of heart from their last two grinding triumphs. They're winning in different ways which is a great sign.

JL will be keen to get them back to their free-scoring ways in the Derby against the Eagles next weekend.

Then it’s Carlton in Perth. They’re looking at a 6-1 start. That sets up finals, surely, and maybe even top four…

Craig McRae and the Pies have won their fair share of these tight tussles over the years. They lacked composure when it counted.

Dan McStay, former Docker Lachie Schultz and the great Nick Daicos all failed to put the nail in the Freo coffin. Billy Frampton failed to hit the target late.

It's a game of inches and the headline could have been flipped if the Pies made the most of their chances.

But they didn't and the Dockers did.

The Maggies are averaging just 10 goals a game so far this year. If they want to be anything more than a mid-table team then that will have to change.

The Pies will always put themselves in games because of their elite defensive system but scores of 78, 79, 87, 65 and 39 just won't cut it. That's 14 straight games without reaching 100. Their record in that time is 5-9.

But they do get great opportunities to work on those scoring woes in front of massive crowds at the MCG against Carlton and Essendon over the next two weeks. Not all hope is lost.

And a nod to 22-year-old debutant Angus Anderson who looked at home at the elite level. Crafty recruiting from the Pies.

Andrew Slevison

Rash run riots on Jekyll & Hyde Blues

Not many expected Carlton to beat the Crows in Adelaide to open Gather Round.

But when the two teams gathered at their quarter-time huddles after a 13-goal first term - seven of which came from players in navy blue - perhaps the Blues were daring to dream.

Carlton’s Dr Jekyll opening quarter was only followed by a Mr Hyde second stanza. The Blues’ worst has followed their best all too frequently under Michael Voss. It happened to be the case yet again.

After forcing six clearances in the first term, captain Patrick Cripps was inexplicably benched for the first portion of the second. During that time the Crows kicked three goals in a row amid six unanswered.

Cripps didn’t have a second-quarter clearance as his Blues were battered around the ball. Carlton led clearances 17-9 at the first break before the Crows hit back 15-7 in the second to take control.

The Blues have massive struggles moving the ball. They cannot score from their back half. If it's not contest and stoppage, then it's nothing.

Sam Walsh was excellent in the opening term. 15 disposals, nine score involvements and four inside 50s. In the next two terms combined he had six touches, zero score involvements and zero inside 50s. He came alive again in the fourth but the damage was done.

After a first-quarter blitz, Carlton’s momentum was arrested, energy sapped and heads hung low. Game over, essentially, as the Crows held them at arm’s length.

There were signs of life late but it was all academic.

There remains an enormous gap that sits between Carlton's best footy and their worst. How do they navigate that? No doubt it’s what keeps Vossy up at night.

Let’s not discount the Crows though. 

Josh Rachele has been threatening to produce something like this for some time. 26 disposals, 13 contested possessions, seven score involvements, six clearances (three from the centre), six inside 50s, five tackles, and four ripping first-half goals.

He loves the Gather Round limelight.

Annual Carlton killer Ben Keays also did the business with three majors, making it 14 in five against the Baggers.

Matty Nicks’ Crows are now 2-3 with single digit losses to the Bulldogs, Cats and Dockers - potential top six teams.

There’s plenty to work with ahead of a very nice five-week block ahead with games against St Kilda, Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Richmond and North Melbourne.

Andrew Slevison