Contender proves it’s the real deal, epic bounce backs… and just one glaring fail: Report Card

Just one fail from the round that was. And no perfect grades — despite five performances that stood above the rest.

Every team’s performance analysed and graded in foxfooty.com.au’s Report Card!

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ADELAIDE CROWS

A five-goal fourth quarter wasn’t enough as the Crows’ comeback fell short against the Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night. Adelaide even hit the front before late-game heroics from Oscar Baker helped drag the Dogs over the line. The obvious question hanging over the 2025 minor premiers is why it took them until the second half to play a more aggressive, proactive brand that completely changed the dynamics of the game. Further souring the loss was a hamstring setback to Callum Ah Chee set to sideline the Crows recruit for a few weeks. The tests will keep coming for the 1-1 Crows ahead of a tough trip to GMHBA Stadium this Thursday night to face the Cats.

In the votes

Jordon Butts was enormous in a brilliant defensive showing and rare shutdown of Sam Darcy, holding the Dogs superstar to just one goal. Jordan Dawson (25 disposals, eight clearances, seven tackles) led the way in the Crows midfield, while Taylor Walker bagged three goals and Lachlan McAndrew (13 disposals, 38 hit-outs) more than held his own against Tim English.

Room for improvement

The speed of ball movement numbers tell the story. Adelaide went at 36 and 60 respectively in the first and second quarters, compared to 118 and 116 respectively in the third and final stanza when it was firing and surged back into the ball game. Adelaide was pretty well beaten in the midfield, too, with Izak Rankine was quiet in his first game back from suspension, though he’ll be better for the run.

Grade

C

BRISBANE LIONS

Had the bye 

CARLTON

Had the bye 

COLLINGWOOD

Had the bye 

ESSENDON

Oh boy. Dons fans, you probably don’t need us to remind you, but Sunday afternoon’s shellacking was simply not good enough. We’ve seen this story far too many times when it comes to a leaking defence, and their concession of 133 points to Port Adelaide was no exception. Next Saturday night’s duel with North Melbourne now looms as an absolute must-win… and luckily, it looks like they’ve got them at a great time after their loss to West Coast.

In the votes

There categorically won’t be any Bombers in the Brownlow votes for this match come September, but in terms of best afield, Nate Caddy (12 disposals, six marks, four goals) was right up there after a valiant second half at Adelaide Oval. Jye Caldwell (27 disposals, one goal) and Zak Johnson (26 disposals, eight rebound 50s, 500 metres gained) could also hold their head high.

Room for improvement

In Round 1, the Bombers conceded 157 marks to Hawthorn. Nine days later, they gave up 165 to Port Adelaide — the most the Power have ever recorded in an AFL match, and the 11th-most of all-time. They lost all of the disposal count, clearances, inside 50s and tackles, with their breakeven in contested ball the only beige flag to speak of. Their conceding of 25 marks inside 50 was particularly damning, as was their lesser tackle count; considering the fact Port had 70 more disposals.

Grade

F

FREMANTLE

For the second straight week, Freo put the foot down from the opening bounce with a devastating first term. The Dockers were +42 points, +18 inside 50s, +7 clearances, +21 contested ball – but still level for marks inside 50 with the Dees. But once that ball hit the deck, it was one-way traffic for Freo in attack. A seven-goal third term ensured the match was all over by the final change with a cautious approach taken in the last quarter with a number of big name players.

In the votes

Josh Treacy continues to stand tall in attack for Freo. He finished with a team-high four goals, but it was his presence and smarts inside 50 that really lifted the Dockers when Melbourne started to press in the second term. Andy Brayshaw got off the chain with 14 first quarter touches – the same number of disposals he had in the Rd 1 loss to Geelong. Brayshaw finished with 39 touches and a goal. Shai Bolton had arguably his best game as a Docker with an equal best on ground nine clearances, 32 disposals, 10 inside 50s and two goals.

Room for improvement

Patrick Voss’ antics have been frowned upon. The big Docker’s cry-baby gesture to Harrison Petty wasn’t well received with questions over where the line is in terms of sledging. He then had a couple of moments he’d like back, including costing his team a goal, and getting caught cold when Freo were out through the middle.

Grade

A

GEELONG CATS

Had the bye 

GOLD COAST SUNS

A game that the footy world pencilled in for the Suns, Damien Hardwick’s side still had to do the job, and after a nervy first quarter and a bit, it did just that in comprehensive fashion to move to 3-0 as it turns for its first bye. Gold Coast is playing like the genuine premiership contender most believed it could become this year, but it will lick its wounds after Christian Petracca was struck down by a hamstring injury to interrupt his magical start to life at Carrara. The ex-Demon is expected to miss the ‘medium term’.

In the votes

Ben King finished as the highest-rated player on the ground after booting an equal-career-high seven majors in a dominant showing at the MCG, partnering nicely with fellow tall Ethan Read, who got off the chain for four goals and eight score involvements. Bodhi Uwland was an impenetrable force in defence, picking off basically anything that came his way, while Joel Jeffrey dazzled with ball in hand on more than a few occasions. Christian Petracca looked on his way to another best-on-ground performance — totalling 10 score involvements from 20 disposals — before succumbing to a hamstring injury, while Touk Miller was industrious with 31 possessions and 10 score involvements.

Room for improvement

There isn’t a lot to pick apart in what was a convincing victory at a venue the Suns will have to play well at if they’re to claim their first premiership this year. The travelling side wasn’t overly convincing at the outset, though, failing to capitalise on its early chances as Richmond gave it a good crack in the first quarter and a half. Richmond kicking two of the second quarter’s first three goals would have had Hardwick thinking a few things over, but Gold Coast went whack from there, booting eight of the next nine goals to take a commanding advantage.

Grade

A

GWS GIANTS

A slow start proved costly for the Giants, who pushed hard in the second half and particularly the final quarter to give themselves a real chance at stealing an unlikely win. Instead, despite recording nine more inside-50s than the Saints, Adam Kingsley’s undermanned side slumped to 1-2 on the season. The Giants will look to avoid their third loss in four games when they travel to Melbourne to play Collingwood in Round 3.

In the votes

Lachie Ash was absolutely everywhere with the footy, recording a game-high 39 disposals with nine score involvements as the preferred run-and-gun option coming out of the Giants’ backline. But nobody had more score involvements on the ground than Clayton Oliver’s 13, with the ex-Demon also notching 33 disposals – 15 contested – for the day. It wasn’t a dominant day for Jesse Hogan, but the spearhead competed and presented all day for two goals from four marks. Emerging small forward Phoenix Gothard had an impressive performance in the attacking half, booting two majors from 19 disposals and seven score involvements.

Room for improvement

Firstly, the slow start. The Giants were outmuscled at the source, and their intensity simply wasn’t as high as the travelling Saints, who were desperate to avoid a 0-3 start to the season. GWS wound up losing centre clearances by seven. But as most would have predicted, the Orange Tsunami came in the second half, as the home side mounted its charge. However, poor capitalisation was the issue. Kingsley’s team dominated territory for much of the third and fourth quarters and thoroughly outpossessed the Saints, but it couldn’t put enough score on the board to truly threaten the visitors until very late in proceedings.

Grade

C-

HAWTHORN

The Hawks have proven themselves the real deal in 2026 after some early season jitters. And now with a break through until their Easter Monday blockbuster against the Cats, the 17-point win over Sydney couldn’t have come at a better time. Their Thursday night win was a grind – with the match starting at a frenetic pace. But as Sam Mitchell told his troops at half time, it was unsustainable. And the Hawks adjusted accordingly. Kicking seven of the last nine goals of the game lifted the side to the four points – despite having less inside 50s (-3), less clearances (-2) and less tackles (-4). But 13 marks inside 50 to just four was telling as the Hawks attack end looked dangerous at every opportunity. They also racked up a whopping 161 contested possessions against the Swans – +30 on their season average.

In the votes

Tom Barrass was a standout against the Swans, shutting down superstar Charlie Curnow after heading across for the match up after half time. He finished with 10 spoils, 11 intercept possessions and six pressure acts to steer the Hawks backline. Veteran Jack Gunston continues his Benjamin Button ways with a 4.4 effort – including six marks. Jai Newcombe racked up 31 touches, nine clearances and a goal while Nick Watson proved the Hawks with a much-needed spark wherever he was around the ground – forward or in the middle.

Room for improvement

Mabior Chol had an almost night on Thursday. The big Hawks forward took two marks inside 50 — but could have had more if not for late fumbles. He finished with 2.2 from his six touches. Mitch Lewis had a couple of moments he’d like back — including giving up a goal and then making a horror turnover when the Hawks were out — but he did make up for those errors late.

Grade

A

MELBOURNE

It’s a tough ask heading to Perth – and it was made tougher by the fact the Dees didn’t get out the gates. A first quarter onslaught saw Melbourne’s defence heavily criticised for their inability to win the ball at ground level. Described as “jittery” by two-time premiership Roo David King, the Demons back six were “panicking” time and time again. While there were fightbacks in the second and fourth quarters, it was too little to late. Melbourne only finished -2 for inside 50s and +1 for turnovers, and won hitouts +10 and +3 for centre clearance. So plenty of positives – but the struggle to hit the scoreboard when they had momentum and then defend when they didn’t was costly.

In the votes

Max Gawn continues to lead the way for the Dees – despite appearing to be hampered in Perth. The big ruck finished with an equal best on ground 15 contested touches, 11 marks and 10 intercepts. He also racked up 28 hitouts against Freo’s ruck duo, 23 disposals and seven clearances. Jack Steele racked up more than 610m from his 31 disposals plus nine tackles and nine clearances. Koltyn Tholstrup shutdown Dockers danger man Caleb Serong with a heavy tag.

Room for improvement

Latrelle Pickett is still young – but the basics need to be forefront of mind. He finished with just seven touches despite playing 70% of game time. Jacob van Rooyen went goalless, Changkuoth Jiath had a few puzzling moments – including coughing up a free kick for running too far. But in this instance, he ran towards the Freo goal – so ended up giving the free kick in a better goal scoring position.

Grade

C-

NORTH MELBOURNE

Coach Alastair Clarkson said he was taking a “no excuses” approach to their 17-point defeat to West Coast despite losing defender Griffin Logue in the opening play. The Roos were the better team of the opening term as they opened up a 30-point lead by cashing in on Eagle turnovers. But it was a different story after quarter time as the momentum shifted. Managing just 24m gained by handball in the second and third quarters really hurt North Melbourne in the hot Perth conditions. Worryingly, North Melbourne just couldn’t use the ball with 34 of their 45 defensive 50 chains interrupted. Despite winning +9 clearances, the Roos were belted in contested ball (-20) in a trend Clarkson was disappointed by. “Their post clearance work was far superior to ours … We just had a few too many passengers today.”

In the votes

Tristan Xerri was an absolute beast. He racked up an impressive 43 hitouts to go with his nine tackles, seven clearances and 25 touches while in repeat tussles with Eagle Harley Reid. Harry Sheezel collected 40 touches for more than 610m gained. Add in eight clearances to that too. Nick Larkey finished with six goals playing a near lone hand in attack.

Room for improvement

It wasn’t a great day out for ex-Eagle Jack Darling. Loudly booed by his former fans, Darling struggled to get near it and finished goalless from his five touches. Charlie Combden had a brain fade when he dropped Harley Reid on the stroke of three quarter time – sparking a push and shove. Finn O’Sullivan coughed up four free kicks in an ill-disciplined display.

Grade

F

PORT ADELAIDE

Josh Carr’s first win as the head coach at Alberton couldn’t have been much more clinical in the first three quarters on Sunday afternoon, eventually finishing up 63-point winners over Essendon. The club’s superstars were in full flight, the goalscoring load was evenly shared, and they never looked truly tested. The one major downside comes with a serious hamstring injury to captain Connor Rozee, who is expected to miss at least two months with a hamstring injury.

In the votes

There were plenty of players for umpires to choose from post-game for Brownlow votes, but you feel Zak Butters (36 disposals, 13 score involvements, nine inside 50s, seven clearances, two goal assists) could be the pick of the lot. Not far behind him though will be Jason Horne-Francis (26 disposals, 12 score involvements, 10 marks, three goals), who well and truly found his best after injury interrupted his pre-season. Joe Richards (21 disposals — 11 contested, two goals) and Jack Lukosius (16 disposals, 10 marks, three goals) were also prevalent, with the latter in his first game of the season.

Room for improvement

Genuinely the only downside, was their inability to make it a really big win. The Power gave up four of the last five goals of the game to make Essendon’s loss look slightly better than what it actually was, but beyond that, they did all they could before three-quarter time. Last quarter costs them a perfect score!

Grade

A

RICHMOND

After giving the home faithful something to cheer about — and an upset bid for the Suns to briefly consider — the Tigers were thoroughly beaten shortly after quarter-time. A large contributing factor was the losses of veteran spearhead Tom Lynch and captain Toby Nankervis to hamstring injuries. The absence of Lynch in particular was debilitating to a young Richmond side that simply wasn’t able to halve enough contests in the forward half to have a genuine chance against a Suns outfit boasting Sam Collins and Bodhi Uwland. The Tigers went up seven points early in the second term before things started to go pear-shaped.

In the votes

Sam Lalor and Seth Campbell were tied for the most score involvements with seven apiece, with Campbell also dobbing three majors. Ben Miller stood tall in defence with seven marks and six intercepts to be Richmond’s highest-rated player on the day, while Dion Prestia was serviceable in his return with 18 disposals and six score involvements. Jayden Short was the Tigers’ busiest ball-winner with 33 possessions, while Tim Taranto had 26 and six clearances.

Room for improvement

Richmond managed just 36 inside-50s for the afternoon, which was 25 fewer than the number of entries Gold Coast had. The home side was also thoroughly outpossessed despite winning 11 more clearances for the afternoon. The Tigers failed to stop the Suns’ outside game, finishing -78 for uncontested possessions, and committed 16 more turnovers for the match. And those turnovers were continually costly and in poor positions, with the Suns ruthless on counterpunch. The top eight highest-rated players were all Suns, in an indication of how the home side was unable to stop its rival.

Grade

C-

ST KILDA

In a tense finish that would have had Saints fans sweating like anything, St Kilda clung onto victory in western Sydney to avoid its first 0-3 start in 26 years. And it was a win that Ross Lyon’s side deserved, clearly coming out of the lightning delay the hungrier of the two outfits; intense at the coalface and looking the more dangerous side in attack. The Saints had seven more centre clearances for the day and looked threatening in transition.

In the votes

Co-captain Callum Wilkie was a near impenetrable force behind the ball with 25 disposals, 11 intercepts and 11 marks, finishing as the highest-rated player on the day. Despite copping a tag early, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had 27 disposals, a team-high eight score involvements, five clearances and 694 metres gained to his name. Darcy Wilson was a somewhat unexpected shining light for the travelling side, notching 22 disposals, six score involvements, a goal and 531 metres gained. Alix Tauru showed some promise after being swung forward, kicking two goals and looking a likely aerial threat. Jack Sinclair was the leading disposal-winner for the Saints with 31, adding nine marks and six intercepts as a prime mover in counterpunch.

Room for improvement

Well, for starters, the fact that they almost choked despite never really having their lead tested throughout the afternoon. The Saints were beaten convincingly in the second half, and will be thankful the Giants couldn’t capitalise on their bevy of opportunities in the third and fourth quarters. St Kilda finished the game with nine fewer inside-50 entries and 52 fewer disposals than GWS, and conceded five of the game’s last six goals to create a nailbiting final 25 seconds or so. Still, a win’s a win, and this one was crucial on the road to put their winless fortnight in the rearview mirror.

Grade

B+

SYDNEY SWANS

The Swans were always going to be under the pump without their superstar duo Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden on a five-day break. But like Callum Mills said post match “who cares?”. The Swans started the contest with a bang, slotting six goals in the first term before struggling to adapt to Hawthorn’s contested game. Sydney’s run and gun was limited – and with a forward line that was well-beaten by the Hawks backline, the Swans stalled and couldn’t recover. An efficiency inside 50 of just 38% didn’t help Sydney’s cause; neither did their 83 turnovers – +11 on their season average. The Swans managed just four marks inside 50 – compared to Hawthorn’s 13, and had just 58 marks for the entire match. Hawthorn cut off the Swans’ easy ball, as they finished with 193 uncontested possessions, which is well short of their season average of 226.

In the votes

Brodie Grundy battled admirably against the Hawks ruck duo to finish with his team’s most clearances (7), 29 hitouts, 19 disposals and a goal. Chad Warner was impressive in patches as he racked up 27 disposals, six clearances and a goal. Nick Blakey went to work from his back half, racking up more than 830m from his 23 touches. James Rowbottom threw himself at every contest to finish with a game-high 12 tackles.

Room for improvement

Charlie Curnow disappeared after half time in worrying signs for the Swans marquee man. He had just one handball after the man break – and went touchless in a thrilling final term where the match went on the line. Fellow forward Joel Amartey managed just one goal while Malcolm Rosas struggled with just seven touches.

Grade

C

WEST COAST EAGLES

West Coast only won two of the four quarters against North Melbourne on Sunday – but they piled on 12 goals in the quarters they did win which was enough to end their 308-day drought. The Eagles were challenged in the final quarter as North nailed three straight to close to within two kicks. But the young West Coast side responded to hand coach Andrew McQualter just a second career victory at the club. Their second and third quarters were so dominant, West Coast gained more than 240m by hand – compared to North’s 24m in a remarkable stat. Despite having an efficiency of less than 50% inside 50 and losing the clearance count, the Eagles threw themselves into the contest and, particularly after quarter time, found free teammates to get out of jail at the stoppage.

In the votes

Harley Reid had a day out against the Roos – and racked up 30 touches – 11 contested, three clearance and five tackles. Elliot Yeo was back to his best after missing all of 2025, as his goal after the three quarter time siren lifted West Coast to a game-high 30-point buffer. Reuben Ginbey was the pick of Eagles defenders, even after his shift to Nick Larkey when Harry Edwards went down with concussion. Ginbey collected 19 one percenters for his side – a whopping +14 on the next best Eagle. Milan Murdock – who has risen into AFL ranks in the space of a fortnight – provided the spark the Eagles needed.

Room for improvement

The first quarter turnovers were alarming for West Coast. Jobe Shanahan missed a 20m uncontested pass at half back which resulted in a North goal while 168cm Roo Caleb Daniel ended up with a smother because the Eagles kicked it right into him.

Grade

A-

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Continued their blistering start to the season with another statement win over Adelaide on the road. A huge win considering the Crows came back and hit the lead in front of the raucous Adelaide Oval crowd before the Dogs responded in the clutch. The sort of win that can build belief as the Dogs showed they can respond to adversity when their backs were to the wall late. Luke Beveridge’s men now head into their bye a perfect 3-0 as one of the rightful flag favourites.

In the votes

Joel Freijah (24 touches, three goals) further enhanced his growing reputation with one of his best AFL games yet including all three of his goals coming in the first half. Oscar Baker (three goals) was the unlikely hero including the game-winning goal, while Marcus Bontempelli (30 disposals, one goal) did Marcus Bontempelli things and Bailey Williams (23 disposals, 10 marks, five tackles, two goals) was also good.

Room for improvement

Outside of that let up in the fourth quarter, you can barely fault the Dogs in a gutsy road win. Sam Darcy was uncharacteristically well held by Jordon Butts, but you can’t imagine that will happen many more times this year. Bailey Dale is also yet to fire after an interrupted pre-season.

Grade

A