Round 12 taught us plenty about the AFL.
While we began the bye rounds with four teams sitting out, fans were still treated to seven intriguing matches.
With huge suspensions and other top-eight shaping results occurring, here’s what we learned from the weekend’s results.
The Rising Star shouldn’t have a ‘fairest’ aspect to the award
The Rising Star winner in 2024 won’t feel deserving of the award.
With both Harley Reid and Sam Darcy – the two frontrunners – now ineligible due to suspension, whoever receives the gong come season’s end won’t have really earned the honour.
If the AFL really want the Rising Star to commend the year’s best young player, it must get rid of the ‘fairest’ aspect of the award.
While many have the same argument about the Brownlow, at least that aspect of that honour has existed for a century.
With the Rising Star, the award has only lasted 30 years. There’s no way anyone would mind if the ‘fairest’ aspect was taken away, particularly given how easy it is for players to get suspended in modern-day footy.
It’s disappointing that we won’t be able to look back through the Rising Star winners list in years to come and truly see who the best was that year.
While the AFL probably won’t make the call midway through a campaign, they’ve got to change something so we don’t see this situation occur again in the future.
Fremantle are a different outfit with improved ball movement
Fremantle look a completely different outfit using the ball with speed and dare.
We saw it in the final 15 minutes last week as they came back to draw Collingwood and it continued into Round 12 as they went with that style from the word go, putting Melbourne to the sword in their 49-141 win.
The Dockers have some beautiful users in their team and it was a genuine joy to watch them move the ball as well as they did on Sunday, particularly against such a quality defence.
Given their backline is already so sturdy, this Dockers side will absolutely go to a new level if they can keep attacking like they did in Alice Springs.
They honestly looked like a top-four team playing in that fashion.
Let’s see if they keep it up in the second half of the campaign.
Same old Port Adelaide
Typical Port Adelaide.
Seemingly every time they get an opportunity to prove themselves as genuine contenders, they fall short.
It’s been a bugbear of Port fans for years, and again this side just looks a rung below the competition’s elite.
Friday’s loss to Carlton at home was there for them to win as well, but once the whips got cracking late, it was the Blues who rose to the top.
Whether it’s coaching, talent or execution, there’s just something missing when the heat is really on this side.
We shouldn’t be surprised by this when they continue to fall short for the rest of the campaign.
Simply put, this side is destined to play finals but again make up the numbers as they did in 2023.
That is unless something drastic changes pretty soon.
They get a chance to do that after their bye when they face the Giants away in Round 14, but they’re going to have to prove us wrong now.
Breaking point is here for the Pies, the question is can they hold on?
Collingwood has officially reached a breaking point with injury.
While they battled well in their 82-100 loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, they simply didn’t have enough talent to match it with Luke Beveridge’s side once the Dogs pulled away late.
It might be harsh, but there are genuinely seven or eight players right now suiting up in the black and white that wouldn’t even be next in on the depth chart if something close to the best 23 was available.
The Pies now have a 6-2-4 record and with their current squad, they won’t be favoured next Monday against Melbourne despite the Demons’ horror performance in Sunday’s loss to Fremantle.
If they lose that but can knock off North Melbourne before their bye, they’ll most likely hold what’s effectively an 8-6 record through 14 games.
If they’re to really go back-to-back and contend for the flag, they can probably only drop one or two more games for the rest of the campaign after that.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Pies who have been one of the more in-form teams in the comp in terms of their game plan.
It’s just a reality now that the talent gap is too obvious between them and other finals contenders as long as this disastrous injury list exists.
Richmond’s improvement in Dreamtime wasn’t a one-off
While Richmond went down by 12 points to Essendon last week, there were clear signs of improvement after back-to-back losses of more than 90 points.
There was clearly improved effort in that clash, but many were pondering whether that was just their players getting up for a big game.
Well, after Saturday’s 30-point loss to Geelong, we can at least know that the Tigers are beginning to figure some things out.
Even though they’re now 1-11, there are signs there that this team won’t be disastrous easy beats for the rest of 2024. They even led at Geelong until the Cats snatched the lead back 24 minutes into the third quarter.
There are obviously still some talent issues with the likes of Shai Bolton, Josh Gibcus, Jacob Hopper, Tom Lynch and Tim Taranto sidelined. Still, Adem Yze is at least getting a bedrock of effort and intensity.
Once even a few of those big names return, this side will improve pretty quickly and should scare a few sides in the second half of the campaign.
It’s not all doom and gloom at Tigerland as many felt was the case just a fortnight ago.
It’s a big week for Hawthorn
Hawthorn again shocked the footy world on Saturday, knocking off Adelaide by 27 points at the MCG.
It was their fourth win from their last five games, and the only one they dropped was by one point in agonising fashion against Port Adelaide.
While they’re clearly big improvers and a dangerous outfit, the Hawks can now begin making an unlikely finals run if they continue picking up wins before their bye.
We expect them to beat Richmond in Round 14, but before that, they host GWS in Tasmania.
If they win that, there’s every chance they’re 7-7 before regrouping with some of the best momentum you’ll see under their belts.
Next Saturday at UTAS presents this side a perfect opportunity to make a statement that they are a genuine top-eight challenger.
Let’s see if they can do it.