Round 17 taught us plenty about the AFL.
The weekend saw contenders go down, upset results, statement wins and more!
With that in mind, here’s what we learned from the weekend’s footy.
It’s time to give up on Collingwood
Collingwood can’t win the premiership.
That’s the simple reality facing the reigning champions after Friday’s 80-92 loss to Essendon.
With Brody Mihocek out for the season now, the breaking point has officially been reached.
There are simply too many important pieces sidelined and they aren’t playing good enough footy anyway to even consider finishing high enough to make a push for the flag.
Clubs have clearly gone to work on how to stop the Pies and they’re way too easy to score against at the moment.
While their best in 2024 has been that of a contender, their worst is appearing too often and they’re not just a rung below the top sides, but also top eight challengers at the moment.
To even make the eight the Pies probably have to go 4-3 from here, and that won’t be easy with Geelong, Hawthorn, Richmond, Carlton, Sydney – at the SCG, Brisbane and Melbourne on the run home.
They’re not going to give up, but the mountain is just too high to climb for Craig McRae’s men in 2024.
How good did St Kilda’s ball movement look?
St Kilda are often criticised for their slow, defensive style of footy, but no one could criticise them for that in Sunday’s 84-82 win over Sydney.
The Saints were down by 30 points midway through the third term and appeared headed for a heavy defeat.
With nothing to lose, Ross Lyon took the shackles off his team who began using the ball aggressively with dare and courage.
Suddenly, things turned in their favour as they’d kick eight of the last 11 goals to end up on top.
With smart users like Liam Henry, Jack Sinclair and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, St Kilda absolutely have the weapons to use the footy quickly and play a fast brand, if they want to.
They genuinely looked a completely different outfit in the third and fourth terms once they hit the go button.
Perhaps it’s something Lyon will need to instruct his players to do more often.
Gold Coast can’t be taken seriously
Damien Hardwick said it best in his post-match press conference, Gold Coast needs to grow up as a footy club.
The Suns had the perfect opportunity to finally win in Melbourne under their new coach, coming up against the then-18th-placed Roos.
Clearly, they went down 87-83 and everyone’s doubts about them being home-track bullies were confirmed.
While they’re still a chance to play finals given how strong they are at home, this side won’t be doing anything come the pointy end of the season until they learn to win on the road.
It’s certainly not a talent issue and with Hardwick at the helm, it’s surely not a coaching problem either.
As the coach said, it’s a growing-up hurdle that the club must conquer.
They won’t be considered a serious side until they clear it.
Melbourne has taken a step back, but their youngsters are beginning to flourish
There’s no doubt that Melbourne has taken a step back in 2024 compared to the top-four outfit they were across the last three seasons.
Much of the reason why they’re not a dominant force at the moment is due to a drop-off from some senior heads, but that hasn’t stopped the development of their youngster stars.
In Sunday’s 112-58 win over West Coast, the Demons were led by their younger brigade as Jacob Van Rooyen (four goals), Caleb Windsor (one goal, 25 disposals) and Trent Rivers (29 disposals) all key contributors that are aged 22 or under.
Draftee Koltyn Tholstrup (two goals) also showed he can play as the Demons begin to build an impressive young nucleus that can support their older stars in the coming years.
While it may not be timed perfectly in 2024, if these young guns continue to grow and some of their bigger names stay at a high level and return to top form in 2025… look out.
Geelong are warming back up again
After starting 7-0 before going 1-6 in their next seven, everyone thought that Geelong was well and truly heading one way, down.
Well, after their last two weeks against finals hopefuls Essendon and Hawthorn, the Cats have begun to find their best footy again.
Saturday’s 51-point win over the Hawks at home was a statement performance and it often looked like a training drill at times, that’s how dominant they were.
With Collingwood at the ‘G, the Dogs at home, North in Tassie, Adelaide at home, Freo away, St Kilda at Marvel and the Eagles at home on their run home, there’s every chance the Cats go in favourites in six of their last seven.
A top-four spot awaits this side if they can keep this form up and no one will be keen to play them come finals given some of the absolute star factor in the line-up.
Maybe it’s a lesson learned. Never write this side off.
It’s a big week for Carlton
Carlton’s hot run of form was halted by GWS on Saturday night at ENGIE Stadium as they went down 116-104.
After starting the game brilliantly, the Giants got to work, kicking 14 goals to three across the second and third terms to well and truly put the Blues to the sword.
Will that result be a one-off, or have the Blues regressed to the mean a little?
We’ll find out next Saturday at Marvel Stadium against a Western Bulldogs side that’s extremely dangerous when they’re on.
There’s absolutely no need to panic yet for the Blues given they sit second and GWS are no slouches, particularly at home.
But there’s no doubt that they’ll want to rebound in a big way in Round 18.