But, the heroes of Saturday night will have a big job ahead of them as Geelong awaits.
Jay Clark presents his likes and dislikes from this weekend’s footy.
LIKES
CARLTON’S FORGOTTEN MAN SHINES ON THE BIG STAGE AGAIN
Sam Walsh bucked the trend.
When the Carlton vice-captain signed a whopping eight-year deal to stay back in February, he was coming off the toughest year of his career.
The Blues had missed finals.
Walsh had endured more hamstring and foot problems.
And his standing as an A-Grade midfielder was lost.
The man who polled 30 Brownlow Medal votes in only his third season in 2021 to finish fourth in the league best-and-fairest managed just six votes last year.
Carlton’s running man had become something of a forgotten man.
And who can imagine what Walsh was thinking when the Blues this year slipped to 1-8 and sacked coach Michael Voss mid-season?
Geelong had long shown interest in the local product and number one draft pick.
But on Friday night Walsh can knock them out of the premiership race as part of one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in football history.
For all the free agents Geelong has been able to lure home, and Zak Butters could join the list, Walsh is one who said no.
It’s sliding doors, in September.
The Blues aren’t just a novelty act anymore in 2026; they’re the most intoxicating comeback story of recent times and are slicing apart the opposition like a sushi chef with their short kicking game.
And if Patrick Cripps is the heart of this remarkable revival, Harry Dean the backbone, and Jagga Smith the darling of it, then Walsh is the engine.
He had 39 disposals, 17 contested possessions, eight score involvements, seven clearances and intercepts in the come-from-behind win over Melbourne on Saturday night to win the wildcard final.
So it looks like a showdown of two of the best runners in the game when he takes on Bailey Smith on Friday night.
Last encounter in Round 12, Cats’ tagger Oisin Mullin went to Cripps for 55 minutes.
But the Blues’ ‘Braveheart’ racked up 17 touches and four clearances in that time and clinched the best-on-ground performance hauling in the matchwinning contested mark and goal deep forward late.
It was the season-turning on-field moment. And the Cats are the Blues’ bunnies.
If Carlton topple Geelong for the fifth time in six games on Friday night, they will get another shot at winning into another preliminary final with a vastly different side and style than the Blues who faced Brisbane in 2023.
That was when Carlton was winning clearance, kicking long, and focusing heavily on the twin tower forward setup.
Without Charlie Curnow, now the threat is much more spread. There’s more speed and precision. More angles. More chase down tackles and more balance in attack.
Ben Ainsworth played the best game of his career on Saturday night.
Ben Ainsworth puts Carlton in front
Underrated link man Ollie Hollands has put aside the difficulty of his brother’s year, Lachie Cowan showed his toughness in big moments, Francis Evans is a hyena, Harry McKay has become a leader, and Adam Cerra is having an impact on games again across half back.
They’re lesser lights starring under bright lights.
And Jacob Weitering reminded us all why he was considered one of the best key defenders in the game in the second half.
Dean may be the future, but Weitering came up big with 11 spoils, 10 intercept possessions and six intercept marks to nullify the Demons.
But the most scintillating aspect of the revival is the ball use.
They are no longer the butchers, they’re machine gunners, the Blues.
They kick the Sherrin in quick, short bursts.
Under new coach Josh Fraser Carlton is number one for total disposals and uncontested marks, and number 18 for kick long percentage.
It’s rat-a-tat-tat by foot instead of dumping the ball long-down-the-line anymore.
The brand is so clear and it is working, winning 12 of their last 15 games.
It is exactly what Walsh had dreamt of when he re-signed back in February at a club which hasn’t tasted the ultimate since 1995.
That was the year the Blues demolished Geelong, but the premiership drought since then is one of the longest in the game.
So, if Cripps is the most loyal man in footy, Walsh might be second on that list.
It’s been a hell of a rollercoaster including four different senior coaches across eight years.
But all he wants is Carlton success.
“I just couldn’t think of anything better than wining something at this club,” Walsh said.
“Each year I have been at the club you learn different lessons, so it’s piecing it together.
“Hopefully I can be a big part of keeping a strong culture here, and even setting up some success for the club for many years to come.”
WILDCARD WINNERS
The wildcard finals concept gets a big tick.
The biggest plus is the extra life it gives the latter part of the regular season in helping eliminate many of the dead rubbers that plagued last season.
But if there was still any doubt, the two wildcard finals we watched across Friday and Saturday nights were blinders.
The MCG was full, they attracted huge television ratings, and it meant there were two showpiece cutthroat matches on an otherwise footy-free weekend.
What’s not to like?
It would take a miraculous effort for Carlton or the Bulldogs to go all the way from here, and the top-six teams clearly have a sizeable advantage.
But the AFL’s wildcard decision was a winner.
PENDLES FLIES NORTH
Scott Pendlebury will help drive standards and strategy at Gold Coast.
After his classy exit from Collingwood on Saturday, bringing an end to his legendary Magpies’ career, attention will soon turn to the Suns.
One of the most talented lists in the game will soon add one of the smartest and most respected leaders in footy to maximise the Suns’ capabilities.
And Christian Petracca looms as one of the main beneficiaries.
The former Demon endured a hot start and a poor end to the season after being shifted more forward.
It rounded out a terribly frustrating first season in red and yellow for the Norm Smith medallist.
While Damien Hardwick said it was his challenge to work out how to fix the Petracca problem, Pendlebury is certain to join the conversation.
The five-time Copeland Trophy winner will bid farewell to Collingwood fans at the best and fairest night after wanting the attention to be on superstar teammate Steele Sidebottom after the loss to Western Bulldogs.
For Pendlebury, his AFL games record celebration this year will be hard to beat as a remarkable and emotional acknowledgment of his career.
But the new chapter looms.
And while the Suns were disappointed to lose Ben King, there is considerable excitement for what the champion Magpie brings on and off the field.
NEUTRAL
THE PRODIGAL SON’S RETURN?
North Melbourne should be first in the queue for Sydney Swans’ line breaker Nick Blakey.
The superstar defender’s future is up in the air after the season-ending suspension for the Pullman Five.
Police investigations are ongoing into sexual assault investigations with a focus on the actions of Isaac Heeney.
The welfare of the alleged victims remains the top priority and the game’s leaders have repeatedly said the women involved remain the key concern.
But, from a football perspective, Victorian clubs are closely watching Blakey’s situation.
The Swans will attempt to bring the team back together amid a club review of their culture and the events which led to the devastating aftermath of the round 23 win over Essendon.
But there remains considerable doubt the Swans will be able to keep each of the five players who were suspended for breaking team rules with their late-night antics.
For the Roos, Blakey’s run-and-gun from the back half is the kind of quality which could help North take a giant leap into finals next year.
Clarkson will be desperate for more top-end talent heading into a crunch 2027.
Outside playmakers Bailey Scott (delisted) and Zac Fisher were unable to have an impact, while Luke McDonald will be 32 next year.
They need another linebreaking defender and at 195cm Blakey is an ideal target with strong connections with the club already.
Certainly, the Saints are another club on the lookout for a half back and could free up some salary cap space for Blakey if they lose ruckman Rohan Marshall to Geelong.
The Dogs are another club who could circle if Zak Butters picks Geelong.
But if Blakey is going to seriously weigh up a move to Victoria, then Clarkson will zero in on the son of one of his good mates, and North great, John.
North was in the mix to draft Blakey as a father-son with his dad playing 224 games there before joining as an assistant coach. He left the Roos on good terms.
The Roos have been unable to secure top-line recruits over the past decade, but will surely dangle a sizeable carrot to try and prise Blakey out of the Swans.
It will require deep consideration from the Kangas’ board given the events and police investigation. And they will need all the relevant information to make an informed decision.
Blakey is also still contracted until 2031.
The Swans don’t have a first-round pick in next year’s draft so the Roos could put that future first on the table even though Tasmania will dominate the 2027 draft.
North has pick five in this year’s draft and will get a bonus end-of-first-round pick when its first choice is shuffled down the order by father-son and next generation academy picks.
But if pick five is what it will take to land Blakey then it must seriously tempt North considering all the top end picks they have already taken over the past decade.
Gold Coast gave up picks seven and eight as part of a wider deal for Christian Petracca last year and Blakey is an All-Australian.
The Kangaroos are already chasing Adelaide key defender Nick Murray to plug a major hole in its defensive setup.
But Blakey is the late-season curve ball.
DISLIKES
MIRACLE MAN
Aaron Naughton shoulders one of the biggest loads in the game.
The relentless physical toll of his courageous aerial attempts flies under the radar.
And at times in recent years, he has been the most banged-up forward in the caper.
But for Luke Beveridge’s men to progress past Adelaide in the elimination final on Saturday night, they can’t continue to rely on one man’s marking miracles.
Artie Jones also played the best game of his career to bag four goals as part of a game which will probably add the best part of another $100,000 to his contract.
Jones has Essendon and Brisbane all interested and it will be hard to knock back the Lions given their list strength and chance to join Charlie Cameron in attack.
But without Sam Darcy this year, the Bulldogs’ forward setup is at risk of being a case of Naughton or bust.
Naughton has been targeted 142 times inside 50m this year, easily the most at the club.
Remarkably, the next on that list is Will Lewis at 56, according to Champion Data.
It’s the biggest gap in the game and something that will be naturally addressed when Darcy returns from his knee reconstruction next season.
Darcy will take time next year adjusting back to the demands of AFL after a year out.
But in the short term this September the Dogs will have to balance that focus.
On Saturday night, the Adelaide defence will otherwise collapse on one man knowing who the obvious focal point is.
So that means the small ball combination of Cody Weightman, Rhylee West and Jones could be the difference in notching a whopping upset win on the road if the midfield fires again.
The Dogs racked up 19 more inside 50s, 19 more clearances and 10 more centre clearances than the Magpies on Friday night.
It’s been the same story for Collingwood all year and why they have chased Lachie Neale, one of the game’s best centre clearance players.
So Adelaide’s onball unit, with Izak Rankine in the best form of his life, face that blue-chip midfield test, next.
Rory Lobb played forward but was largely ineffective against the Magpies, but the performance of Tim English in his comeback game once again underlined his value to the Dogs.
GWS may be interested in his services but it would take a head turning offer for the Dogs to entertain English’s exit and even then it appears to be a long shot.
The nail biting win over Collingwood takes the pressure off the Dogs after winning their first final since the 2021 grand final.
Beveridge is the man for next year and they remain hopeful they will be boosted by two of the best players in the AFL.
That is Darcy, and Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters.
The Dogs desperately hope Zak Butters doesn’t rule them out in the event Geelong is unable to seal a deal with Port Adelaide in what promises to be tense trade talks.
The Cats want Port to take the free agency compensation (pick five) for Butters, but the Power want more, meaning the deal could go down to the wire.
DEMONS UNDONE
Melbourne has exceeded expectations all season.
But the wildcard exit was a disappointing end to the season on a night some of their most important players failed to fire.
And it will have to face the very real prospect of weaning itself off superstar skipper and champion ruckman Max Gawn.
Gawn led superbly this year and could take out a fourth club champion award.
But this cannot be a team which heads into 2027 in any way expecting the brilliant big man to continue his heroics at the same level.
You would put nothing past the nine-time All-Australian but there will be a limit to his physical capabilities in his twilight.
It is hard to fault Kysaiah Pickett’s season, but his goal radar was off on some sprayed snaps he normally nails on Saturday night.
But Tom Sparrow and Jack Steele both had quiet nights when Jack Viney entered the midfield mix in his first game back from injury for the season.
Caleb Windsor is another who has top-end talent but faces a big pre-season to help take the next step as a silken ball user. Latrelle Pickett will look to build his tank and his training standards, too.
The Jacob van Rooyen suspension hurt badly when coupled with the Matt Jefferson injury, and the Demons will target Hawk Calsher Dear to bolster the forward targets.
But this can’t be a team which relies on Gawn to win games as he prepares to turn 35 over summer ahead of season number 17.