An AFL Hall of Fame Legend has flagged a common trend he believes could impact one of the league’s brightest young stars. Meanwhile at Geelong, their depth in one particular department has been questioned for the first time in decades.
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TREND AFL LEGEND CAN’T IGNORE WITH FUTURE SUPERSTAR
A key aspect of footy’s changing landscape has prompted football legend Leigh Matthews to declare Sam Darcy won’t be a “magnificent forward” in this generation.
Darcy, a prodigious prospect at 208 centimetres, at just 22 years of age already has wraps as the next truly dominant spearhead of this era of footy.
And after only 46 senior games — and 48 goals in 17 games last year — the signs would indicate that the father-son Bulldog is on that trajectory.
However, an eye-opening shift over recent years has prompted Matthews, an eight-time flag-winner as coach and player and a Hall of Fame Legend, to proffer otherwise.
“There’s been a trend over time, where the big power forward — the 200-centimetre, almost ruck-forward – there aren’t many of them … that player’s really struggled,” Matthews began on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“Contested marks in the forward 50 — each team only takes two or three a week. So, a Sam Darcy, at 208 centimetres, he’s got to be pretty slow at ground level, comparative to your normal runners, so he has to take a lot of marks.
“He played on Harris Andrews (last Saturday), and I was really interested to see how that played out. And Andrews got him, basically.”
Against the Lions, Darcy kicked two goals from 10 disposals and just one contested mark.
In the seven seasons between 2013-19, there was an average of 6.0 contested marks taken inside 50 per game.
That number decreased to 5.4 per game between 2021-25, and there was an average of just 4.4 taken in Opening Round last week.
That ongoing trend evoked a bold declaration from four-time Hawthorn premiership winner Matthews.
“I reckon he’ll be a magnificent ruck-forward. But I don’t think he’s going to be a magnificent forward,” he said.
“And that’s partly because the whole industry – maybe it’s the defensive mechanism, structures, the ability of the spoiling defenders … the guys who play the big full-forward position, they just don’t actually dominate the game.
“Ben King, he’s one of those (full-forward types), he kicked four (in Opening Round), but most of them were ground level goals — they weren’t actually big clunking marks.
“I just thought with Sam Darcy, when we talk about him being a dominant influence in the game, he might be, but I reckon he’d be better in another generation than the current one.”
Interestingly, last weekend, five of the top-six leading goalkickers — Jake Stringer, Charlie Cameron, Ollie Dempsey, Jack Gunston and Bailey Humphrey – weren’t traditional key forwards, with the aforementioned King the sixth.
Probed on what should be considered a per-game pass mark for a player like Darcy, Matthews said: “Basically, three or four goals has to be your breakeven point for your 208-centimetre forward.”
Triple premiership forward Jack Riewoldt chimed in: “That’s 90 goals in a season — we haven’t seen that for 15 years.”
Matthews replied: “That’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to be able to clunk marks and kick goals, and if you can’t do that three or four times, you’re just going to slow down your forward setup.”
Darcy averaged 2.8 goals per game last year, after 1.8 per game through 21 games in 2024.
Lance Franklin’s 102 goals in 2008 was the last time a player kicked at least 90 majors in a season.
Bevo: Players were really composed! | 11:29
‘AS LACKLUSTRE AS I’VE SEEN’: THE BIG QUESTION OVER CATS’ FLAG CHASE
As unbelievable as Gold Coast’s thumping 56-point win was last Friday, their opponents, Geelong, started their 2026 redemption arc in “lacklustre” fashion.
In fact, it was their worst start to a season in 11 years, with a deficit not seen since their 62-point loss to Hawthorn in Round 1 of 2015. And while no one expects the Cats to fall off a cliff this year, their midfield depth looks an increasing concern; despite recruiting James Worpel last trade period
Chris Scott’s side dearly missed the senior stardom of Patrick Dangerfield (calf) and Jeremy Cameron (quad) at Carrara, and while the duo are expected to return to play this Saturday evening against Fremantle, recruit Worpel will ironically miss as he overcomes a finger infection.
“We use Brisbane as the benchmark. Clearly, Brisbane’s midfield is the deepest by a fair way in the competition,” three-time Brisbane premiership player Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy’s Friday night coverage of Opening Round.
“My worry is still that; they were exposed in the Grand Final. To go all the way, is their midfield deep enough?”
Four-time flag Hawk Jordan Lewis replied: “I think no. When you compare it to the best, and even the side they played tonight, for me they just don’t bat in the same league as that. It’s a performance you don’t want to have Round 0 … that can knock you about a fair bit.”
“That’s as lacklustre as I’ve seen (from them) for a long time.”
The dash and gaining of territory from Max Holmes and Bailey Smith took the Cats’ outside game to another level last year, but at the nucleus, Worpel and tackling machine Tom Atkins may need to take their punish game up a notch against the competition best.
After missing all of 2025, Tanner Bruhn shone brightly off half-back, and may be a point of difference that Scott can call upon in the middle if required later in the year.
“There’s clearly a lot of room for improvement for the Cats. They’ll go over it with a fine-tooth comb, work out one or two things, but they’ll move on pretty quickly,” Geelong great Tom Hawkins said.
“Dimma (Damien Hardwick) mentioned Dangerfield and Cameron out now. As great a players they are, I’m not exactly sure that they make a dent in the way the Suns played out there.
“They’ve got a tough start to the year … Tanner Bruhn was excellent, but he was on his own a bit tonight.”
‘EVERY TEAM’S DOING IT’: AFL’S RULE CHANGE UNEARTHS LATEST ‘EXPERIMENT’
The AFL’s ever-polarising Opening Round saw just over half of the competition take to the field last weekend; 10 of the 18 clubs to be precise.
Subsequently, it’s given eight clubs an early peek at how their rivals will shape up in 2026 — and they all would’ve seen one common denominator among just about every participant in Round 0.
With umpires instructed by the league to officiate the ‘stand’ rule harder than ever, an increase in punish from handballs from one end of the ground to the other was more than just noticeable.
Not many more were more obvious in the implementation of the tactic than Sydney, who gained an eye-watering 446 metres more territory against Carlton last Thursday night, than they did on average last season.
“The game’s changing; exactly what the AFL has wanted with the ‘stand’ rule. I think handball now has become king,” two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King told Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview on Wednesday night.
“You can get away with not being a great kicking team, in my opinion, if you’re a great handballing team and you’re prepared to run smart patterns with aggressive lines.
“It’s not necessarily the volume of handballs, it’s the territory you’re able to take … we’re seeing a lot of forward, aggressive handballs.
SHIFT IN HANDBALL GAME
METRES GAINED PER GAME IN 2025: 241 (from 141 handballs)
METRES GAINED PER GAME IN OPENING ROUND: 408 (from 163 handballs)
“That’s a huge jump, and only 10 per cent more handballs in total — so something’s changed. I think coaches are experimenting with how aggressive you can be.”
“It’s only one game, and it’s early, but gee it’s a contrast.”
When compared to last year’s averages, Gold Coast and Collingwood each had large upticks in their metres gained by handball in Opening Round — and despite their heavy loss, as did Carlton.
Head coach Michael Voss has been potted by some fans and corners of the media for a game plan that hasn’t evolved enough on first glance in 2026, but as King pointed out, the Blues are well and truly on the handball-happy train.
“Every team’s doing it … Carlton has gone from 207 to 528. If you think the Blues haven’t changed, you’re dreaming. You’re not watching,” King added.
“Those thinking Michael Voss hasn’t tried to adjust what they’re doing, you’re not watching it close enough.”
Voss unsure what to make of loss | 07:07
HAWKS QUALM THAT MUST BE ANSWERED TO CHALLENGE FOR FLAG
Sam Mitchell’s fifth year at the helm for Hawthorn got off to an underwhelming start last Saturday evening against GWS, and there’s one young gun who may need to have his best season yet to give them a chance of a flag in 2026.
After signing a four-year contract extension last month, 21-year-old Josh Weddle is one of Mitchell’s most prized magnets for his versatility, but two-time North Melbourne premiership player David King believes continuity right now is the best thing for Weddle.
“Where’s Weddle, is my question? At some point, the player has to take some responsibility for commanding a position in the team,” King told First Crack Preview.
“I know he gets thrown around a bit, and I just wonder, is it because he doesn’t dominate one position? When he’s in the middle, when he’s in ruck, half-back flank — does he get the job done?
“I’m being a little hard on him, but he’s just getting a few things wrong (due) to poor concentration, and poor execution.”
Weddle attended 19 per cent (seven total) of Hawthorn’s centre bounces last weekend, after appearing in just five across his career.
His presence through the middle of the ground is likely largely due to the Will Day-sized hole that his injury has left, though history suggests the Templestowe product is yet to establish himself as a ball-winner.
“In 60 games, he’s only had 23 or more disposals twice. He’s had 20 clearances in two years; I don’t know where he plays. I don’t want everyone telling me he’s a ‘Hall of Famer’ just yet, he’s got some work to do,” King continued.
“I don’t know if he’s the answer in the midfield or not. I’d put him to half-back and keep it ‘straight lined’ … to make the game easier for him, because he can do some good things!
“There’s some good in there, you’ve just got to find a way to bring it out. In my opinion, they’ve got to service him first. I’d even sacrifice Sicily, they’ve got enough quality stocks down back. Move him around; senior player, he can handle it … he’s smart enough to know what to do at the right time.
“This kid’s a priority. If they’re to be any threat this year, he has to be a weapon for them, and he’s not right now.”
Cam Mackenzie’s availability after exiting concussion protocols could see Weddle move back to Hawthorn’s defensive half, with the ability to play higher up on a wing.