The fourth edition of Gather Round is officially underway, and from Nick Daicos injury watch to St Kilda’s approaching crossroad, there’s no shortage of stories to dissect.

Ahead of another blockbuster weekend of footy in South Australia, these are the biggest Gather Round Talking Points to keep an eye on.

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PIES’ REALITY WITH ‘UNDERDONE’ DAICOS… AND WHY 2026 DOCKERS ARE DIFFERENT

No Nick, and nothing comes easy?

It certainly looked that way for Collingwood amid their nine-goal loss to Brisbane last Thursday night, where superstar Nick Daicos was a late out with a calf niggle.

His absence was only amplified with captain Darcy Moore (hamstring) and Scott Pendlebury (Achilles awareness) also sidelined — the duo combining for a lazy 624 AFL matches between them.

And while the latter returns this Friday night to take on a potent Fremantle outfit, fresh off a dramatic two-point win over Adelaide in foreign territory.

“I think it’s going to be a real challenge for Collingwood, to be honest,” four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.

“What he (Daicos) brings to the side physically, but also mentally, is so important. Players around him no doubt play better when he’s out there … he’ll be underdone. He might be passed fit to play, but certainly that calf didn’t look 100% this week.

“It’s a great challenge. If Collingwood can win over Fremantle on Friday, I think it’ll arguably be their best win for the year; not only to date, but going forward.”

The 23-year-old Daicos looked very proppy at Thursday evening’s captain’s run at West Adelaide, and while it would shock to see him taken out of the Magpies’ side at the 11th hour for a second straight week, he certainly won’t be playing at full fitness.

But, as important as ‘The Little Master’ is to Collingwood’s system and structure, Moore’s absence could be just as punishing.

There’s no good week for coach Craig McRae to be without his two-time All-Australian defender, but against a rampant Josh Treacy and co for the Dockers, they really could use him this Friday night.

Alarmingly, the Magpies currently rank as the second-worst side in the league for inside 50s, as well as the fourth-worst team for defensive 50 to inside 50 conversion at just 28%.

“The tall timber with Fremantle will be really hard to contain. I look at them at the moment, and to me it just looks like they need much. They’ve got great aerial presence in front and behind the ball, as well as a really balanced midfield,” Lewis said.

“They’re also winning the close games. The difference between this season and last season is clearly their starts; they’ve worked on that and started matches well.

“That’ll be the challenge for Collingwood. Once they get behind, do they have the firepower to kick four or five goals in a row? At the moment, it doesn’t seem like they do.”

The Dockers will go into the clash unchanged, while Daicos and Pendlebury highlight two of Collingwood’s three inclusions for the match, with mature-age Sturt recruit Angus Anderson named to make his debut.

Daicos, Pendlebury to return | 02:55

FUMES v FORM: HAWKS’ NEXT LITMUS TEST OFF FIVE-DAY BREAK

Very rarely do teams get the chance to bank two wins in a standard calendar week, but Hawthorn has that opportunity on Saturday night in what looms as one of the matches of the round against an undefeated Western Bulldogs outfit.

But if the Hawks are to do it, they’ll have to earn it the hard way.

Sam Mitchell’s side comes in off just a five-day break following an exhausting one-point Easter Monday thriller against Geelong — a game that left both sides with next to nothing left in the tank.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, arrive off a vastly different preparation.

Despite an early blitz, Luke Beveridge’s side was far from convincing in its win over a winless Essendon, giving Hawthorn reason to believe the league’s form side might not be as untouchable as first thought.

“Coming off 84,000 people at the MCG and the way that the game was built up. The emotional toll it takes can’t really be described,” Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.

“If I’m looking at it from a Hawthorn point of view, you didn’t see vulnerability on Sunday night, but you saw an Essendon side that wanted to compete and took it to the Dogs in the second half.

“There’s your little glimpse at a side that’s looked invincible this year, and maybe they’re not. There’s no doubt it’s a challenge, but Hawthorn didn’t play to their absolute best on Easter Monday either.”

After being a late withdrawal against the Bombers, star midfielder Ed Richards has made a shock return to Luke Beveridge’s line-up despite concerns over the tendon behind his knee.

The 26-year-old is one of four inclusions, although the Bulldogs remain without inside bull Tom Liberatore (hamstring).

“It’s an area where they’re pretty stacked. They’ve still got Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Kennedy and Joel Freijah — it’s still an A-grade midfield!” Lewis said

“If you put it against Hawthorn’s midfield, they’ve got Jai Newcombe, Conor Nash, Josh Ward and Sam Butler… they will no doubt have their work cut out.”

That battle at stoppage looms decisive.

The Bulldogs rank first in the AFL for both centre clearances and total clearances, while Hawthorn has struggled in that area so far this season — a gap that could prove critical at Adelaide Oval.

But if the Hawks can get first use, their forward line is firing. Jack Gunston has led the way inside 50 in recent years, but Mitch Lewis reminded everyone of his threat against Geelong — stepping up when it mattered most to present as a genuine match-up headache.

“He certainly came into the game when Gunston went out through injury. He plays better when he’s a deeper forward, but that’s obviously where Gunston needs to play,” Lewis explained.

“I think he’s been a slow starter in games, Mitch, but in the second half it seems like he works out the patterns of the game and can have a big say — and he probably needed a big game on Monday in front of a big crowd to get a bit of confidence.”

Hawks claim MCG thriller against rivals | 03:21

THE GATHER ROUND FURNACE THAT AWAITS ST KILDA AS SEASON HITS CROSSROADS

It was the Gather Round finale that produced one of last year’s biggest shocks.

Port Adelaide stormed out to a 71-point lead before half-time against a fancied Hawthorn outfit; a brutal dismantling that set the tone for one of 2025’s most emphatic upsets.

Twelve months on, the Power again take centre stage to close Gather Round — and this time, it’s St Kilda walking into the furnace.

Truth be told, for the Saints, this shapes as a genuine danger game.

Sitting at 1-3 and still searching for cohesion after an aggressive off-season, Ross Lyon’s side arrives under a level of pressure that makes them vulnerable to a Port Adelaide outfit that thrives on momentum and emotion at home.

“The emotional side of the game you can’t really prepare for, and it’s moments early on in the game that will give you confidence,” Jordan Lewis told foxfooty.com.au.

“If Port Adelaide get on top early and the crowd get involved, it’s going to be a tough game for St Kilda.

“On the other hand, if St Kilda start well and take the crowd out, it’s very tough for the Power.”

That emotional edge has already been a talking point for the Saints in 2026. At times — including from Lyon himself — it’s been leaned on publicly, in part reflecting the club’s bold trade period that brought several high-profile recruits to Moorabbin on significant deals, signalling a win-now intent.

But the results haven’t followed just yet, and in fact, there’s a world where St Kilda could be 0-4, having scraped past GWS by only four points in Round 2.

Regardless, they sit in a tension point where expectation is high, but reality suggests patience is still required.

“Clearly the spotlight’s been on them and their club considering their wholesale changes and the way they’ve brought players in,” three-time premiership Cat Tom Hawkins said to foxfooty.com.au.

“When a player goes to a new organisation, though, that takes time. It’s not something you can fast-track… they just need to get time under their belt. “They’ll get there, but they just need a little bit more time.

“The week off comes at a really good time for them; just to be able to reflect and rest. Train together more, too, which is a really important piece.

“There’s no doubt about the fact they come up against a side like Port … when they get a sniff that there’s an opportunity to roll an under-pressure side, they certainly dig a bit into it.”

Rozee reveals injury update | 01:43

GREAT’S HINT ON WHERE SWANS CAN FIRM FLAG CREDENTIALS; SUNS’ TRAVEL ‘DEMONS’ LINGER

Not many things boost a club’s confidence like a 21-goal drubbing, and in Sydney’s case, it could be the catalyst for Dean Cox’s club to begin its assertion as one of the league’s genuine premiership contenders.

Coming into Gather Round, the Swans look slick, confident and well-balanced. Even without injured star Errol Gulden, their midfield has powered them to second on the ladder at 3-1, boasting a massive percentage of 182.9 that’s largely thanks to last Saturday night’s procession against West Coast.

But Super Saturday Live at Norwood Oval presents a completely different challenge in a game that shouldn’t be allowed to slip under your radar.

Gold Coast’s midfield had its first genuine stinker of 2026 last week, and it raised eyebrows. The Suns’ 20-point loss to Melbourne exposed a -22 differential in contested ball and a -11 clearance deficit; a surprising result given the on-ball firepower of Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller.

The absence of superstar recruit Christian Petracca is clearly impacting the Suns in the short term, while their well-documented struggles away from home remain a lingering concern.

“It’s going to be won and lost around the ball. Grundy’s been enormous along with Heeney to start the year,” Tom Hawkins told foxfooty.com.au.

“I was surprised to see Gold Coast get beaten up around the footy so much (against Melbourne), but you’d imagine they’d respond.

“The demons are probably still there a little bit for the Suns away from People First Stadium … but I think the Suns bounce back.”

“Rowell’s coming back from missing the first four rounds of the year, so he was always going to be a tad rusty — particularly with the way he plays in and around the ball.”

If the Swans can pass this test, the rest of the competition may begin to view Sydney less as a smoky and more as one of the select few teams to beat.