A great has made a huge call on the AFL’s next $2 million player — though it’s not who you might expect. Plus the switch that can revive a maligned star, a worrying North Melbourne reality and and cracks appearing for a flag contender.
Plus more of the biggest talking points ahead of Round 14, as well as the commentators for every Fox Footy game, in foxfooty.com.au’s ultimate weekly preview: The Blowtorch!
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NEXT $2 MILLION MAN? GREAT’S HUGE CALL ON STAR… WHO JUST TURNED 21
There’s been plenty of talk around Zak Butters and other stars joining Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera as the game’s next $2 million player.
And dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna thinks Brisbane young gun Logan Morris is fast commanding such a lucrative price tag.
Morris, who’s just turned 21, has continued to level up his form in 2026 as Brisbane’s clear best forward.
The 57-gamer has improved yet again in year three with 32 goals (averaging 2.7 per game after two and 1.3 respectively in his first two seasons).
orris should be licking his lips ahead of a matchup with Richmond on Sunday, too.
It’s goalkicking numbers that has Morris on track with the likes of Jeremy Cameron, Lance Franklin and Sam Darcy.
What’s more, Morris is ranked No. 4 in the AFL in marks inside 50, No. 2 in shots at average shots at goal and No. 1 in scoreboard impact, which combines scores and score assists.
Logan Morris should command $2 million a season on his next deal, says Leigh Montagna (Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
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Montagna declared rival clubs will be circling Morris, who’s out of contract next year and has already been touted as a target for Tasmania, with mega $2 million offers.
“I know there would be clubs offering him $2 million a year, absolutely,” the Saints great said on Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview.
“Put it this way. If Joel Amartey and Jed Walter are getting offered $1 million a year. If Ben King is worth $1.4 million, by the end of next season, this guy would be demanding $2 million.
“He’s at the front of the line for Tasmania. Tassie is targeting him, so that’s going to be massive, as well.”
Like with any successful premiership side, Brisbane is at risk of stars getting squeezed out and poached by rival clubs.
After all, you can’t overpay everyone.
It includes star free agent Zac Bailey facing the exit door due to the reported gap between Brisbane’s offer and Adelaide’s in a more immediate threat for the reigning premiers.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what Brisbane does with its strategy. Because Chris Fagan has said they think only the best players in the comp deserve that sort of money,” Montagna added.
“(Morris’) trajectory is on track. It’s going to be fascinating to see… what Brisbane is prepared to pay to keep him.
“Because it feels like they’re going to lose Zac Bailey for not wanting to match (Adelaide’s offer).
“Keep a big eye on that.”
Former Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon said there will always be big market for key forwards given how valuable they are.
“I think you’re on the right money,” Dixon said.
“A key forward now is worth way more, they’re harder to get. Like you’re saying with King.”
Key forwards first to 100 goals (since 2000)
1. Jeremy Cameron (41 games)
2. Lance Franklin (49 games)
3. Taylor Walker (50 games)
4. Jesse Hogan (50 games)
5. Sam Darcy (50 games)
6. Logan Morris (54 games)
‘Trouble’: Bevo coy on Butters catch up | 03:04
ROOS’ ‘ALL-CLUB’ FAIL AS NUMBERS PAINT WORRYING PICTURE
Has North Melbourne actually improved this year?
Perhaps the more appropriate question is; how much have they improved?
A horror show 124-point loss to Fremantle — a game North sold to Bunbury — has been labelled an “all-club fail” as part of a two-week stretch out west as the Roos look to bounce back against West Coast.
And raised serious alarm bells with what feels like a big step backwards for Alastair Clarkson’s Roos.
“It’s so rare that you see a professional team beaten in such a manner,” Fox Footy AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley said on the program.
“There is the possibility of big margins and that can happen from time to time, but what happened on Saturday was both inexplicable and inexcusable.
“It was an all-of-club failure, if you take these decisions (to sell a game).
“They looked like the expendables when they took this deal over in Western Australia. The league wanted to lessen the travel of the Dockers and the Eagles – and North Melbourne stepped forward to take the cheque.
“When you do that out of the needs of the club – and the club does need it – there’s a competitive obligation. They just didn’t meet (it).”
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Even though North has already won the same amount of games as last year, five, the numbers suggest there’s been little improvement
Clarkson’s side is still getting virtually the same returns in points against (102.8 in 2025, 101.5 in 2026, scorer per inside 50 against (49 to 5o per cent), chain to score against (28 to 25 per cent) and defensive 50 to inside 50 against (26 per cent both seasons).
“You’d think things would’ve changed a bit, but they’re not good stats,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“They’ve had a soft draw … absolutely it (the fast start) was a false economy.
“I reckon those numbers have got to be much better considering the draw they’ve had. With an Alastair Clarkson defensive system, something’s breaking down there.”
AA SKIPPER? DAWSON COMPARED TO GREATS IN REMARKABLE SEASON
Crows skipper Jordan Dawson is producing a career-best season in the face of adversity.
The star midfielder’s ability to power on through his tragic family circumstances and put together a stellar 2026 a testament to his character.
Dawson is posting a career-high player rating (18, ranked No. 6 in the AFL) including nine games with top-game ratings.
A big part of that is because of Dawson’s ability to go forward and hit the scoreboard. He’s averaged a career-best 1.3 goals per game to go with his 25.1 disposals, 5.7 marks, 5.6 tackles and 4.8 inside 50s.
It included a 22-disposal, three-goal captain’s performance in last week’s win over Geelong in a game emotions overcame Dawson after the final siren.
It prompted Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley to compare the gun captain to the likes of Nat Fyfe, Patrick Dangerfield and Patrick Cripps.
“He’s been through every amount of adversity that you could possibly imagine in his life, and the emotions came through at the end of the game. But to watch him live from the opposition box isn’t as much fun as it might be to be an Adelaide fan sitting in the crowd, or to be an Adelaide teammate with him on your side,” Buckley said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“He is the man for them. He’s playing with real aggression and real presence … He reminds me of a Nat Fyfe, a Patty Dangerfield and a Patrick Cripps.
“And when you consider what he’s being able to carry at the moment, he is the type of player that when your offence fails, let’s just kick it to Jordan … because he’s as aerially as strong as those three that I mentioned, his leadership is as strong, he’s a better runner and he’s the best user out of the four.”
Jordan Dawson is producing a career-best season in the face of adversity (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
Dawson is going so well that he’d be the deserving favourite for All-Australian captain right now.
It’s a title Dawson’s 2026 season personifies.
“He senses the moment,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown added.
“We’ve been blessed with many great captains this century and they’ve all had that quality of sensing the moment.”
Dawson feels so ingrained at West Lakes that you forget sometimes the South Australian previously played for Sydney.
It’s your classic case of a gun halfback that evolved into a star midfielder and bona fide top 10 player in the competition in a new role.
Former Swans coach John Longmire admitted the club couldn’t have foreseen Dawson would be this good, but was still desperate to keep him.
“He finished third in our club champion award. I think we offered him a seven-year contract, a five-year contract, a two-year contract — whatever he wanted,” Longmire told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“We thought he’d be a good player, but he’s taken it even further.
“He’s been extraordinary for Adelaide, he’s been so good. Such an impressive player and person.
“What he’s doing at the moment under that sort of duress that’s happened to him and his family, it’s extraordinary.”
POSITIONAL SWITCH TO REVIVE MALIGNED STAR
With Peter Wright and Archer May sidelined, Ben McKay might be ready to step up in a new role forward.
There’s not many players that have come under more scrutiny in recent years than McKay after he crossed to the Bombers on a heavily front-loaded six-year deal that was believed to be worth as much $1.5 million in the first season.
Heck, McKay even copped Bronx cheers from Essendon fans earlier this year before he was sent back to the VFL.
But Dean Solomon’s forward experiment looked good against Carlton in a game McKay took five marks inside 50 with 2.2 and seven score involvements from just nine disposals.
It’s an area of the ground young gun Nate Caddy desperately needs help, hence the Bombers’ interest in Jed Walter.
Gary Ablett Jr. – Hall of Fame Speech | 22:37
Though McKay, who was originally seen as a long-term forward when he was drafted by North Melbourne, could be the answer for now.
“There’s a young star down there at Essendon called Nate Caddy … He is the most valuable asset to Essendon right now,” Richmond great Jack Riewoldt told Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
“And having Ben McKay play forward is so important to have a running mate. You need a big bull, you need a big body.
“I’m not saying he’s going to be a great forward going forward, but he needs to look after Nate Caddy – and that’s exactly what I reckon Dean Solomon does. It’s important to have that elder statesman up forward, so not all the focus goes onto Caddy.”
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said McKay playing forward is “not a long-term fix” but “an absolute necessity”.
“Ben McKay looked bereft of any confidence at all and was losing his competitiveness as a key back. So it was nearly a no-brainer to actually throw him in to some other part of the field to give himself a chance,” he said.
“He is a big body, he can take a contested mark, you don’t have to go defending anyone, the ball comes to you and he actually moved with intensity I hadn’t seen for a long time. The last couple of weeks have actually fizzed him up and given him a real crack at playing a real role for his team. I think he feels like he’s failed in the other role, so the coaching has given him another chance.”
‘WATCH’ ON SWANS AS RIVALS GO TO WORK
The 11-2 Swans are well placed sitting over two games clear inside the top two.
But there’s a few cracks starting to appear in their profile as teams have gone to work on the premiership frontrunner for the majority of the first half of this season.
Since Round 8, Dean Cox’s side is ranked No. 10 in the competition for contested possession differential, No. 11 in points against and clearance differential, as well as No. 12 in points against off turnover.
In four of its five wins during that stretch, Sydney has only narrowly edged out Melbourne, North Melbourne, Collingwood and St Kilda in unconvincing performances that could’ve gone the other way.
And while Errol Gulden’s return isn’t far off, the Swans’ injury list is growing with Justin McInerney, Tom McCartin and Tom Papley are
“You can look at it two ways. They sit really comfortable on the ladder and they’ve started the season off in really good form. They’re also still missing their second-best player in Errol Gulden, who’s a lane-changer,” Hawks legend Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“I think a lot of stuff they’ve done at the start of the season seems to be straight-lining in terms of their aggression straight towards goal and their handball chains quite often are hard unless they change the angles.”
To get more specific, Lewis said St Kilda did a job at coming forward and applying great pressure to force Sydney into turnovers in a similar method Collingwood deployed a few weeks.
Dean Cox’s Swans might be 11-2, but cracks are starting to appear in the numbers (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
Lewis said the Saints came forward and applied great pressure to force the Swans into turnovers. Pies did something similar a few weeks ago.
“Every side has a blueprint. It’s just whether you’re on defensively that day determines whether Sydney gets through or not and maximises their strength or don’t,” Lewis said.
Sydney’s ability to score from counter punch through the corridor, which was such a strength in the early rounds, has been largely nullified.
The Swans were ranked No. 1 in the AFL from rounds 0 to 6 in points per 100 intercepts (99.3), but have dropped to No. 11 since (58.1), which is down on the AFL average (66.2).
“The first seven rounds, it was 25 per cent of their score. Now it’s 10 per cent of their score in the last six weeks,” dual premiership Kangaroo David King said on Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview.
“There’s a big shift on. You don’t have an advantage for long in this competition.
“Your point of difference, you can’t expose it as Round 6, 7, 8 or 9. Because (rivals have) 15 weeks to work out how to combat that.
“They’re still winning and finding ways. Which, I think from a Dean Cox point of view, would be healthy. He’d be pleased with that, to use a Sydney term.
“But it is a watch as we head into the deeper rounds and they’ve got some big games to come.”
ROUND 14 AFL FIXTURE (All times AEST) AND FOX FOOTY COMMENTARY ROSTER
WESTERN BULLDOGS v ADELAIDE
Thursday June 11, 7:30pm at Marvel Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6:30pm on Channel 504, with Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall, David King, Leigh Montagna, Mark Howard, Matt Hill, Cameron Mooney & Jon Ralph
GEELONG CATS v GOLD COAST SUNS
Friday June 12, 7:40pm at GMHBA Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6:30pm on Channel 504, with Garry Lyon, Tom Hawkins, Jordan Lewis, Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Ben Dixon & Jon Ralph
MELBOURNE v ESSENDON
Saturday June 13, 1:15pm at the MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12:30pm on Channel 504, with Leigh Montagna, Kelli Underwood, Jordan Lewis, Cameron Mooney & Ruby Schleicher
NORTH MELBOURNE v WEST COAST EAGLES
Saturday June 13, 4:15pm at Optus Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4pm on Channel 504, with Adam Papalia, David King, Brad Johnson, Kath Loughnan & Jay Clark
PORT ADELAIDE v SYDNEY SWANS
Saturday June 13, 7:35pm at Adelaide Oval
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7:15pm on Channel 504, with Mark Howard, Dwayne Russell, Mark Ricciuto, Ken Hinkley, Shaun Burgoyne & Jay Clark
RICHMOND v BRISBANE LIONS
Sunday June 14, 1:10pm at Ninja Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 1pm on Channel 504, with Anthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Jack Riewoldt, Eddie Betts & David Zita
ST KILDA v GWS GIANTS
Sunday June 14, 3:15pm at Marvel Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 3pm on Channel 504, with Dwayne Russell, Matt Hill, Brad Johnson, Nick Dal Santo, Sarah Jones & David Zita, followed by Bounce and First Crack