27m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 2:55amAFL Saturday Scoreboard1m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 3:20amWe are underway at Docklands
1m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 3:20amWe are underway at DocklandsWhere do we go with this game?
Will the Crows take control early, or will Alastair Clarkson have the Kangaroos revved up for a big final effort?
We’re about to find out.
4m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 3:18am
Who replaces Izak Rankine for Adelaide?
For the moment, the Crows will have to do without both the suspended Izak Rankine, and the injured Josh Rachele (Getty Images)
With respect to the Kangaroos, today’s game is not just about getting four premiership points – that should be a relatively straightforward proposition.
The big question for Adelaide is who replaces Izak Rankine for the next few weeks. Not literally, but operationally. There is no one else who can do the kind of things Rankine can and does do for the Crows on a regular basis.
One solid addition to the mix would be Josh Rachele, but the other Crows dynamo is still listed as two to three weeks away with a knee problem.
As it stands, there is a lot riding on Jake Soligo, who has had a quiet second half of the season aside from a ripping performance in the Showdown.
Does Matthew Nicks throw Daniel Curtin forward and double down on the marking targets? Do they look for more from Alex Neal-Bullen?
Or is it down to the big three of Tex Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe?
How they approach today’s game will be an interesting watch.
9m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 3:13am
Suns facing the ultimate finale on Wednesday
Is it unfair that gold Coast has to play again on Wednesday
– Brian
Brian,
It’s not optimal, as they say in the classics, but scheduling AFL games is not an easy process – and the arrival of a cyclone is just not something you can factor into preparations.
That early match between the Suns and Bombers had to be postponed, and there weren’t any available slots in either team’s bye rounds – so the only real choice was at the end of the season.
It’s not great, as we say, but then if you’re the Gold Coast Suns after last night’s brutal loss to Port Adelaide, maybe it’s a good thing that they only have to wait five days before getting a chance to remedy the situation.
They are still big favourites to make finals, especially if they get Daniel Rioli and Bailey Humphrey back. But it will be a nervous night on the coast!
15m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 3:07am
Teams are in for Kangaroos vs Crows
(AFL.com.au)
There are two changes for North Melbourne, the more important of which is the enforced absence of Cam Zurhaar, who was substituted out with a syndesmosis injury last week and has undergone surgery. He is out alongside Matt Whitlock, who is omitted.
In come veteran defender Aidan Corr, and small forward Zac Banch.
The Crows have made three changes from last week’s team line-up. Izak Rankine’s ban has forced one of the changes, while Lachlan Murphy and Harry Schoenberg are omitted.
Into the side come defender Rory Laird, rookie midfielder Sid Draper — playing for the first time since round 12 — and Billy Dowling.
The subs will be Cooper Harvey for North, and Brodie Smith for the Crows.
26m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 2:56am
Last six results between North Melbourne and AdelaideRd 4, 2025: Adelaide by 36 (Adelaide Oval)Rd 8, 2024: Adelaide by 57 (Bellerive Oval)Rd 16, 2023: Adelaide by 66 (Adelaide Oval)Rd 22, 2022: Adelaide by 29 (Adelaide Oval)Rd 15, 2022: Adelaide by 57 (Bellerive Oval)Rd 23, 2021: Adelaide by 44 (Adelaide Oval)
A quick glance shows the Crows have dominated this matchup in recent times. In fact, the last time the Kangaroos beat Adelaide was in the COVID year of 2020 up at Carrara.
The games haven’t been particularly close, either, with the average margin in the last six encounters coming out at eight goals. The Kangas have been struggling for wins all season, getting up in just two of their last 10.
Can they find something to finish off 2025 on a positive note?
38m agoSat 23 Aug 2025 at 2:44am
Welcome to Saturday football
Hello, good afternoon, and welcome to ABC’s live online coverage of round 24 of the AFL.
On paper, all three games today begin with clearcut favourites — but we can’t take any result for granted, especially after last night’s thriller at Adelaide Oval.
First up today we have North Melbourne hosting the Adelaide Crows at Docklands. The Kangaroos are up against it, form-wise, as they seek their sixth win of the season against the ladder-leaders from Adelaide. After a tumultuous week, the visitors will be prepping for finals, and learning what it’s like to play without the suspended Izak Rankine.
The twilight game comes from the MCG, where Richmond will face Geelong, and the injury-hit Tigers try to end 2025 on a high while the Cats are closing in on a top-two finish.
Finally this evening, the action moves to Perth, where West Coast will take on Sydney.
There are also five AFLW games as round two of the competition gets underway, starting with Collingwood – GWS at Victoria Park and headlined by a top four clash between Melbourne and St Kilda at Casey Fields.
I’m Andrew McGarry, and I’ll be bringing you the early action today before handing over to the irrepressible Mick Doyle.