but on Saturday evening, they slipped up in a banana peel game<\/a> on their own turf that could see them pay the ultimate price.<\/p>\nNow, it leaves them in a very tricky predicament with the toughest of runs home where they must beat one of Fremantle away, or Hawthorn at home \u2014 each of which will be playing for their own finals place.<\/p>\n
The Lions\u2019 two-point loss to the Swans looks better on paper than in reality. Outside of sporadic leads in the first and second term, Brisbane played second-fiddle to a much more slick Sydney outfit; who at one stage led by 32 points just after half time.<\/p>\n
Three goals inside the final minute of the game brought the margin in significantly, and left Fox Footy\u2019s Super Saturday Live team with more questions than answers as to where Chris Fagan\u2019s side sit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a world where it\u2019s finals ramifications too for Brisbane. I think Chris Fagan will be scratching his head saying: \u2018What have I actually got here at the moment?\u2019\u201d three-time Richmond premiership player Jack Riewoldt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came out and played so well against Collingwood, and then they serve this up again. (They were) lucky to be two points (away) in the end, they came charging home.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many questions to be answered. Of course, Lachie Neale not there today, and that was glaringly obvious that they miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fagan filthy: “Want me to keep going?” | 09:36<\/p>\n
The injury list at Springfield hasn\u2019t been kind throughout 2025, and the absence of Neale that Riewoldt highlighted evidently hurt them through the middle of the ground and in contested ball \u2014 despite smoking the Swans at clearance.<\/p>\n
Also on the sidelines for Brisbane sits Jack Payne (knee), Kai Lohmann (ankle), Noah Answerth (Achilles), Keidean Coleman (quad), Ryan Lester (concussion), Lincoln McCarthy (knee) and Conor McKenna (hamstring).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an eye-opening injury list really, that puts their performances and depth into perspective. But unfortunately, it\u2019s not an excuse that will spare them the brutal reality that comes with making the top eight this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they lose to Fremantle next week, they will have to beat Hawthorn in Round 24 to make it \u2026 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s that unrealistic. And none of us thought Brisbane would be in this conversation,\u201d two-time North Melbourne premiership player David King added on Fox Footy\u2019s Super Saturday Live.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all had them entrenched (in the top eight) \u2014 maybe third, fourth or fifth \u2014 but no lower than that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been no greater waste of time this year than the ladder predictor … They\u2019re still a good team Brisbane; I know they\u2019re putting some strange performances (together) \u2026 who knows, we\u2019re all guessing!\u201d<\/p>\n
Superstar Heeney leads Swans to upset | 02:11<\/p>\n
Two wins to close out their 2025 home-and-away season likely sees them make the top four and secure a double chance. Lose one, they\u2019ll be in a do-or-die elimination final in the first weekend of September. And two losses? That could spell disaster.<\/p>\n
Remember, no AFL premier has even won a final the next year since Richmond in 2020. The Lions looked bound to end that bizarre streak… but now, who knows?<\/p>\n
DOES SUPERSTAR PIE NEED A REST?<\/p>\n
Collingwood have made no secret about the need to rest some of their veteran players throughout the course of the 2025 season, but is it time for one of their brightest young stars to have a week off?<\/p>\n
After starting Thursday night\u2019s clash against the Hawks on the interchange bench and appearing visibly sore throughout the affair, whether or not Nick Daicos needs a rest is the question that won\u2019t go away from the Pies this week.<\/p>\n
The superstar Pie was below his usual best against the Hawks, finding the footy just 24 times in the heavy defeat. <\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone starts on the bench in our team. No one\u2019s bigger than an individual. He\u2019s one of our leaders\u2026 It\u2019s nothing major at all. Everyone takes a turn, Josh (Daicos) started on the bench last week, I actually think it was a pretty cool thing,\u201d Collingwood coach Craig McRae said post-match.<\/p>\n
Have Collingwood been found out? | 04:45<\/p>\n
The Fox Footy expert panel discussed where to now for the Pies and their star player.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked sore all the way through this contest. He didn\u2019t start on the ground for the first time in two years,\u201d Herald Sun report Jon Ralph told Fox Footy post-match.<\/p>\n
Daicos was on light duties at training during the week and has been hampered by hip soreness throughout the year, according to Ralph.<\/p>\n
His form has been good, though. In his five matches prior to the Hawks clash, Daicos had recorded 28 coaches votes, including two best on ground outings. But against the Hawks, he was clearly down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was visibly grimacing, he was sore tonight,\u201d Ralph added.<\/p>\n
Daicos spent the early stages of the clash on the bench, receiving additional treatment from Collingwood staffers.<\/p>\n
AFL icon Eddie Betts believed Daicos played his part, while Western Bulldogs champion Brad Johnson said he believes Daicos will be able to work through things and return to form.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came on and played his part, he just needed more followers and it\u2019s going to be tough for Nick, he\u2019s going to get tagged every single game,\u201d Betts said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of the issue as well is what you do during the week if you are feeling sore,\u201d Johnson began.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more the work you get in during the week and it would be minimal for someone like him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe football component, it\u2019s just not there for him at the moment. He\u2019s good enough to work through that, he\u2019s just not getting the time on ground during the week that he would probably like because he is battling with soreness.\u201d<\/p>\n
McRae brutally honest about Pies | 10:46<\/p>\n
So, does Daicos need a week off to reset ahead of a finals campaign?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so. I think they\u2019ll manage it, his numbers are still good, he\u2019s probably just lost a bit of that burst but he\u2019s managing his body at the moment. He\u2019s not just managing getting out there and playing with freedom,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s out there, but it\u2019s not the Nick Daicos that we know and we love,\u201d Ralph replied.<\/p>\n
The Pies have a nine-day break before a huge clash against Adelaide next week that has major finals ramifications.<\/p>\n
AFL legend Jason Dunstall also shared his thoughts, ultimately saying if all major parties were happy, he\u2019d have \u201cno problem\u201d playing Daicos, even if he\u2019s slightly underdone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might have a bit of soreness there and if they\u2019re comfortable that it\u2019s not going to do any damage and he\u2019s happy to manage his way through that, I\u2019ve got no problem with him playing,\u201d Dunstall said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would rather a 75-80 per cent Nick Daicos than 100 per cent of just about anyone else. Because of how classy he is, what he does with the footy and the impact that he can have on a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, he didn\u2019t get enough players standing up with him tonight. He can\u2019t do it on his own.\u201d<\/p>\n
St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna was surprised by the call to start Daicos on the bench, wondering whether it hurt the Pies early doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised that he started on the bench\u2026 even if you\u2019re sore, I don\u2019t know that it makes a difference if you come on at the five minute mark or start the game,\u201d Montagna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they missed a trick, Hawks came out of the blocks and kicked the first couple of goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawthorn hammer Pies by 64 points! | 02:14<\/p>\n
North Melbourne champion David King said he believes Daicos has been \u201cimpacted\u201d over the past month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wonder whether you need to give him a rest. He didn\u2019t train during the week, he does look like he\u2019s been impacted over the previous four to five weeks,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that there\u2019s a Brownlow there to be won and all those sorts of things, but I just wonder, does it matter if he\u2019s there next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dunstall replied: \u201cIt\u2019s okay to sit there and say it might be better if he has a rest, if he wants to play and the medicos say that he\u2019s okay to play and it\u2019s not going to aggravate any injuries, I would find it impossible not to play him because he is such an important player and one of the best players in the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
WEIRD WEEKEND A REMINDER NOT TO OVERREACT TO THE LADDER<\/p>\n
Remember last week, when the AFL bottom nine were all awful, and equalisation was broken, and it was the worst season ever?<\/p>\n
At least, that\u2019s what you would\u2019ve thought from listening to some of the carry-on. A year after one of the most even seasons in years, experts and pundits had plenty of complaints about the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n
And admittedly, it\u2019s been a weird one. It\u2019s been a nine-team finals race for ages. Geelong has 15 wins and a percentage of 140% and isn\u2019t locked into the eight yet. The Giants might win the same number of games as they did last year and finish 9th instead of 4th.<\/p>\n
But Round 22 showed the bottom sides, even with nothing to play for, can still challenge the top sides on their day.<\/p>\n
Sydney, sitting 10th, downed reigning premiers Brisbane by two points on the road (and that margin flattered the Lions).<\/p>\n
Cox: Swans ‘Establishing’ as 26′ threat | 06:12<\/p>\n
Then on Saturday night, 12th-placed Port Adelaide came ever so close to beating 4th-placed Fremantle, while 14th-placed Carlton was reasonably competitive against 6th-placed Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
The drama continued on Sunday – a day which looked drama-less on paper – with 13th-placed Melbourne playing out one of the games of the year and barely beaten by the 9th-placed Western Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
And we capped it all off with what would\u2019ve been the greatest upset of the decade – 18th-placed West Coast leading 1st-placed Adelaide at halftime AND three-quarter-time before fading away late.<\/p>\n
We were spoiled by the last few seasons. Numbers via This Week In Football<\/a> show a staggering 19 per cent of games were decided by less than a kick in 2024, the most since 1928.<\/p>\nThat came a year after 16.67 per cent of games were decided by less than a kick; the most since 1969. This year it\u2019s just 10 per cent of games.<\/p>\n
Average margins have increased, up to 33.63 points heading into Round 22. But that\u2019s just back to 2017\/18 levels, after average margins fell to around 30 points across the 2019-24 seasons (2020 excluded).<\/p>\n
The modern peak of average margins was in 2011\/12, reaching a high of 40.87 in GWS\u2019 first season – which makes sense because expansion made the competition more uneven. The previous peak was in 1996, also a period of expansion.<\/p>\n
Bulldogs defeat Dees to stay alive! | 01:49<\/p>\n
So yes, this season is not as exciting as the last few. But the last few were historically close, so the comparison is a bit unfair.<\/p>\n
It would\u2019ve only taken a few results going the other way to have a more normal finals race, where 11 or 12 teams were in the mix with a month left. Instead the likes of Carlton, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and St Kilda – who are fine, if not finals-worthy teams – just dropped a few too many close ones and fell away earlier than usual.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t even include Sydney, who were injury-ravaged until the bye, and once they got healthy looked like the team everyone expected them to be in 2025.<\/p>\n
Things will likely be back to normal in 2026. We will not have another season where 14 wins can\u2019t get you into the eight.<\/p>\n
Sometimes you get an outlier year, and this is one of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carlton has made its call on Michael Voss, but signing a rival coach could yet kickstart the renovation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-58389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}