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AFL GATHER ROUND FIXTURE (all times AEDT)<\/p>\n
ADELAIDE v CARLTON<\/p>\n
Thursday April 9, 7.40pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall and David King, with commentary from Matt Hill, Mark Howard, Jack Riewoldt, Mark Ricciuto, Eddie Betts & Jon Ralph<\/p>\n
COLLINGWOOD v FREMANTLE<\/p>\n
Friday April 10, 7.40pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Garry Lyon, Tom Hawkins and Jordan Lewis, with commentary from Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Ruby Schleicher, Brad Johnson & Jon Ralph<\/p>\n
Daicos, Pendlebury to return | 02:55<\/p>\n
NORTH MELBOURNE v BRISBANE LIONS<\/p>\n
Saturday April 11, 12.35pm at Barossa Park<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12pm on Channel 503, with commentary from Leigh Montagna, Jordan Lewis, Shaun Burgoyne & Sarah Jones<\/p>\n
ESSENDON v MELBOURNE<\/p>\n
Saturday April 11, 1.15pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 1pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Adam Papalia, Jess Webster, Garry Lyon, Brad Johnson & Eddie Betts<\/p>\n
SYDNEY SWANS v GOLD COAST SUNS<\/p>\n
Saturday April 11, 4.15pm at Norwood Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, David King, Jack Riewoldt & Jay Clark with commentary from Mark Howard, Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch & Ben Dixon<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE v GOLD COAST SUNS<\/p>\n
Saturday April 11, 7.35pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7.15pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, David King, Jack Riewoldt & Jay Clark with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Dwayne Russell, David King, Tom Hawkins & Nick Dal Santo.<\/p>\n
GEELONG v WEST COAST EAGLES<\/p>\n
Sunday April 12, 12.30pm at Norwood Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Corbin Middlemas, Kelli Underwood, Mark Ricciuto, Ken Hinkley & Cameron Mooney<\/p>\n
GWS GIANTS v RICHMOND<\/p>\n
Sunday April 12, 3.15pm at Barossa Park<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 3pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Matt Hill, Dwayne Russell, Gerard Healy, Brad Johnson & Ruby Schleicher followed by Bounce with Jason Dunstall, Cameron Mooney, Ben Dixon & Bernie Vince<\/p>\n
PORT ADELAIDE v ST KILDA<\/p>\n
Sunday April 12, 7.15pm at Adelaide Oval<\/p>\n
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Kath Loughnan, Alastair Lynch, Shaun Burgoyne & Nick Dal Santo<\/p>\n
‘Not acceptable’ – Schofield on Eagles | 01:16<\/p>\n
THE BLOWTORCH \u2014 ROUND 5<\/p>\n
\u2018GOOD LUCK TRYING TO WIN THE FLAG\u2019<\/p>\n
The Western Bulldogs have made their best start to a season (4-0) since 2021 \u2013 the season when they last made a Grand Final. They\u2019re now the only remaining undefeated team in the competition this year.<\/p>\n
They look like a genuine premiership contender, right?<\/p>\n
But if you back footy history and trends \u2013 like Champion Data\u2019s Daniel Hoyne does \u2013 the early numbers don\u2019t favour a 2026 Bulldogs flag.<\/p>\n
The Dogs on Sunday recorded a 34-point win over Essendon. But after kicking 10 of the first 11 goals and leading by 54 points at half-time on Sunday night, the Bulldogs were surprisingly outplayed in the second half by the winless Bombers.<\/p>\n
Coach Luke Beveridge post-game lamented his side\u2019s fumbling and inability to handle pressure in the second half, as well as some poor disposal efficiency. <\/p>\n
But it was instead one post-match comment from superstar skipper Marcus Bontempelli that piqued the First Crack Preview team\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably became a bit of a turnover-turnover, ball movement game \u2013 which we can play at times, but we\u2019d much rather keep things in the contest and score a bit more from stoppage,\u201d Bontempelli told Fox Footy in the Bulldogs\u2019 rooms.<\/p>\n
Hoyne on Wednesday night pointed out the Dogs last year scored more from stoppage than any team had previously done.<\/p>\n
But over the past two decades, AFL premiers have almost always been among the competition\u2019s best teams at scoring \u2013 and defending \u2013 off turnover \u2013 something the Bulldogs aren\u2019t doing well four games into the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
SA government seeking Gather round deal | 03:45<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory says \u2013 and I\u2019ll back history until it changes \u2013 if you can\u2019t compete in the turnover game, you will not have success,\u201d Hoyne told Fox Footy\u2019s First Crack Preview.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour weeks into the year, they (the Dogs) are the sixth-easiest team in the comp to score against off turnover. Nineteen of the last 20 premiers have been top six in that component.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they\u2019ve had a pretty reasonable draw in that time. I just want to have a look at it, because in the next four weeks they now dive into hawthorn, Geelong, Sydney and Fremantle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited by what they\u2019re doing offensively. Defensively they have changed, so hats off there. But how it looks against the best in the next four weeks, that\u2019s going to be on notice \u2013 because if that (trend) stays after Round 8 and after Round 12 and Round 16, good luck trying to win the flag.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which AFL squad is the deepest? | 08:16<\/p>\n
TOO MUCH \u2018EASY BALL\u2019? CURIOUS CAMERON CASE<\/p>\n
He came into the season as a hot favourite to claim a third Coleman Medal and second in a row.<\/p>\n
But three games into his 2026 campaign and Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron has 4.8 to his name.<\/p>\n
The eight behinds suggest Cameron has had ample opportunities in front of goal, plus he\u2019s amassed 23, 11 and 16 disposals across his first three games. So he\u2019s getting his hands on the ball.<\/p>\n
On top of that, Cameron barely took part in contact training throughout the pre-season after his nasty arm injury suffered in last year\u2019s Grand Final loss. Then he suffered a quad strain in February that ultimately sidelined him from the Cats\u2019 Opening Round loss to Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
But what caught Tigers legend Jack Riewoldt\u2019s eye on Easter Monday was where Cameron was accumulating the ball. Champion Data indicated 38 per cent of Cameron\u2019s disposals against the Hawks were won in Geelong\u2019s defensive half \u2013 a high number for a player that kicked 88 goals last year and 740 overall.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch, Riewoldt suggested Cameron \u201clooks like he\u2019s off\u201d at the moment, adding: \u201cAt the moment, from my viewpoint, I think he\u2019s trying to get too much easy ball and I\u2019d love to see him down the line a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cats great Tom Hawkins, who played the final four seasons of his AFL career alongside Cameron at Geelong, said Cameron \u201cclearly has a licence\u201d to win the ball up the field, but questioned whether the balance was out of whack in recent games.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis asset is his ability to cover the ground, get up and beat his opponent back the other way. But is that putting too much exhaustion, too much effort into actually getting up there to get connected?\u201d Hawkins posed on On The Couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause at his very best, where would you not want to, as an opposition, have Jeremy Cameron? That\u2019s inside 60, where he can hit the scoreboard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cats coach Chris Scott was asked straight up on AFL 360 whether he was concerned by Cameron\u2019s start to the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but his standards are so high,\u201d Scott told AFL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did move him around a little bit (against Hawthorn) \u2026 I\u2019m not sure how old he is now \u2013 but I know he\u2019s got a lot of footy left in him \u2013 but I think I\u2019m a bit of a pragmatist with these sorts of things and I\u2019m not absolutely surprised when a player is not \u2018on\u2019 in Round 4. It\u2019s a relentless season and we\u2019re going to need him at different times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a little bit of an ebb and flow to his season, that\u2019ll be OK. I think I\u2019m more worried when you see guys not able to do things that they used to do \u2013 and I just don\u2019t see that at all with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott\u2019s assistant Nathan Buckley also defended Cameron\u2019s high defensive-half disposal portion, telling On The Couch: \u201cJeremy\u2019s no different to any other player. They play the roles they\u2019re asked to play \u2026 He was asked to play a role at different times up the field and he did that to the best of his ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Blues should trade Patrick Cripps | 02:01<\/p>\n
\u2018ALARMING\u2019: CONTENDER\u2019S HIDDEN FLAW EVERYONE THINKS IS A STRENGTH<\/p>\n
On paper, Gold Coast should be a top-four AFL side with a top-four AFL midfield.<\/p>\n
But there are early alarm bells around the Suns\u2019 on-ball brigade, which were clearly exposed in the shock loss to Melbourne last week.<\/p>\n
Against a new-look Demons midfield, the Suns lost both the contested possession (-22) and clearance (-11) counts convincingly.<\/p>\n
It was the second time from four games this season where the Suns had lost a clearance count by double figures. Compare that to last year when they only lost the clearance count by double figures in three of their 24 games.<\/p>\n
And just once last season did the Suns lose the contested possession count by more than 20. <\/p>\n
Overall, the Suns midfield is struggling compared to last season. While they remain one of the best teams in the competition for hit-out win rate, they\u2019ve dipped from second to 17th for clearance differential, seventh to 16th for first possession rate and second to 12th for first possession to clearance rate.<\/p>\n
Tigers great Jack Riewoldt labelled it \u201ca severe drop-off\u201d, telling On The Couch: \u201cThose numbers there are alarming for Damien Hardwick\u2019s centre bounce men.\u201d<\/p>\n
Personnel issues haven\u2019t helped, with Christian Petracca missing last week\u2019s game due to injury, Bailey Humphrey currently serving a suspension and Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell clearly rusty upon return.<\/p>\n
But what concerned four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis the most was the Suns midfielders\u2019 poor positioning against the Demons and their lack of understanding around their opposition\u2019s set-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir midfield is on watch because they haven\u2019t had the continuity that they\u2019ve had in the past with Rowell out and a few changes in there \u2013 (Wil) Powell playing a little bit more midfield \u2013 so that is a challenge,\u201d Lewis told Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch.<\/p>\n
The Suns face a massive test against the in-form Sydney Swans on Saturday at Norwood Oval.<\/p>\n
Is Neale the answer for Reid mentor? | 03:17<\/p>\n
\u2018BRUTAL\u2019 11-YEAR BEST HAS \u2018COMPLETE\u2019 FREO PRIMED<\/p>\n
They have the list and talent, goalkicking firepower, defensive discipline and (finally) offensive gears.<\/p>\n
But now the Dockers have a toughness and edge that further enhances their premiership credentials.<\/p>\n
Four games into the season and the Dockers have an impressive total contested possession differential of +79. According to Champion Data, it\u2019s the Dockers\u2019 best contested possession stretch over a four-game period since 2015.<\/p>\n
Triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said the Dockers were now a \u201cbrutal type of team\u201d, while seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley said the team has \u201creally strong players on all lines\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir tall forwards help \u2013 when they\u2019re competing the way they are, it brings the small forwards into the game,\u201d Buckley told Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been a strong stoppage team for a long time with (Caleb) Serong, (Andy) Brayshaw and we haven\u2019t even seen Hayden Young \u2013 it\u2019s going to be scary when he comes back into the team. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got players who are prepared to put their head over it, they work hard, they\u2019re quite structured but they definitely are opening up with their forward handball and attacking the game more so.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do a lot when you\u2019re winning contested ball by those sort of numbers, whether it be from defence or attack. It\u2019s a great platform.\u201c<\/p>\n
Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis said Freo\u2019s toughness had surprised him this year.<\/p>\n
Asked how far the Dockers could go this year, Lewis told On The Couch: \u201cThey\u2019re a top-four side. Then you need a little bit of luck, you need the players to be available at that time of year, your form needs to be at a level where you can compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at their list right now, it seems to me they\u2019re relatively complete.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe finals experience counts for a lot, I think, and they know through that experience what it might take to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018RECKLESS ABANDON\u2019: ROO DRAWS COMPARISON TO SWANS GREAT<\/p>\n
Luke Davies-Uniacke might be North\u2019s No. 1 rated player, Nick Larkey might be the captain and top goalkicker, Luke Parker might be the much-needed experienced head and Charlie Comben might be the key North can build its defence around.<\/p>\n
But George Wardlaw might be the Kangaroos\u2019 most important player.<\/p>\n
Which makes his luckless injury issues since arriving on the AFL scene more frustrating.<\/p>\n
Since being drafted with Pick 4 in the 2023 draft, Wardlaw has played just 41 of a possible 73 games, primarily due to a history of soft tissue injuries. His most recent setback came in late February when he strained his hamstring in a VFL practice match, which kept him out of North\u2019s first two games of the season.<\/p>\n
But Wardlaw\u2019s past two matches have been eye-catching and influential. He had seven clearances in the win over the Bombers, while his infectious energy and desperate defensive pressure in his 16-disposal game against the Blues were breathtaking.<\/p>\n
It reminded seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley of a fellow Brownlow Medallist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at him (Wardlaw) play \u2013 and I\u2019m an old footy head \u2013 and when Paul Kelly ran around the Sydney Swans, he had is socks down, guernsey out and he used to just play with reckless abandon. That\u2019s what I see with this young bloke,\u201d Buckley told Fox Footy\u2019s On The Couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s missed a lot of footy in the last couple of years, but if he\u2019s able to get a full season out, North Melbourne to me are a totally different challenge than they would be without him in the side.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got enormous competitiveness. Even though he\u2019s not clean with ball in-hand, he creates space for his teammates and puts them in space \u2013 whether it be by hand or by foot. I\u2019d love to be a forward line player because you\u2019re going to get ball come towards you with George Wardlaw in the middle that defenders aren\u2019t expecting to have to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian Football Hall of Fame member Garry Lyon described Wardlaw on AFL 360 as \u201cthe embodiment of what they (the Kangaroos) want to be\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos face Brisbane this weekend off the back of consecutive wins over Essendon and Carlton. It\u2019s the first time the Roos have won two straight matches since 2023 and just the third time they\u2019ve recorded back-to-back wins this entire decade.<\/p>\n
Lyon said there was a profound sense of excitement in the victorious Kangaroos rooms after the comeback win over Carlton.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been kicked in he head for four years. Now they\u2019ve got a taste of back-to-back victories \u2026 I think Clarkson\u2019s got a group there he can work with,\u201d Lyon told AFL 360.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why flag history is against the sole remaining undefeated side, plus early concerns over a Cats superstar and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-594407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594407","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=594407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}