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ROCK BOTTOM TO WILDCARD DREAM: BLUES\u2019 \u2018IRRESISTIBLE\u2019 REVIVAL SPARKS FINALS \u2018REALITY\u2019<\/p>\n
Five wins in a row, three scalps against genuine finals contenders \u2026 one Carlton wildcard dream.<\/p>\n
The Blues on Saturday night continued their remarkable resurgence under interim coach Josh Fraser, pulling through for a statement victory over the Giants.<\/p>\n
It extended the Blues\u2019 unbeaten run to five games since Fraser took the reins after Michael Voss\u2019 departure in early May.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s made the streak even more impressive is the calibre of opposition, with Carlton beating likely finalists Geelong and the Western Bulldogs, plus both a frisky Port Adelaide and now GWS interstate.<\/p>\n
Matthew Cottrell of the Blues celebrates with tea mates after kicking a goal during the round 15 AFL match between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Carlton Blues at ENGIE Stadium, on June 20, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/AFL Photos\/via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Blues remain outside the top 10 by just one win \u2014 a scenario that seemed unthinkable last month.<\/p>\n
Add to that the fact Saturday\u2019s win was Carlton\u2019s final game outside Melbourne for the home-and-away season, Blues fans are daring to dream.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a crazy thing to think of Carlton making finals or threatening a grand final,\u201d Fox Footy\u2019s Dwayne Russell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut miracles have happened before. Ask Steven Bradbury, ask the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a hypothetical before today as to making the 10. But now it\u2019s a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
AFL ladder after Round 15 (finals relevant teams)<\/p>\n
1. Fremantle (52 pts, 144.4%)*<\/p>\n
2. Sydney (48 pts, 143.7%)*<\/p>\n
3. Hawthorn (38 pts, 113.5%)*<\/p>\n
4. Geelong (36 pts, 120.6%)<\/p>\n
5. Adelaide (36 pts, 113.2%)*<\/p>\n
6. Melbourne (36 pts, 104.2%)<\/p>\n
7. Western Bulldogs (36 pts, 92.8%)<\/p>\n
8. Brisbane (32 pts, 108.4%)*<\/p>\n
9. Gold Coast (28 pts, 105.3%)*<\/p>\n
10. North Melbourne (28 pts, 90.7%)*<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
11. Collingwood (26 pts, 101.5%)*<\/p>\n
12. St Kilda (24 pts, 100.6%)<\/p>\n
13. GWS Giants (24 pts, 100.3%)*<\/p>\n
14. Carlton (24 pts, 91.1%)*<\/p>\n
* = game in hand<\/p>\n
Carlton\u2019s remaining fixture<\/p>\n
West Coast (H), Richmond (A), Hawthorn (H), Collingwood (A), Gold Coast (H), Brisbane (H), St Kilda (A), Western Bulldogs (A), Fremantle (H)<\/p>\n
Carlton extend winning streak to 5 | 02:38<\/p>\n
Australian Football Hall of Fame member Garry Lyon said Carlton\u2019s transformation was difficult to comprehend given the state of the club earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an impact that one decision has made on this football club,\u201d Lyon told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine Michael Voss would be having mixed emotions. When we go back and track the change in the way they played, the change was there towards the latter part of Voss\u2019 reign. But it\u2019s been turbocharged with Josh Fraser in charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese scenes here you couldn\u2019t imagine happening 10 or 12 weeks ago. They were ready to shut the gates at Ikon Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow here they are in contention again. All these faces you\u2019re seeing now were downtrodden. Careers were being questioned, trades were being floated and all the speculation that comes with the circus of AFL footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow they\u2019re on top of the world. They\u2019ll think they can beat anyone in this frame of mind. This momentum is almost hard to stop \u2014 it\u2019s irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Blues\u2019 stunning turnaround continues to thrust Fraser into the coaching conversation.<\/p>\n
Speaking with Fox Footy\u2019s Alastair Lynch after the win, Fraser said he harboured ambitions to be a senior coach one day, but held his line that he\u2019s instead focusing on the journey with the Blues\u2019 playing group.<\/p>\n
Blues dream run continues under Fraser | 08:44<\/p>\n
Asked whether Fraser should be considered a genuine contender for the senior role, Herald Sun chief football writer Jay Clark told Fox Footy: \u201cHe has to be. He started this race saying he was no chance, he has to be some chance<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a flawless start … it\u2019s unbelievable momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, what\u2019s significant is he\u2019s taken the tension and heaviness right out of this football club. I think that\u2019s infiltrated through the playing group. They\u2019re playing with more freedom and flair.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood on him. They have to have the conversation with him at season\u2019s end.\u201d<\/p>\n
But dual premiership Kangaroo David King urged caution, pointing to Carlton\u2019s recent coaching history.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s really unlucky that it\u2019s this football club \u2014 because they had this situation with David Teague,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it was somewhere else, I think it would be a different conversation. Maybe he would have the Paul Roos-type discussion happening right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019d be reluctant to jump to: \u2018Yep, this is our guy.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to look in the rear-view mirror, don\u2019t you? They\u2019ve made error after error with their coaching. So they\u2019d have to assess how and why they reached those decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no need to panic right now or jump. He\u2019s mounting a good case.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven his own language \u2014 \u2018I\u2019m not ready\u2019. It\u2019d be very hard to push someone who says they\u2019re not ready into a frontline job at Carlton.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Teague hire looming over Fraser\u2019s fate isn\u2019t the only awkward situation for the Blues, who need high draft picks to match a bid for Cody Walker at the top of this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n
As it stands, with their first-round pick and Sydney\u2019s, they\u2019ll have just enough points to not go into draft deficit or trade up the order – but if they do push for the finals, they\u2019ll have to make some hard calls.<\/p>\n
Cottrell on the Harmonica in Blues song! | 00:46<\/p>\n
Lyon believes the catalyst behind Carlton\u2019s resurgence has been a midfield group rediscovering its best football.<\/p>\n
No.1 pick Jagga Smith continues to emerge as a future star, while Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, George Hewett and Blake Acres have all lifted dramatically during the winning streak.<\/p>\n
And according to Lyon, no player deserves more credit than captain Cripps.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s led magnificently,\u201d Lyon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been doorstopped more times than Pauline Hanson in the first half of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsked questions about the club and coach, then his future gets thrown into it. The suggestion is he might be past his best and heading back to Perth and all that sort of stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he\u2019s probably got nine Brownlow votes from the last four or five games.\u201d<\/p>\n
With momentum building and a favourable run home ahead, the Blues are daring to dream about September in the space of five extraordinary weeks.<\/p>\n
WHY PIES\u2019 NEALE PLAY IS \u2018DANGEROUS\u2019… AND DARK HORSE LURKING IN SIX-CLUB RACE<\/p>\n
Lachie Neale\u2019s potential move to Collingwood is shaping as one of the biggest list management decisions of 2026 \u2014 and one that could ultimately define the Magpies\u2019 next premiership push.<\/p>\n
On paper, the fit is obvious.<\/p>\n
The Magpies have spent much of the past two seasons leaning heavily on Nick Daicos to drive their midfield engine room, with opposition clubs increasingly directing attention towards the superstar ball-winner. <\/p>\n
So, it goes without saying that adding a dual Brownlow Medallist in Neale would immediately ease that burden; providing the Craig McRae\u2019s side with another elite clearance and contested-ball specialist.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why two-time North Melbourne premiership player David King can see the appeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou throw Lachie Neale in there, and there\u2019s your clearance game catered for. You can keep (Jordan) de Goey forward, you can put Nick forward more regularly,\u201d King told Fox Footy\u2019s Super Saturday Live.<\/p>\n
But, as is regularly the case with all recruiting decisions, the equation isn\u2019t quite that simple.<\/p>\n
Dominant 3rd sees Pies thump Port | 02:40<\/p>\n
Neale will next season turn 34, and is reportedly seeking a lucrative multi-year deal set to touch seven figures a season. To accommodate both the salary and list spot required, Collingwood may need to make difficult calls on several ageing veterans who have been central to the club\u2019s long-term success.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s where King\u2019s concerns begin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re asking guys that are 32 or 33 years old to move on, to make way for a 33-year-old on a million dollars a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous play.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very well-documented that the Magpies have built their recent success heavily on experienced stars. Bringing in Neale obviously strengthens their short-term premiership credentials, but it could also further compress a list profile that is already among the oldest in the competition.<\/p>\n
The key question for McRae and list boss Justin Leppitsch is whether Neale meaningfully shifts their premiership ceiling.<\/p>\n
If the answer is yes, the risk may be worth taking.<\/p>\n
Should the Magpies be chasing Lachie Neale?Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Part of that calculation could also centre around De Goey\u2019s resurgence.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old has arguably produced the most consistent football of his career over the past two months, showing he can be a reliable midfield contributor rather than an occasional burst player.<\/p>\n
\u201cDe Goey is a fascinating chat, because we are seeing him really for the first time in his career put it together consistently,\u201d Chief Herald Sun Football reporter Jay Clark said on Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say over the last four weeks, he\u2019s making a major statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark believes the combination of De Goey, Daicos and Neale could elevate the Magpies back into genuine premiership contention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Collingwood a one-man band? That\u2019s where the cue\u2019s been: Nick Daicos or bust,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he (De Goey\u2019s) playing like that with Neale … potentially while Nick Daicos is here, they could contend for the cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
That, in essence, is the temptation confronting the Magpies. Neale may not be the long-term answer, and may even be a risky investment given his age and price tag.<\/p>\n
But, premiership windows don\u2019t stay open forever. And Collingwood has four months to decide whether adding one of the competition\u2019s greatest midfielders for the final years of his career is the acquisition that maximises the Daicos era, or just simply kicks the can down the road.<\/p>\n
While they\u2019re the frontrunners at this stage for the two-time Brisbane premiership hero, it\u2019s far from a one-club race. Adelaide and West Coast \u2014 plus to a lesser extent Essendon \u2014 have been linked to Neale, but there\u2019s a dark horse lingering in the shadows for his services. <\/p>\n
McRae: ‘They’re fighting hard’ | 10:41<\/p>\n
\u201cThey certainly are (the front-runners Collingwood), but they face a fight from St Kilda \u2014 they\u2019re the big one to watch. Essendon has an interest, as well as Adelaide, but I think St Kilda could come in late,\u201d Clark reported on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll weigh up making a very serious play. We know he has very close ties with Ross Lyon from their time in the west, and St Kilda, they want to be a top four team next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk about Neale coming in to help out Nick Daicos. What about him coming in to help Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera; who\u2019s one of the most attacked players in the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the money\u2019s a discussion … he\u2019s going to be sitting there over the next two or three months saying: \u2018Where can I have some team success? What\u2019s the best chance?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to be a big card. You\u2019ve seen Nick Daicos use the recruiting card for Zak Butters \u2014 \u2018come play with me\u2019. That\u2019ll be a factor no doubt … it\u2019s a big club, you can make extra money here with corporate deals and that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
CAN\u2019T HAVE \u2018EM ALL: KING\u2019S PRICE TAG COMPLICATES HAWKS\u2019 STAR HUNT<\/p>\n
Hawthorn is again \u201con the front foot\u201d in another aggressive recruiting drive for multiple rival stars. <\/p>\n
But while the Hawks have salary cap space to go shopping, there\u2019s only so many big names they\u2019ll be able to obtain, given the limited trade assets.<\/p>\n
Gold Coast trio Ben King, Jed Walter and Bailey Humphrey are all in Hawthorn\u2019s sights.<\/p>\n
Originally thought to be on the verge of re-signing with the Suns, a King-to-Hawks move is starting to build momentum in the restricted free agent\u2019s bid to return to Victoria. <\/p>\n
That might make it more likely Walter stays at the Suns, with multiple clubs circling the young key forward. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Hawthorn was among the Victorian clubs trying to lure Humphrey, contracted until 2028, back home last year, before the young gun ultimately stayed put. <\/p>\n
And of course, Sam Mitchell and company will again be looking to pry Zach Merrett out of Essendon 12 months on from the failed trade. <\/p>\n
However, given all the aforementioned names will come at a significant cost, there\u2019s only so many stars Hawthorn can fit in. <\/p>\n
Hawks seal first win on GC in 12 years | 03:41<\/p>\n
\u201cHawthorn is absolutely on the front foot,\u201d Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if Ben King was an unrestricted free agent, he\u2019d probably be at Hawthorn next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he is restricted, so Gold Coast would immediately match that bid and (Hawthorn) would have to give up multiple first-round picks to get him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, that totally complicates the bid to try and bolster their midfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawthorn has been chasing Bailey Humphrey for the best part of a year, it\u2019s again committed to Zach Merrett.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawthorn has the cap space and the inclination to add at least two, and maybe three, A-graders. But it doesn\u2019t necessarily have the trade collateral \u2014 its got its own first-round, future picks and three second-rounders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou give up multiple first-rounders for King, it makes it almost impossible to try and secure Bailey Humphrey, and certainly Merrett. Imagine going for Merrett for a second time in two years and leaving him on the vine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zach Merrett of the Bombers looks dejected after losing the Round 11 AFL match between Richmond Tigers and Essendon Bombers at Melbourne Cricket Ground, on May 22, 2026 (Photo by Quinn Rooney\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The position Hawthorn arguably needs to bolster most is its midfield to put more starpower next to the likes of Jai Newcombe and Will Day. <\/p>\n
But Merrett, who turns 31 later this year, is the oldest of those trade targets and thus gives them the smallest window to capitalise. <\/p>\n
Whereas, Hawthorn\u2019s forward line is stacked with key forward depth as it is, with the likes of Calsher Dear and Will McCabe struggling for senior opportunities behind Jack Gunston, Mitch Lewis and Mabior Chol.<\/p>\n
Though leading goalkicker Gunston, out of contract himself, turns 35 later this year and is in his twilight years.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawthorn is having all the chats we are having right now, as well,\u201d Ralph said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou bring in King, he\u2019s the same player as Jack Gunston. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou bring in Merrett, is he going to be good enough for three or four years down the track? <\/p>\n
\u201cYou bring in Humphrey, he\u2019s nine years younger (than Merrett), but is he the real deal after some challenges this season?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell talks centre bounce dominance | 05:15<\/p>\n
While King, Humphrey and Merrett are the names Hawthorn has been most linked to, Hall of Fame legend Leigh Matthews believes Walter should be the club\u2019s priority, given the 21-year old\u2019s raw talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s a really prodigious young talent,\u201d Matthew said. <\/p>\n
On the contrary, four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis thinks they should target a midfielder.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can keep Will Day fresh and Jai Newcombe stays there, that\u2019s the continuity,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you can\u2019t, you need a third.\u201d<\/p>\n
TASSIE DIRECTOR\u2019S DETAILS ON COACH SEARCH<\/p>\n
Tasmania Devils board member Alastair Lynch, who is part of the selection panel searching for the 19th club\u2019s inaugural coach, has opened up on what they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n