After a two-week hiatus, we are back for this weekend as the fight for finals spots heats up.
Ahead of Round 18, we ask some of the big questions we have as we reach the twilight of the home and away season.
How does Collingwood reconfigure their forward line?
Collingwood’s injury woes have gone from bad to worse with Brody Mihocek, who has already missed parts of this year, set to miss the rest of the home and away season.
Combined with injuries to other key offensive players such as Mason Cox and Jamie Elliott, the Pies again find themselves in a familiar position in many games in 2024 where they lack a proper forward line.
This has forced Craig McRae to play the likes of Nathan Kreuger and Billy Frampton up forward and whilst these players are still developing, it doesn’t appear to be the long-term solution for Collingwood’s forward line.
One thing that worked reasonably well against Essendon last week was playing Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe up forward as the duo combined for five goals and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to be dangerous up forward.
With Geelong’s defence returning back to their best in the last two games, only conceding 59.5 points on average, McRae simply has to find a way to spark a potent forward line and prevent the likes of Tom Stewart from hurting the Pies on transition if Collingwood are to stay in touch with the best teams in the league.
Can the Swans bounce back and arrest their losing streak?
Midway through the season, after the Swans notched up 10 wins in a row, the huge questions were just where Sydney’s next loss was coming from.
The Swans galloped away as the runaway flag favourite as they showed irresistible form to overcome the sternest of challenges.
However, the last two weeks have showcased that the Swans are not invincible with back-to-back losses against Fremantle and St Kilda, albeit by close margins.
Whilst Sydney would rather their inevitable form slump happen now rather than at the very pointy end, John Longmire would want to closely scrutinise all facets of the game to ensure that the red and white get back to their devastating best on the cusp of finals.
This week, whilst the game appears easy on paper with their opponents being North Melbourne, given the Kangaroos’ recent form and the development of their youth, the Swans will not want to take anything for granted.
Therefore, it will be fascinating to see whether the Swans can not just return to winning ways against North but also regain the dynamism and explosive power that seemed unbeatable for such a long part of this season.
Joel Amartey celebrates his ninth goal. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Is Jackson best when he is a solo ruckman?
After a really disappointing loss against the Bulldogs a few weeks ago, the Dockers have responded in emphatic fashion with three straight wins, including a remarkable win against the runaway ladder leaders the Swans.
One thing, however, that the Dockers have still not quite addressed is whether Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson work best together.
In the games against Gold Coast and Sydney, whilst Darcy was enormous and led Fremantle to gain ascendancy at the stoppage, Jackson remained largely quiet.
However, against Richmond last week, with Darcy subbed out at halftime due to concussion, Jackson looked back to his best with 21 disposals and four clearances as the solo ruckman.
It does beg the question as to whether Jackson can actually prosper in the Dockers if he is not the main man.
With Darcy out due to concussion against Hawthorn, it gives us a chance to see Jackson’s prowess when he rucks solo and the dynamism he brings to this Dockers side.
If he shows his best form this week without Darcy in this team, the Dockers may have some big decisions to make come the off-season.
Will the Bulldogs show more defensive application against Cripps/Walsh?
Against Port Adelaide last week, the Bulldogs were effectively out of the contest by quarter-time as they had slumped to a 30-point deficit.
The main reason for the Power’s fast start was the performance of midfield guns Connor Rozee and Zak Butters who were allowed to do as they pleased by the Bulldogs as they had a combined 32 disposals and eight clearances in the first quarter itself.
This has been a consistent problem for the Bulldogs who fail to hold the opposition’s midfield stars accountable and allow them to do as they please.
The Bulldogs can ill afford to do the same thing this week against Carlton and the one-two punch of Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.
As such, Luke Beveridge simply has to put some time into preventing the duo from dictating from the centre and dominating the stoppage.
Whether it’s a hard tag or simply an accountable role played by the likes of Marcus Bontempelli or Tom Liberatore, it will be interesting to see how the Dogs attempt to curb the influence of the Blues superstars.
Patrick Cripps celebrates a goal. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Can the Saints maintain their dare in offence?
One of the upsets of the season occurred last week when the Saints, who have had a very disappointing 2024, downed the ladder leading Swans by two points.
This came off the back of a dominant second half where the Saints kicked nine goals to three off the back of bold and dynamic ball movement.
The main criticism for Ross Lyon’s team this year has been that they are too safe with the ball and defensively oriented at the expense of generating any sort of scoring power to put their opponents under pressure.
However, the Saints were daring against the Swans, moving the ball quickly and utilising the corridor in combination with significant forward heat as the Saints out-tackled the hardnosed Swans by 63-41.
Against the Crows in Adelaide this week, Saints fans would be desperate for their side to bring the same disciplined and brave mindset in order to display that they can score heavily when they relax the defensive brakes.
Whilst this season has not been ideal for the Saints, they can still salvage something from the back half by continuing the development of their potent and brave offensive game.
Is the Essendon midfield back to their best?
Before their must-win game against Collingwood, the Bombers’ midfield was going through a downward slump, losing the clearance battle in form out of their last six games.
However, against Collingwood, their prime movers looked back to their best as they dominated clearances and contested possession after quarter-time.
The leader of this impressive display was their inspirational captain Zach Merrett who had 30 disposals and five clearances as he dragged the rest of his side with him to register the big win against good opposition they desperately needed.
The young duo of Caldwell and Durham also impressed with 55 disposals and 12 clearances between them, showcasing the incredible depth the Bombers have to run through the middle.
This week the Bombers come up against a very good Dees midfield with the likes of Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and Trent Rivers as well as ruckman Max Gawn.
If the Dons can back up their statement win against Collingwood with another professional win against the Dees and dominate from the midfield again, Bombers fans may finally believe that their side can achieve great things in 2024.
Harrison Jones, Zach Merrett and Kyle Langford. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Can Port maintain the rage for Ken?
After a horror loss to Brisbane two weeks ago, Port Adelaide has responded for their coach Ken Hinkley, who has been under immense pressure.
Whilst they only narrowly beat the lowly Saints by two points, they emphatically thumped the Bulldogs by 48 points in a display that reminded the AFL world how dangerous Port can be.
Their stars put on a clinic with Rozee, Butters, Jason Horne-Francis and Ollie Wines dominating from the middle from the opening bounce, ensuring the Bulldogs were effectively out of the game before the first break.
Whilst this win will relieve the pressure for Ken Hinkley for another week, the Power need to be able to deliver like this for multiple weeks in a row, something which has been lacking this season, in order to prove to the outside world that they are a serious football team.
A good test for them will be when they head up to the Gold Coast whose home record has been perfect this year.
A win against the Suns will send a warning to the rest of the competition that Port can still have their say this year and make Hinkley breathe a little easier.
Is the Orange Tsunami back?
At the quarter-time break against Carlton, the Giants season was on life support.
They had conceded a 33-point deficit to the Blues, and they had only won two out of their last eight games.
The much-venerated Orange Tsunami had come to a drastic halt and there were significant questions over their legitimacy as a side.
However, the Giants rediscovered their potent ball movement after quarter time and went on a blitz to score 14 goals in the next two quarters to eventually come home with a stirring win.
Their prime movers in Tom Green, Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield and Callan Ward all racked up huge disposals as part of the resurgence of their dynamic ball movement which put Carlton’s defence, which had been incredibly stable in the last month, under immense pressure.
GWS Giant Josh Kelly celebrates a goal. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Their forward pressure was also off the charts as they recorded 26-4 tackled inside 50, underlining the ferocity of their ball movement and their willingness to keep the Blues under pressure.
Whilst this is just one game, Adam Kingsley will be hoping that this game marks a turning point, and his Giants can maintain this stellar form for the rest of the year.
What can West Coast muster from the remaining seven weeks?
After a tumultuous fortnight, the Eagles and Adam Simpson decided to mutually part ways and end an 11-year era.
Whoever takes on this new role as Eagles Coach from 2025 and beyond, will be given a mountainous task given the lows the Eagles have plummeted to in the last few years.
However, the journey for the Eagles’ next premiership must start now and the club must with what they have on their list.
West Coast already has generational talent in Harley Reid and bright youngsters who will most certainly be key to the Eagles’ next flag push such as Jake Waterman, Oscar Allen and Reuben Ginbey.
These next few weeks act as the perfect time for the Eagles to unearth some more hidden gems on their list and experiment with the magnets in order for them to accelerate their climb up the ladder.
Against a Brisbane side that is shooting up the ladder before our eyes, the Eagles will look to test their list and find out which additional players can be the key to their rebuild which must start now.
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