We had all 18 teams play in Round 15 after getting through the bye rounds, and us footy fans were treated to some entertaining contests.
We had games with finals ramifications, stunning upsets, statement wins and more.
Here’s what we learned from Round 15:
Brisbane are the current one seed
Brisbane made a big statement with their 44-point win over Geelong on Thursday night.
The Lions brought a finals like intensity to the clash, laying 20 more tackles than the Cats despite never trailing.
It’s probably a good time to start finding their best form as we begin the run into finals, and they look the best team in it at the present with other contenders in Melbourne, Geelong and Port Adelaide not currently at their peak.
The Western Bulldogs were also impressive in their big win against the Eagles, but recent losses to Melbourne and Geelong probably has them sitting just behind Chris Fagan’s in-form side.
They should take care of Adelaide and St Kilda in the next fortnight before facing the big test of Richmond at the MCG.
Despite the Tigers stuttering form, a win there could have the Lions as premiership favourites when finals kick off come September.
Surely this isn’t how it ends for Richmond
Richmond were miserable on Friday night at the MCG, recording their lowest score since 1961 to go down to the Saints by 44 points in a scrappy encounter.
The loss takes them to a 7-7 record, and clinging on to eighth place on percentage with two months of football left until finals kicks off.
All dynasties must come to an end, but it’s probably too early to be writing Richmond off just yet.
Some have already decided to put a line through the Tigers’ premiership credentials, but surely there’s a second wind to come for this once dominant Richmond outfit.
They face the Suns on Thursday before meeting Collingwood the week after at the MCG.
They’ll be hoping for two comfortable wins in the next fortnight to help revive their campaign before the Lions come to town in Round 18.
In three weeks time we might know if the premiership run is over, but it would take a brave person to cross them off at this stage.
The Suns might be the worst team in football
Gold Coast’s stuttering season went from bad to worse on Saturday, going down to 18th placed North Melbourne by nine points in Hobart.
We know the Kangaroos are a tougher task at Blundstone Arena than anywhere else in Australia, but there’s no doubting the Suns have more talent on paper than David Noble’s side.
The Suns aren’t lacking in the departments of potential and talent, and that’s why it’s seriously damning that they might be the worst team in the competition at this stage – or at least the easiest team to play against.
North Melbourne have started to piece some decent football together, Collingwood has steadily improved, Hawthorn the same, while Adelaide has taken big strides since last year’s wooden spoon season.
At the present, there’s probably no side you’d rather face than the Suns, they’ll be hoping for significant improvement when they host Richmond at Metricon on Thursday night.
GWS fail to capitalise on big break
Richmond’s loss to St Kilda provided GWS with the opportunity to end the round in eighth spot … all they had to do was take care of a second-bottom Hawthorn side at the MCG.
Obviously, the Hawks took the four points from the clash with a big last quarter – delivering a big blow to the Giants finals hopes.
It marks a second time that the Giants have stumbled in recent weeks after only taking a draw from their meeting with North Melbourne in Round 13.
If they’d won those two games, they’d be a game clear of Richmond and Fremantle, with a top eight finish there for the taking.
If the Giants aren’t playing football in September for a second straight year, it could well be due to those missed opportunities.
Next week’s clash against Melbourne looms as a crucial one for Leon Cameron’s side.
We could be set for another 'footy frenzy'
Just as things looked to be sailing smoothly, the AFL has had to deal with lockdowns in both Sydney and Melbourne, while COVID cases have now emerged in Brisbane and Perth.
The show will go on, but the AFL may need to utilise their ‘last resort’ and go back to the hub system we saw in 2020.
Reports emerged on Sunday that the AFL was “considering” both hubs in Melbourne and another ‘footy frenzy’ with games condensed to make hub-life go quicker and ensure clubs aren’t locked down for extended periods.
Buckle up footy fans, we might be set for more games, more frequently in the near future.
It’s a big week for St Kilda
Round 16 is obviously pretty big for Richmond, but that’s already been mentioned enough.
While the Saints took the points on Friday, the big question is whether they can back it up for a second straight week.
They’ve only won two games on the trot once this season, and a win over Collingwood on Sunday genuinely puts them back into finals calculations.
It’ll be a tough task to play in September with a percentage in the low 80s, but more performances like what we saw against Richmond should see them win more games than they lose on the run home.
Sunday’s game will tell us if the Saints have turned a corner or if they simply had ‘one of those nights’ against the reigning premiers.
