We’re eleven weeks through the AFL season as fans were treated to nine exciting games across the weekend.
Round 11 told us a lot about some clubs, while the reigning premiers were finally toppled.
Here’s what we learned from the weekend’s games:
COVID and injury excuses have run out for West Coast
West Coast have struggled all season, but Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs was cruel on many levels.
Having looked to of recaptured a slight bit of form last week against the Giants, the Eagles fell to further depths in losing by triple figures.
Coach Adam Simpson has trotted out numerous excuses so far this year, with injuries and COVID plaguing the side, and while that’s often been a fair assessment, there’s no excuse for a lack of effort.
With one win to their name and a percentage of just 49.7, the Eagles are well and truly on track to match the worst season in recent history, which was GWS in 2013 with one win and a percentage of 50.97.
There’s no doubt West Coast need to rebuild, but there’s also no way they should be performing as bad as that Giants side which was in its second year of existence.
They need to respond, and quickly, it’s genuinely getting embarrassing.
Adelaide away next week could be the perfect opportunity to showcase that.
Fremantle are genuine contenders
Just as we were starting to doubt the Dockers, they come through with one of the most impressive wins of the season against reigning premiers Melbourne.
With consecutive losses to Gold Coast and Collingwood, Fremantle were starting to falter, and a response wasn’t looking likely with Melbourne and Brisbane on the horizon.
With the win against the Demons, the Dockers not only undo their recent poor form, but they genuinely launch themselves into contention.
Although Steven May was a huge out for the Dees, he probably isn’t a 38-point difference, proving how phenomenal Justin Longmuir’s side was.
Top four beckons for Fremantle at 8-3, and a win against Brisbane next week would genuinely give them a firm grip on the number two seed at the midway point of the season.
We could be set for a dominant purple run if what we saw on Saturday afternoon continues.
That’s probably the result Melbourne needed
Just as the result was critically important for Fremantle, it also may prove the same for Melbourne.
While the reigning premiers made their way to 10-0 ahead of the clash, the way they did it was somewhat concerning, as they never really clicked out of first gear in the majority of those wins.
Although that’s a good sign to show how dominant they have been, they were probably becoming a bit complacent while in the back of their mind they would’ve known a loss would eventually be on the horizon.
For it to come in Round 11, is only a good thing for the Dees … they’d certainly rather that than it come in a big final.
In defeat, the Demons will be able to address any flaws that were keeping into their game and ensure they’re still as hungry as ever, particularly as we begin the turn into September after the midway point of the season.
You’d hate to be the team that’s facing this Melbourne side coming off a loss.
Sydney awaits Saturday at the MCG, expect a big response from Simon Goodwin’s men.
Collingwood aren’t the one-trick pony we thought they might be
After starting the season well before falling back to the pack, many had Collingwood as one of those teams that were all-out attack.
While that works well at its best, when it goes wrong, it falls away super quick and we saw that as these Pies got used to Craig McRae’s game plan.
Although the forward handball and overlap is still a huge feature of Collingwood’s game, in the last fortnight against Fremantle and Carlton, we’ve seen that their pressure is also elite.
In two successive weeks, the Magpies have knocked off teams that were in the top four leading into the weekend’s games, claiming both victories on the back of out hunting their opponents without the ball.
Now with what looks to be a structurally sound zone, the Magpies can genuinely win games on the back of their tackling, as they make their opposition turn the ball over in dangerous positions.
With two big scalps in their pocket, Collingwood will head in favourites in next Sunday’s game against Hawthorn.
Win that, and at 7-5, their destiny will be well and truly in their hands.
Carlton’s Jacob Weitering looks set to cause serious havoc
Just as Carlton’s tall stocks were looking decimated with injury, star defender Jacob Weitering joined them after suffering an AC joint injury against Collingwood.
As perhaps the form backman of the competition, Weitering’s loss proved crucial in Sunday’s result, with the Magpies notching 24 scoring shots.
While an AC joint injury won’t rule the star out for the season, his loss over the next six to eight weeks will be felt significantly at Ikon Park.
With games against Fremantle, Richmond, St Kilda and Geelong coming in his potential sidelined period, Carlton will need to go in with a patchwork defence against some of the competition’s best attacks.
This won’t squash Carlton’s September dream, with Weitering, Harry McKay, Mitch McGovern and Marc Pittonet all set for returns later this year.
In saying that, the bye literally couldn’t have come at a better time for Michael Voss’ wounded men.
It’s a big week for the Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are working their way back into the 2022 season with wins from their last three games.
Now holding a 6-5 record through 11 games, the Bulldogs find themselves inside the eight and with a genuine heartbeat.
While they’ve won their last three, those victories have come against Collingwood, Gold Coast and West Coast, teams they would’ve backed themselves to beat.
Next week comes Geelong, a far tougher test for the boys from the west.
Should they win, they’ll have claimed their first big scalp and we’ll start to believe in their premiership credentials.
Lose, and it's back to the drawing board.