What they got right and wrong: Each club’s wins and woes from Round 12

What did your club get right and what did your club get wrong in Round 12?

Statement wins, upsets, bounce-backs and a belting were among the weekend's results.

Four clubs had byes - Brisbane, GWS, North Melbourne and Sydney.

See our assessments below:

What they got right

Showed some character

After Hawthorn kicked the first three goals of the third quarter, Adelaide was staring down the barrel of a proper spanking.

But the Crows responded to kick five of the next seven goals of that term, before kicking a further five in the final term.

It certainly wasn’t enough to win, but it did save some face. The Crows managed to resurrect their sloppy start but the damage was already done.

What they got wrong

Horrible start

The Crows had kicked 2.6 until half-time and looked nowhere near the level required to win a game in the AFL.

Meanwhile, the Hawks helped themselves to seven first-half goals and the first three of the third term, forcing the Crows to concede 10 of the first 12 goals.

Matthew Nicks said the first half was “as bad as we’ve played all year”.

The game was getting away from them in the first half, and ultimately the 29-point deficit at the main break was significant in a 27-point final result.

Lack of desire in the contest

The Crows were beaten 126-140 in contested possessions and 29-39 in clearances which went a long way to deciding the game.

It appeared as though they were second to the ball more often and were beaten up around stoppage.

The coach was unsure of why his side lacked dare and energy, but it was evident that they did.

It was a huge missed opportunity for the Crows who had been fairly consistent for the seven weeks prior to the Round 12 fixture.

Another loss at the MCG

While the Crows have been unlucky at the MCG in recent times, they still don’t have a win to show for it since 2017.

Their last victory at the venue came in Round 15 of their Grand Final season and they’ve now lost nine in a row since that day.

It’s become a bit of a hoodoo now. They won’t get a chance to break it until next year.

Andrew Slevison

BYE

What they got right

Alex Cincotta’s new role

It’s like Michael Voss watched James Jordon start at half forward, sprint into the middle and tag Sam Walsh, freeing up Walsh’s opponent and locking down the star Blue because he has immediately thrown Cincotta into that very same role.

He heavily restricted Touk Miller last week and went to Zak Butters on Thursday night in a tight tag, completely shutting out his impact post stoppage.

Cincotta had been in good form as a lockdown small defender, so to throw him into a layered tagging role starting across half forward has been an excellent coaching move.

Stars stand up when it matters most

A tight game off a five-day break on the road against a fellow top four contender? That’s when you hope your stars rise to the occasion and separate the two teams.

Walsh and Cripps both dominated the fourth quarter, leading what was a midfield thrashing. Weitering blanketed Charlie Dixon to the point where he was subbed off before switching to Todd Marshall. And the Curnow/McKay combo kicked six goals and took some big marks.

While Port Adelaide’s stars floundered, Carlton’s proved to be the difference.

What they got wrong

Third tall forward role remains up for grabs

With Jack Silvagni out for the season, Jack Martin perennially injured and the Blues still unsure on their ruck identity, Carlton’s third tall forward role remains up for grabs.

Matt Kennedy played the role on the weekend and was quiet, but they trust him to bring the ball to ground, provide pressure and rotate through the midfield when required.

But he’s not a natural forward and doesn’t hit the scoreboard. Carlton is certainly missing the positional value of Silvagni and Martin.

Nic Negrepontis

What they got right 

Hot start

While the Pies went into the game as underdogs, they looked hot straight out of the blocks kicking the first three goals of the game.

It allowed the Pies to put the Bulldogs on the back foot immediately, their only real issue was that they didn’t kick straight enough in the first term kicking 5.7 (37) to 3.2 (20).

If they had of finished their chances, they really could have almost put the Dogs away.

They just didn’t get enough of a big return knowing that the Bulldogs would eventually make a run given some of the talent advantages around the field.

Finding targets inside 50

While Collingwood were without the likes of Brody Mihocek, Dan McStay, Mason Cox, Jamie Elliott and Jordan De Goey, they were still able to find targets with the footy inside 50.

Looking at the stats, the Pies took 13 grabs inside the arc compared to the Bulldogs’ eight.

They had to look low with the footy, given none of their taller options even kicked a goal, but it showed that the Pies could still find an avenue to goal even without their top aerial targets available.

What they got wrong 

Midfield mauling

While Collingwood got the ball into Nick Daicos’ hands a lot on Friday night, with the midfielder breaking a club record with 16 disposals, he didn’t have enough help.

Obviously, that was always going to be an issue with De Goey, Scott Pendlebury and Tom Mitchell out, but the Pies still would have been disappointed to lose the clearance count 38-55.

That meant that the Pies weren’t giving their forwards enough chances ahead of the ball, while the defence was constantly under the pump as the Dogs won the inside 50 count 41-64.

There’s no doubt that the Dogs have quality around the footy, but it’s an issue Collingwood will have to keep dealing with as long as they’re missing some soldiers in that area of the ground.

Last quarter effort

Collingwood would have been disappointed with their fadeout late on Friday night.

The ball lived in the Dogs’ half as they could only muster 0.1 (1) to 5.1 (31). It was ultimately the difference in the 18-point defeat.

While the Dogs were always going to make a charge, they would have been dismayed by their inability to close out the game when there was an unlikely win up for the taking.

Lachlan Geleit

What they got right

Dons didn’t drop their heads

In unfamiliar territory and against a Gold Coast outfit that hasn’t lost at home this year, there was every reason for Essendon to pack it in multiple times in the second half.

Decisions went against them and the Suns on four separate occasions got their lead to 11 points or greater, yet Essendon hung in the contest and in a different world, could have stolen the contest.

It’s an attitude that has been on display in every game bar the loss to Port Adelaide for Essendon and one that should it continue, will see the Bombers playing finals in 2024.

Expected score lies

Had all shots been to expectation on Sunday night, the Bombers would have recorded a 15-point win.

Brad Scott’s men had more inside 50s and better efficiency at that, while also winning clearance and contest. They even had more marks than the Suns and marks inside 50.

What they got wrong

Blew their chance

While the Bombers had their chances to win, the flip side is disappointment that they did not convert.

The Dons had four more shots on goal and should have found themselves ahead for most of the game rather than behind.

The consensus is Essendon isn’t a good enough team to be blowing good chances at victory. That being said, perhaps this makes up for the few they’ve stolen in 2024.

Seb Mottram

What they got right 

Ball movement

One area of Fremantle’s game that has been lacking in 2024 is their ball movement, but that wasn’t the case in Sunday’s 92-point win against Melbourne in the red centre.

From about the 7th minute of the first term, the Dockers used the ball with speed, skill and flair and cut the Demons to pieces.

Their fast and direct ball movement resulted in a ridiculous score of 22.9 (141), with many of their chances coming from close to goal.

Being more daring didn’t hurt their defence either as they conceded less than 50 points.

After hitting the go button to come back late to draw against Collingwood the week prior, there’s no doubt that Freo looks to have found another gear.

Sharp kicking skills

Freo were not only daring and quick with their ball use on Sunday, but sharp and skilful as well.

They went at a ridiculous 80% in terms of effective disposals and as a result, took a whopping 142 marks to 96.

They were also able to take 17 marks inside 50 from 69 entries. That’s easier said than done against the likes of Steven May, Adam Tomlinson and Tom McDonald.

If they can keep using the footy like that, they’re going to be incredibly hard to defend.

Overwhelming the Dees

Fremantle absolutely overwhelmed the Demons at stoppages in Sunday’s thrashing.

The final clearance count read 23-48, which is utterly ridiculous given they were up against the likes of Clayton Oliver, Max Gawn, Christian Petracca and Jack Viney.

In fact, the Demons only mustered a shocking 0.3 (3) from stoppage all game.

Conversely, Freo generated plenty of scores from the source as all of Caleb Serong, Hayden Young and Andrew Brayshaw filled up around the footy.

Was it a passing of the baton from one of the competition’s most vaunted midfields to one of the league’s new best groups?

It looked like it on Sunday afternoon.

What they got wrong 

Nothing

It was as close to a perfect game as you’ll find from the Dockers. No negatives to look over.

Lachlan Geleit

What they got right

A deserved win

As Chris Scott noted post-match, the Cats will likely have benefitted more from a game they were forced to go out and win, rather than one that was handed to them.

Down by three goals at half-time, Geelong were far from certainties and looked more likely to lose their fourth game in a row, the third of which at GMHBA Stadium.

But needing to produce a barnstorming comeback, the Cats got their midfield firing while holding firm behind the ball. After falling short in comebacks against Port Adelaide and GWS, the Cats now know what they have to do.

Remarkably, the Cats are still third on the ladder.

Ollie Dempsey the Rising Star?

What better weekend to put forward the best game of your career than when the two leading seeds for this year’s Rising Star get suspended?

Geelong was five goals down in the minutes before half-time, before some Ollie Dempsey brilliance got the home side back within touching distance.

27-disposal, three-goal games are rare enough as it is, even more so when your team most needs it.

And don’t forget, Dempsey was an absolute bolter in the 2021 rookie draft. He’s proving to be another steal for the Cats and is right back in the thick of Rising Star conversations after suspensions to Harley Reid and Sam Darcy.

Bowes the star midfielder

Talking about career best performances, Jack Bowes deserves his flowers.

He’s found his position as a centre bounce midfielder and collected 29 disposals and nine tackles while also booting 1.2.

Bowes impacts forward of the footy and is as dynamic as they come at ground level.

The only question now is how much of that role he retains when Patrick Dangerfield and Cam Guthrie return.

What they got wrong

Another miserable second quarter

The Cats have got big problems in second quarters this year. Chris Scott’s men have lost their last five second terms and had the same issue against Adelaide and Hawthorn in Rounds 2 and 3 respectively.

If not for Ollie Dempsey, the Cats may have been looking at an insurmountable margin at half-time. The week before they blew the contest against GWS, were humbled by the Suns in Round 10 and were smashed by Port Adelaide in Round 9.

There’s now enough evidence to suggest Geelong is extremely vulnerable in the second term, although they come home like a freight train.

Seb Mottram

What they got right

Ben Long is working as a forward

Ben Long has looked outstanding as a small forward across the last fortnight. He kicked four on the weekend after 2.2 and two goal assists against Carlton the week before.

It’s a crafty move from Damien Hardwick who has had success with makeshift small forwards in the past at Richmond.

A goal kicking small forward is something the Suns have lacked in recent years and Long could certainly extend his career if he continues to perform.

Turnover game is cooking

The Suns kicked 73 points from turnover against the Bombers, carrying them to the win as their stoppage game struggled.

They lost the clearances and only kicked 12 points from stoppage, so they needed to make the most of their points from turnover, and they certainly did.

What they got wrong

Should Jed Walter stay in Gold Coast’s side?

Sam Day kicked three goals on Geelong and was dropped for Jed Walter who had been managed for the game.

In the two weeks that have followed, Walter has been goalless, taken three marks and had six disposals.

Given he’s a young key forward, this is to be expected but the Suns are trying to push for their first finals berth ever. Does that take precedent over getting games into Walter?

It’s something for Hardwick to think over.

Nic Negrepontis

BYE

What they got right

Moore goes bananas on the big stage

There will be few better performances than Dylan Moore’s Round 12 effort in 2024.

Sam Mitchell said in the post-game press conference that an ideal Moore game would see him boot three goals from 20 touches, already a big ask.

For the Hawks vice-captain boot five from 27 on the big stage, it doesn’t get much better. Moore also led his side in score involvements and had five inside 50s, even better that it came in a win.

Gunston back in form in game 250

Jack Gunston hadn’t been in the best of form since returning to Hawthorn, but he’ll appreciate the significance of performing on Saturday afternoon.

Playing his 250th game in a big win over the Crows, Gunston contributed with three majors to back up four against Brisbane the week prior.

In front of his 2014 premiership teammates as they celebrated their 10-year reunion, Gunston’s final goal that saw him mobbed by all his teammates was extra special.

Do we say the ‘F’ word?

The Hawks have quickly marched to four wins from their last five, and could even be further up the ladder had they not squandered a match against Port.

Sam Mitchell’s troops are now 5-7 and 12th on the ladder, just two games outside the top eight.

The win over Adelaide cements them as one of the competition’s in-form teams. But it’s worth remembering the Hawks are yet to take a genuine scalp in 2024.

Beat GWS in Tassie and then we’ll start to look at September.

What they got wrong

How does Bruest start as the sub again?

Luke Breust has been the sub in his last four AFL games and again was only given 26 per cent game time.

As his teammates from the 2014 premiership watched on from the stands, Breust – who kicked three goals from 17 touches to down the Swans that day – was made to sit on the bench by Mitchell for most of the day.

It would have been nice to see him come on in the third term because again, Breust had an impact when activated in the final term, finishing with five touches, three marks and a goal.

Seb Mottram

What they got right

Windsor’s rising star chances have improved!

Although it didn’t happen during Melbourne’s game on the weekend, Caleb Windsor’s chances of becoming this year’s Rising Star have increased.

With the suspensions of the two favourites in Harley Reid and Sam Darcy, Windsor would be considered now as one of the more favourable options to take out the award.

Windsor has played every game for the Demons in his rookie year, which not many others from his draft year can boast. He’s also been averaging just under 14 disposals a game this season with his Rising Star nomination coming at the conclusion of Round 8.

It's a sad thought that this is a positive given almost nothing else went right on Sunday.

What they got wrong

Brutally destroyed in the contest

For a team that prides itself on contest, Sunday’s showing was far from what Melbourne would be proud of being associated with.

The Demons were demolished in contested possessions, only accumulating 96 contested possessions and losing the count by 42. This was also the lowest amount of contested possessions recorded by any team since Round 17, 2020 where the games were played with shorter quarter lengths.

This week’s King’s Birthday clash against the Pies (who have been ranked number one in the last five weeks for contested possessions) proposes to be an almighty test for the 2021 premiers and a very big indicator as to where the Demons sit as they head into the backend of this season.

Uncompetitive in the clearance battle

With a midfield that consists of Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney, you’d be surprised to ever see them get beaten in the clearance game, let alone destroyed.

Melbourne produced 25 less clearances than Fremantle on the weekend with 12 of the deficit coming from centre bounce clearances.

Of the 48 clearances that Fremantle collected, the Demons conceded 51 points from them and only managed to score three points from the clearances that they won themselves.

This performance now has the Demons ranked 17th for the average clearances a game, with an injury depleted Richmond as the only side worse than them at this stage of the season.

Zac Sharpe

BYE

What they got right

Backing in Soldo

Making the call to bring Ivan Soldo back in off limited minutes in the SANFL proved the right call.

The big ruckman looked immediately back to his best, winning 31 hit-outs, four clearances, four marks and kicked a goal.

Dante Visentini and Jordon Sweet have been middling in his absence and Soldo is clearly the number one.

What they got wrong

Forward structure

Where is Charlie Dixon at? He and Todd Marshall had zero impact on this game. It’s all well and good for Marshall to boot five goals on North, but when the whips are cracking he disappeared.

They lost Willie Rioli to injury and replaced him with a key forward, with Jeremy Finlayson coming on as the sub.

Mitch Georgiades stepped up, but outside of him they were toothless up forward.

Where did the midfield go?

Port Adelaide was well on top at contest and clearance for three quarters, mainly because Jason Horne-Francis was winning every other clearance.

However, with an even game and everything to play for in the fourth quarter, Carlton’s stars rose up with the club kicking seven goals from stoppage.

Zak Butters was tagged out of the game. He had no impact outside of the initial stoppage.

It’s a last quarter that has summed up the Power in big moments these last few years.

Nic Negrepontis

What they got right

Effort for three quarters

Richmond produced great effort for much of the contest, particularly in the first half.

The Tigers led at the first break and at half-time, before Geelong started to peg back the margin.

Adem Yze was delighted and proud with what his side was able to achieve over the course of the first 60 or so minutes.

Nankervis and Baker led the way

Part of that was due to the fact that Toby Nankervis and Liam Baker played so well.

The captain and co-vice captain put the side on their shoulders and had the Tigers in a strong position.

Nankervis had 51 hit-outs, seven marks and six tackles, while Baker amassed 31 disposals to go with six tackles, five clearances (three centre clearances) and five score involvements.

The premiership pair led the way with youngsters Thomson Dow (15 disposals, eight clearances) and Kane McAuliffe (16 disposals, four clearances) chiming in.

Baker will be a huge loss to the Tigers if he opts to leave at season’s end.

What they got wrong

Fell away in the fourth term

After playing well for the majority of the night the Tigers fell away sharply in the fourth quarter.

They were beaten at clearance in both the third and final terms, losing that stat 14-27 in the second half after edging the Cats 24-18 in the first half.

It was an extremely disappointing way to finish the game after showing so much promise earlier.

Despite being well in the contest at stages, the amount of ball inside 50 the Cats were producing finally broke Richmond’s back.

Gave up goals late in quarters

The Tigers conceded goals inside the final minute and a half of each of the first two quarters.

Mitch Duncan’s first-term goal came at the 30:31 mark while Ollie Dempsey converted on the stroke of half-time at 30:32.

Richmond failed to score after the 25-minute mark of any quarter while Geelong kicked 3.4.(22) in that time in a game that was decided by 30 points.

The injury year from hell

It feels like the Tigers made a deal with the devil during their premiership years which is truly taking shape now.

Their injury run is as bad as it gets after Mykelti Lefau injured his ACL and Marlion Pickett hurt his calf.

The Tigers can’t take a trick on the personnel front, but hopefully some of the cavalry will return in the coming weeks.

On the bright side, at least it’s providing opportunity for the kids.

Andrew Slevison

BYE

What they got right 

Use of Windhager

Ross Lyon’s use of Marcus Windhager on Harley Reid had a big say in the result on Saturday.

Reid burst out of the blocks with 17 disposals and seven clearances in the first half but didn’t impact in the second half with just three disposals as Marcus Windhager undertook a tagging role.

The young gun was the spark on-ball that helped West Coast bridge a 14-point lead at half-time.

Without his influence, the Saints won the second half by 28. It’s a role that Windhager has proven time and time again that he can execute, you wonder if he should do the role more often.

Up against Gold Coast next Saturday, perhaps he could put the clamps on Noah Anderson or Touk Miller.

If St Kilda is going to be a defensive team, they may as well lean into it by trying to stop players both inside 50 and on the ball.

Late finish and sending Wood forward

Mason Wood had a big impact on St Kilda’s win on Sunday.

The wingman helped himself to 22 touches but also floated forward to kick three last-quarter goals, all from close to the goal square.

He finished with four majors for the game and that was thanks to his smart positioning and marking inside 50 which was just too much for the Eagles to handle.

The Saints should really give Wood the license to play as a wing/forward given his attributes, despite most wingmen in modern-day footy preferring to get back in defence.

When you kick four of the team’s 12 goals, it’s something that needs to be thought about.

What they got wrong 

Still not scoring heavily enough

While the Saints got the job done on Sunday, they only scored 12.10 (82), the lowest score of any winning side from Round 12.

Their defensive performance was good enough that they were able to get the points, but this side needs to begin scoring 90+ if they’re to win more games than they lose.

They’ve still only scored 80+ on three occasions this season. Whether it’s quicker ball movement or using the ball with more dare, that number needs to increase a whole lot.

Let’s see if they can do that next Saturday at Marvel against Gold Coast.

Lachlan Geleit

What they got right

Held their own in an arm wrestle

Having a near-guarantee that their squad will give their all when playing at home must be a welcome reprieve for the West Coast faithful.

Saturday saw another respectable effort from the Eagles, battling back and forth with a St Kilda side that was determined to put their disappointing year in the rear-view mirror.

Momentum looked to be on West Coast’s side as they kicked two majors late in the third to enter the final term, but Ross Lyon still had a few tricks left up his sleeve, tipping the contest back to the way of the Saints as they stormed home.

While expectations have risen considerably for the Eagles since their return to competitive football, winnable games like these that fall just out of reach are important reminders that West Coast still has a long way to go.

What they got wrong

No Rising Star for Reid

Harley Reid had all but locked up the 2024 Rising Star with his stellar start to the season, before one careless tackle took it right out of his grasp.

Reid’s sling tackle on Darcy Wilson instantly saw the young Eagle cop a two-match ban (which West Coast is appealing to be downgraded to just one match), ruling him out of Rising Star contention.

It wasn’t the best day at the office for Reid, who’s stellar first half was overshadowed by his struggles with the hard tag applied by Marcus Windhager.

Alongside the sling tackle, Reid also gave away a downfield free kick in the final term that result in the Saints’ sealer, with the young star clearly frustrated by the extra attention.

It was Reid’s first time receiving a hard tag, and with the incredible rate he is rising through the AFL’s ranks, it is something he should get used to.

Jack Makeham

What they got right

Storming home strong

The Bulldogs started from behind the eight ball on Friday night, conceding four of the first five goals as Collingwood mounted an opening flurry.

Yet from that point onward the tables turned entirely, with the Dogs registering 63 of the next 95 inside 50s, completely controlling most aspects of the contest as they chipped away at the Pies’ lead.

However, the scoreboard didn’t truly reflect the Bulldogs’ performance until the final term, in which they booted an unanswered five goals to secure an 18-point win that probably should have been larger.

Clearance dominance

After a concerning spell in the early days of the season, the Bulldogs are back to their rightful place as one of the best clearance teams in the competition.

After Round 12, Luke Beveridge’s squad sits equal-second in the AFL for average clearances per game, having completely dominated that aspect against the Magpies.

Having finished in the top two for clearances for the last three seasons, their slow start on that front in 2024 was clearly something of an aberration, so it’s good to see the Dogs back on top.

What they got wrong

Injuries and MRO troubles

If there’s one thing the Dogs can’t afford, it’s for more players to miss time.

With plenty of big names already on the injury list, the sight of James Harmes and Laitham Vandermeer both exiting the contest with hamstring concerns would not have been well-received back at Whitton Oval.

To add insult to injury, Sam Darcy was handed a two-match suspension for his late hit on Brayden Maynard, while Rhylee West was given one match for a bump on Jeremy Howe.

The Dogs are right on the cusp of a surge up the ladder, however if these injuries and suspensions continue to mount, it may be over before it truly begins.

Jack Makeham