Isaac Smith retired and Esava Ratugolea departed for Port Adelaide, too, whereas there was a real debate on whether or not the children have been ok to make up for the pure decline of the veterans.
Scott, Andrew Mackie, Steve Hocking and Co. should have chuckled as everybody wrote them off once more.
The ultimate recreation tallies from final season don’t look too unhealthy, however Geelong saved having to take care of the absence of first-choice personnel within the first half of the 12 months. Jack Henry, Mitch Duncan, Holmes, Patrick Dangerfield, Jake Kolodjashnij, Guthrie, Jed Bews, Jack Bowes, Sam De Koning, Rhys Stanley, Stengle and Gary Rohan have been all unavailable for a number of matches in that interval, whereas Tom Stewart, Brad Shut, Tuohy and Ollie Henry additionally missed a recreation every.
Guthrie made his long-awaited return in Saturday’s conquer the Blues, which they managed with out Stewart (concussion) however with a largely match listing, significantly counting key gamers, as has been the case in 2024.
Ollie Dempsey, 20, has not missed a recreation, Jhye Clark, 19, has performed six matches, and 21-year-olds Holmes, Bruhn and Ollie Henry are senior regulars.
The Cats have additionally uncovered Toby Conway, Shannon Neale and Mitch Knevitt – all 21 – and Connor O’Sullivan, 18, plus growing Irishman Oisin Mullin and mature-age recruit Shaun Mannagh.
The extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.
Nonetheless struggle within the previous canine
We’re all the time on the lookout for the following batch of superstars.
Marcus Bontempelli and Christian Petracca are nicely established at, or close to, the highest of the pecking order, the likes of Nick Daicos and Zak Butters joined them final season, and it’s Isaac Heeney’s and Tom Inexperienced’s flip in 2024 to place their palms up.
Don’t overlook that unimaginable ball magnet out west, Caleb Serong, both (he had one other 37 disposals in Fremantle’s very important victory over Western Bulldogs on Saturday evening).
Nevertheless, on the identical weekend Hawthorn and Sydney satisfied the legendary – however famously highlight shy – Lance Franklin to attend the MCG conflict between his two previous golf equipment, two of his veteran contemporaries turned again the clock.
Brownlow medallists Patrick Dangerfield and Nat Fyfe have been, alongside Franklin and Richmond’s Dustin Martin, the AFL’s 4 greatest gamers of their prime. They’re nicely into their 30s as of late, now not in a position to be weekly difference-makers, and accidents are popping up extra usually, together with Dangerfield struggling a second hamstring setback this season on Saturday.
However with Carlton destroying the Cats within the clearances, it was “Hazard” who rolled up his sleeves and performed an enormous function in holding the Blues at bay.
The 34-year-old’s numbers in precisely a half of soccer advised a lot of the story earlier than he walked off sombrely: 16 disposals, 11 contested possessions, seven inside-50s, 5 rating involvements, two centre clearances and an extended set-shot purpose.
However it was how explosive, athletic and sprightly that Dangerfield regarded that should excite coach Chris Scott, even with the hamstring going once more. Scott hailed him afterwards as “one of the crucial influential gamers on the bottom”.
As for Fyfe, he amassed an equal-game-high 37 disposals – an unimaginable 15 by quarter-time – 18 contested possessions, 10 rating involvements, seven clearances and 7 inside-50s as he continues to thrive in his return to the midfield.
The champion Docker, fit-again after a collection of accidents, did a lot of his harm with inventive handball and sometimes had a number of touches in the identical passage from his famed excessive work-rate.
“I feel we’ve seen snippets of [what Fyfe is still capable of] and quarters of it, however we most likely haven’t seen a sustained recreation like that from him since he received again,” coach Justin Longmuir mentioned. “However his physique of labor since day certainly one of pre-season has been phenomenal.”
No fall on this Waterman
Jake Waterman nearly walked out of West Coast in September final 12 months.
Dissatisfied with the Eagles’ newest contract supply after months of negotiations, Waterman – son of twin West Coast premiership defender Chris – was prepared to begin exploring his choices at different golf equipment, together with in Victoria.
There was, in fact, additionally the questioning of how West Coast dealt with Waterman’s severe and sudden medical situation, which was identified final 12 months as ulcerative colitis, a power inflammatory bowel illness.
Simply because it appeared a brand new key ahead was available on the market, the Eagles returned with a greater monetary supply – nonetheless at a fairly modest degree – and tacked on a games-based set off for 2026, however he tasks as a free agent on the finish of subsequent season.
Considerably misplaced in “Harley fever” is Waterman’s emergence as West Coast’s greatest key ahead, after being picked as solely an emergency in spherical one.
The 25-year-old has usually performed third fiddle, at greatest, to the likes of Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and extra just lately Oscar Allen, which explains why he by no means kicked greater than 18 objectives in a season prior to now.
Kennedy has his ft up in retirement, Darling is a quickly fading power, and Allen has not performed since spherical one due to a knee harm, which has unleashed Waterman because the Eagles’ No.1 goal inside 50.
Waterman has kicked a number of objectives in 5 of his seven matches this 12 months, together with a mixed 11 throughout West Coast’s back-to-back upset wins over Richmond and Fremantle, then 4 extra in opposition to Gold Coast on Sunday.
He’s as much as 100 for his profession and a personal-best 21 for the season, good for third-most within the competitors. Key forward-needy golf equipment will certainly be monitoring the state of affairs.
Contrasting nights for promising talls
There are few extra thrilling key-position abilities within the recreation than Bulldog Sam Darcy and Big Aaron Cadman, who promise to become stars within the years to come back.
Cadman was the No.1 choose within the 2022 draft, whereas the Canine matched Larger Western Sydney’s bid on Darcy at No.2 the 12 months earlier than that.
Luke Beveridge has tread fastidiously with Darcy after accidents and rising pains throughout his first two seasons, however he’s rising in menacing style since breaking again into the senior aspect.
Together with his father Luke commentating, Darcy snatched two contested marks and booted three objectives – a snap on the run and two units photographs – to assist the Bulldogs cowl for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in a aggressive loss to Fremantle.
It was the second time the athletic 208-centimetre large has kicked three majors this season, on high of two in opposition to Gold Coast in his senior return in spherical three, whereas spelling Tim English within the ruck.
Beveridge has thus far resisted switching Aaron Naughton into defence regardless of having Darcy, Ugle-Hagan and Rory Lobb, who was dropped to the VFL for a month after spherical two till Ugle-Hagan’s absence for private causes.
As for Cadman, he’s having fun with a breakout second season as Jesse Hogan’s sidekick, kicking 10 objectives in his first six video games, however he struggled mightily on Thursday evening with star Lion Harris Andrews patrolling the realm.
The 20-year-old completed with 5 disposals and one purpose, whereas failing to take a mark inside 50 for the primary time this season as Andrews snaffled three of his 4 intercept marks against a annoyed Cadman.
It’s all a part of the key-forward apprenticeship.