Footy’s best analyst has unveiled a new ladder encompassing the most important factor in the game, and it shows a surprising No.1 team in the league.

Plus the sneaky Lions red flag, the key to Essendon’s chances on Saturday night, an unlikely best player in the AFL and much more.

Every club’s burning question ahead of Gather Round, as well as the commentators for every game on Fox Footy, in our ultimate weekly preview: The Blowtorch!

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How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall, David King, Leigh Montagna & Jon Ralph, with commentary from Mark Howard, Matt Hill, Jack Riewoldt, David King, Mark Ricciuto & Eddie Betts.

Crows’ burning question: Do the Crows need to strike while the footy is hot?

They’re finding great offensive success with a three-tall line-up with Riley Thilthorpe particularly impressive, more than ably assisted by Tex Walker and Darcy Fogarty. It’s a combination no team has really been able to stop this year; they combined for 12 goals against Gold Coast, with a low of seven against Essendon (when every other Crow was kicking goals instead). That’s helped by their ball movement, which is second best in the AFL, but coach Matthew Nicks flagged on AFL 360 things may not work as well once winter hits. “Especially early in the season when the weather conditions suit, they suit a little bit more ball movement, a little bit more polish coming through,” he explained. “It’s an area we pride ourselves in is our offence, we dropped off in that last year but this year we’ve started well, we spoke about our group being dialled in in that space and we give our forwards the best chance. But it is interesting as the year plays out, you see a small change it gets a little wetter and colder, you get a bit more challenged as far as moving the ball.”

Cats’ burning question: Can they limit Jordan Dawson’s influence?

It’s no secret that the Crows are one of, if not the hottest team in football right now. Their forward line is absolutely firing, with Riley Thilthorpe (14 goals), Darcy Fogarty (12) and Taylor Walker (10) all cashing in in the front half. But take a look at what’s happening in the midfield and you’ll find one of the Crows’ secrets to success. Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has put together a superb opening month of the season, ranking 13th in the competition for disposals, while also featuring in the top 20 for tackles, inside 50’s, uncontested possessions, centre clearances and goal assists. It’s that consistency at an ultra-high level that has been a key contributor in Adelaide’s front half firing and a 3-1 start to 2025. So will Chris Scott send a tag his way? The Cats have a few options, namely Mark O’Connor and Oisin Mullin, while Tom Atkins could also play a negating role at stoppages. Curbing Dawson’s influence could go a long way into deciding this blockbuster.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Garry Lyon, Jonathan Brown, Nathan Buckley, Jordan Lewis & Jon Ralph, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Garry Lyon, Ruby Schleicher & Brad Johnson.

Magpies’ burning question: Does their ruckman hold all the cards?

Collingwood has earned praise for its ball movement, but ruckman Darcy Cameron’s crucial role behind play is a massive reason why the Pies don’t fall down once the footy goes back the other way. Cameron tends to hang back in the defensive half when the Pies are attacking, so that if the chain comes unstuck, they’re not left completely vulnerable in defensive transition. “He’s had a sensational year, and he deserves some recognition, because it goes under the radar how good of a ruckman he has been,” dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy’s First Crack. I just wanted to highlight; this is method, the way Collingwood want to play. When they take off from half-back — we’ve spoken a lot about their handball game — there’s a reason why their half-backs can go with confidence; because they know their ruckman plays a bit old school. He stays a kick behind play to give them a little security blanket. So, if Collingwood do charge (forward) and do turn the ball over ... they know they’ve got their big man to cover their bacon if they do get beat, and this has happened for about 18 months now.” Cameron took five intercept marks against Carlton last Thursday night, and since 2024, he has taken almost 20 more intercept marks than the next-best ruckman, Max Gawn, illustrating the way the Pies have utilised this tactic.

Swans’ burning question: Was the bye exactly what Brodie Grundy needed?

The Swans were just going OK through three rounds, but produced easily their best performance of the season against North Melbourne last week. Ruckman Brodie Grundy played a key role in that against the in-form Tristan Xerri, with 20 disposals, six clearances and seven score involvements. “Sydney looked like a different side by having the week off, and the one player that I thought benefitted the most was Brodie Grundy,” Leigh Montagna said on First Crack. “Because there’s no doubt if Sydney want to go far this year, he has to have a big season. He’s still a barometer for them and I thought he moved really well - it was his second-highest rated game since about midway through last year, because he had a wonderful start to that season but he’s been off since then. And there’s no doubt he was short of a gallop to start this year but I loved the way he moved ... he was covering the ground (well). When he’s getting the ball and giving his midfielders first use, they look like a different side.

How to watch on Fox Footy: Super Saturday starts from 12pm on Channel 504 before match coverage on Channel 503 at 12:30pm, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jack Riewoldt, David King & Jay Clark, with commentary from Leigh Montagna, Dermott Brereton, Matthew Pavlich, Brad Johnson & Eddie Betts.

Kangaroos’ burning question: Were Alastair Clarkson’s tactics the problem against the Swans?

Many felt North Melbourne took a major step backwards in their 65-point loss to Sydney, looking much less competitive than they did in their opening three games. But questions have been asked over the way their coach prepared them for the game. The Kangaroos tried to control the ball, ending up +56 for uncontested marks on the night, but it didn’t work given they were -19 for inside 50s. Clarkson specifically said on Fox Footy at halftime about wanting his players to have more composure and take more time. But On the Couch’s Jonathan Brown argued: “Sydney were magnificent, take nothing away from them ... but the only time North Melbourne looked likely was when they tried to challenge that really good defensive setup by hand. Those were the few times they actually looked dangerous ... I thought they were making mistakes when they were going really slow.” His co-host Nathan Buckley argued it may have just been a one-off, saying: “Good defence can do that to you, because two weeks ago against Melbourne, they looked untouchable with their ball use.” Roos fans will be hoping Buckley is right and their side can bounce back to competitiveness against the Suns.

Suns’ burning question: Does this new ladder expose how good they really are?

On Wednesday night’s edition of First Crack Preview, David King unveiled the ball movement ladder - which measures how well you move the ball and how well you stop the opponent moving it. It’s becoming a bigger and bigger part of footy as the era of stoppage dominance leading to territory control and forward pressure goes out of fashion; and the Suns are No.1 in the AFL. They’re the best movers of the ball and seventh at defending it, giving them an overall scoring rate that’s 6.9% better than the AFL average. That may not sound like much but only five teams are above 3% - you can see the full ladder and check out David King’s explanation. To put it simply, it’s a massive tick for Damien Hardwick’s side, who are currently the best in the AFL in this critical area. Sure, it’s only a four-game sample size for now, but it’s pretty clear the Suns are legit.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 1pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jack Riewoldt, David King & Jay Clark, with commentary from Dwayne Russell, Nathan Buckley, Tom Hawkins & Ruby Schleicher.

Blues’ burning question: Can they finally get on the board for 2025?

The Blues just have to win this one, right? It has been a tough start to the year for the Carlton faithful, their side dwelling at 0-4 and on the brink of disaster. But surely they can turn it around. Carlton come up against a battling Eagles outfit that have also failed to win a game this campaign and are dealing with issues both on and off the field. Carlton’s record against West Coast in recent times is encouraging. In their last four encounters, the Blues have won them all by 10+ goals. Harry McKay is likely to return and Charlie Curnow will be hoping that a softer matchup can be the catalyst for his own season. In his past three outings against the Eagles, Curnow has booted a combined total of 24 goals. It’s got a bit of a ‘fill your boots’ feel about this one.

Eagles’ burning question: Can the Eagles respond after shock axing?

Star midfielder Tim Kelly will reportedly play in the WAFL on Friday night, as new coach Andrew McQualter makes a statement to his struggling side that no one is safe from the selection axe. Kelly has been out of form to start the 2025 season and with the club winless through its first four games, McQualter is trying to shake things up. It’s not the first time a coach has dropped a gun player for a big game and ex-Saint Leigh Montagna thinks McQualter, a former teammate at Moorabbin, might have taken this from the Ross Lyon playbook. “I think so. McQualter was at St Kilda in 2008 when Ross Lyon made the famous decision to drop Stephen Milne and Nick Dal Santo - who were All-Australian calibre players - because they weren’t living up to the teams standards,” Montagna said on Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview. “It put a shudder through the whole playing group… maybe he’s taken a leaf out of that and he’s just put the whole team on notice. Doesn’t matter how talented you are, how good you are, if you’re not living by our standards you won’t play.” So is this the change that can see the Eagles rediscover their best form? Only time will tell, but there’s a couple of others who can probably consider themselves “lucky” if they avoid the axe too. There’s no other way of looking at it, they need a big response.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jack Riewoldt, David King & Jay Clark, with commentary from Mark Howard, Jason Dunstall, Alastair Lynch & Ben Dixon.

Bulldogs’ burning question: Have they already done enough without Bont?

The Western Bulldogs have had one of the competition’s most lengthy injury lists to start the 2025 season, but there’s been plenty to like from Luke Beveridge’s side early doors. As it stands, the Bulldogs sit 10th on the AFL ladder with a win-loss record of 2-2. It’s certainly nothing to write home about, but when you think of what’s to come back, it definitely piques the interest. Taylor Duryea, Jason Johannisen and Laitham Vandermeer are all tests for the clash against Brisbane, but it’s the impending return of captain Marcus Bontempelli that’s most exciting. Bontempelli is just a week or two away from a return from a calf injury suffered late in pre-season and would provide an almighty boost for this Doggies side. Anthony Scott isn’t far away and star midfielder Adam Treloar, who had a career-best year in 2024, is now only 3-5 weeks away from making a comeback from his own calf injury. After their Gather Round clash against the Lions, the Dogs face St Kilda, GWS and Port Adelaide in their next three, all tough, but winnable games, especially if they get the Bont back.

Lions’ burning question: Should they be worried about leaking red-time goals?

You would expect the reigning premiers, who are pretty experienced, not to commit mental lapses late in quarters. But they’re 15th for points conceded past the 20-minute mark of quarters this year - as in, fourth-worst - only ahead of West Coast, Richmond and Essendon, all of whom aren’t exactly going gangbusters. Coaches absolutely hate red-time goals so Chris Fagan will likely be well aware of this problem. Broadly speaking the Lions are going really well defensively, including being second-best at stopping ball movement in the ladder explained in the Suns section, so this is picking holes in a pretty comfy blanket. But they’d want to try and get a handle on this before more teams exploit it.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7.15pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jack Riewoldt, David King & Jay Clark, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Garry Lyon, Jonathan Brown & Nick Dal Santo.

Demons’ burning question: Can anyone at this club kick?

We’ll give you five chances to guess the identity of the only Melbourne player inside the AFL’s 100 highest-rated field kicks. Ready? Don’t cheat... it’s Harrison Petty. That’s probably not ideal when he has had a grand total of 11 kicks over the last three rounds, after 12 in the season opener (which to be fair was the one game Melbourne looked good in!). And also he ranks 96th overall so he’s not exactly single-handedly crushing the competition either. Their next-best is Jake Bowey at 131st, followed by Christian Salem at 137th and Jack Viney at 149th. It’s pretty simple - can’t kick, can’t win games of footy. Get practicing boys.

Bombers’ burning question: Can they keep the Demons below 85 points?

We know how Essendon’s problem is defence, and we can put a clear number on how good they need to be to down the Demons on Saturday night. Since the start of 2021, the Demons are 45-3 when they score more than 85 points. Problematically the Bombers have given up 85-plus points 52 times in the last five years, but they’re 34-9 when they keep opponents under that mark. “That’s the number. If they keep Melbourne under 85 points, Essendon will kick a big enough score to win. If they cannot slow them down, if they can’t get their defence right, they could lose a game that I think they’d be disappointed to lose,” Leigh Montagna said on First Crack Preview.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Corbin Middlemas, Kelli Underwood, Dermott Brereton, Matthew Pavlich & Nick Dal Santo.

Tigers’ burning question: Should Noah Balta be allowed to play?

Balta’s sentencing hearing is set for April 22, and while he is highly unlikely to cop jail time after pleading guilty to assault, does it send the right message that Balta is free to play at AFL level between now and that court date? On the other hand, his four-match club-imposed suspension — which the AFL has thus far elected not to overrule — is now over. So, unless the league steps in at this late point and does a U-turn, Balta probably plays. If he does, he’ll add significantly to the Tigers’ defensive stocks, which have sorely missed the 25-year-old stopper. But if for whatever reason he doesn’t play, he’d more than likely suit up for Richmond’s VFL side when it takes on the U18 AFL Academy at RSEA Park on Sunday.

Dockers’ burning question: Do they rush Sean Darcy back into the seniors?

The one big sour note from the Dockers’ promising win over the Western Bulldogs was Luke Jackson going down with a hamstring injury. It’s a low-grade strain, thankfully, but it means the athletic hybrid will miss at least this weekend against Richmond. So, does Sean Darcy — coming off a frustrating injury of his own — come back into the side? He posted 12 disposals and 19 hitouts with Peel at the weekend, but the conversation will be around whether or not he gets another week or two in the WAFL before being recalled in Justin Longmuir’ side. “I think, ideally, they would’ve liked to have given Darcy another week playing in the WAFL. Now, whether that is fast-tracked ... I don’t know whether they want to do that, they’ve still got Liam Reidy,” Montagna said on First Crack. King said: “They’d be mad to rush Darcy back. They’ev taken a patient approach to this point, they can’t have the Jackson injury impact (Darcy’s) long run at a finals campaign.” It comes at a time when the Dockers look to finally be firing on all cylinders, having started to really ignite their end-to-end ball movement. Last Sunday’s first half against the Bulldogs was Freo’s third-highest scoring in 10 years. “They were dominant, they looked terrific ... I think they’re about to get on a run,” King said. The Dockers should roll the Tigers at Barossa Park regardless, but it will be a point of contention leading into Thursday night’s selection.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 3pm on Channel 504 with commentary from Dwayne Russell, Matt Hill, Alastair Lynch, Mark Ricciuto & Sarah Jones.

Saints’ burning question: Do they have the best player in the comp right now?

According to one of footy’s most respected awards, the answer is yes. Jack Sinclair leads the AFL coaches’ votes, aka the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award, with five votes from the win over Port Adelaide bringing him to 22 from his four games this year. He’s just ahead of Fremantle’s Caleb Serong (21) with Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson (20) behind, then the Bulldogs’ Tom Liberatore and Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage (both 19). Remarkably this is the first time a Saints player has led the award outright since Round 2, 2014 when Nick Riewoldt was out in front thanks to two awesome games (23 disposals and three goals in Round 1, 24 and five in Round 2).

Giants’ burning question: Will Sunday’s game be determined by whose star halfbacks fire?

The aforementioned Sinclair is No.1 among defenders in the AFL Player Ratings, but both clubs have a pair of players in the top 10. Sinclair’s young teammate Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is No.9, while the Giants have Lachie Ash at No.3 overall with Lachie Whitfield at No.10. The two Lachies are critical to the orange team’s ball movement and counter-attacking abilities; they are No.2 and No.4 among all defenders for score involvements respectively. However Sinclair and Wanganeen-Milera are No.1 and No.3, so it’s safe to say whichever pair has the better day - and hits the scoreboard - will have a massive impact on the result.

How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jonathan Brown, Shaun Burgoyne, Jordan Lewis & Jon Ralph with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jonathan Brown, Jordan Lewis & Shaun Burgoyne.

Power’s burning question: Is JHF back?

Jason Horne-Francis made a stellar return to his best form last Sunday against St Kilda, notching 28 disposals, three goals, six clearances and six score involvements. The Saints opted to tag Connor Rozee instead of Horne-Francis and it almost cost them, with the Power ultimately slumping to a disappointing home loss — but it wasn’t because of their star hybrid, who went forward and imposed serious damage. “He is a match-winner, and today he proved it,” Montagna said. “This guy was enormous. I mean, he’s got that in him, and it’s frustrating for people that he doesn’t do it week in, week out, but his work from clearance, then he went forward ... I thought his game was brilliant.” The question is whether Horne-Francis, who has a tendency to allow himself to become frustrated by his opponents, can make this a more consistent occurrence.

Hawks’ burning question: How spiteful will they be after the events of last year?

It’s the big storyline of Gather Round. The Hawks haven’t forgotten about Ken Hinkley’s antics at the end of last September’s thrilling semi-final, and cheeky forward Jack Ginnivan will have the ‘aeroplane’ celebration up his sleeve if he kicks a goal on Sunday. Hinkley told media on Wednesday: “I had no need to speak to them, and I’m sure they didn’t really want to speak to me. I said what I said at the end of last year’s game, emotions boiled over. I was disappointed in that in myself, I’ve said that.” But you get the sense that no matter how remorseful Hinkley’s been, it won’t stop the Hawks from using the events of last year as ammunition on Sunday night — and you’d also think they get over the line relatively convincingly, even without centre-forward star Will Day. Fox Footy’s Will Schofield, who used to play with and under Sam Mitchell at West Coast, believes his former peer ‘holds grudges’ and would be shocked if the Hawks didn’t go into Adelaide Oval with chips on their shoulders. “I think Sam Mitchell holds grudges,” Schofield told AFL Tonight on Wednesday.