After a rough start to their 2025 season, two September hopefuls flourished with perfect performances — with the reigning premiers not far behind either.

But the glass is nowhere near as full for two teams who were at the pointy end of last year’s finals series, who not for the first time this year, capitulated.

Every team’s performance analysed and graded in foxfooty.com.au’s Round 11 edition of Report Card!

FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

They probably didn’t bring their best football during the first half on Sunday afternoon against the Eagles, but an 11-goal showing across the third and fourth quarter was potent. Several usual suspects had big games, but it was the likes of normal role players Sam Berry, Mark Keane and Reilly O’Brien that would have given fans comfort that this side can hold their own in September; albeit against a lesser opponent. And with that, expectations are starting to shift on their ceiling, said Fox Footy’s Ben Dixon post-game. “In terms of what Adelaide have produced this year, it’s a pretty collective and impressive outfit. Top four would be the minimum for this group (with) what they’re producing so far this season,” he said during the final quarter.

Take your pick, umpires! Maximum votes could go to anyone here, but officials may have just seen more of Jordan Dawson (27 disposals — 17 contested, 11 inside 50s, nine tackles, eight clearances, two goals) to give him first dibs. Not far behind him though, if not on par, was Josh Rachele (16 disposals, six tackles — five inside 50, five goals) who lit up the match after quarter time. Ruck Reilly O’Brien (18 disposals, 45 hitouts, 12 score involvements, one goal) smashed his rival counterpart, and Riley Thilthorpe (17 disposals, 10 score involvements, two goals, two goal assists) was best on ground in the first half. And a smoky for one vote would be Sam Berry (26 disposals, nine tackles, one goal, one goal assist), who had a career-high amount of the Sherrin in his first full AFL game of this season.

There wasn’t much that will leave coach Matthew Nicks upset from their Round 11 thumping, but their forwards did miss a fair few shots on goal that should normally be converted. Their pressure, particularly in the second and third quarter, was through the roof — an attribute that is indicative regardless of the opponent you’re up against.

After a disappointing fortnight of football, Chris Fagan’s side are back on the winners list, and in doing so, broke their 21-year drought over Hawthorn at the MCG. Their contested possession and clearance profile was back in full flight, as were their small forward brigade who put on a clinic during a second-term blitz. A five-day break will be tough to recover from after a top four clash, but the Lions looked much closer to their best than their worst on Saturday evening.

Arguably best on ground was premiership hero Callum Ah Chee (20 disposals, 10 marks, four goals), who was superb all game in the attacking half. Through the middle of the ground, dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale (32 disposals — 13 contested, five clearances, one goal assist) was back to his damaging best, while Dayne Zorko (33 disposals, nine marks, seven rebound 50s, 996 metres gained) sent the ball forward all evening. Charlie Cameron (14 disposals, three goals) was also electric in the second quarter, kicking three goals in just 70 seconds!

The Hawks were happy to play a handball game, but Fagan and co were able to negate it beautifully. Their pressure was exceptional throughout the contest, and was on full display with their +23 differential in the tackle count — despite having the ball in their hands just as much as their opponents. A much-needed win for the reigning premiers, and they did it without really being tested after quarter time.

Another opportunity goes begging for Michael Voss’ side, and you can’t help but feel that this is one of those losses that could come back to haunt them come the end of August. Statistically, they were able to beat the Giants in all the key areas — contested ball, inside 50s and clearance — but it evidently wasn’t enough. They had too many players who played well, but not well enough to rip the game out of the hands of GWS when the game was in the balance.

In his recall back to the senior side, veteran Sam Docherty (30 disposals — eight intercepts, 492 metres gained, one goal, one goal assist) was close to his best as he gathered plenty of ball all around the ground. Dual Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow (12 disposals, six shots on goal, three goals) provided a strong target up forward, but would have liked to be more involved in the scoring chains of teammates. Adam Cerra (23 disposals, eight score involvements, one goal, one goal assist) was solid again.

Room and air space proved itself a massive issue for the Blues’ defence, as they conceded 14 marks inside 50 in a stat that has proven itself costly against the Giants. What was almost equally as frustrating though, was their ability to complete the basics so well without a greater reward. There will be a lot of reflection amid the mid-season bye for the Blues, who are now well up against it for a 2025 finals birth.

It took the Pies three quarters to break North. But when they did, we saw Collingwood hit top speed with a relatively inexperienced group - at least by its own standards - after Bobby Hill and Scott Pendlebury were late withdrawals and Brayden Maynard hurt his foot in the early parts of the game to add to a lengthy list of casualties. And really, had Craig McRae’s side kicked straighter including 3.8 conversion in the third term, this would’ve been a bigger blowout by the ladder leaders, who stacked on eight goals to one in the final stanza.

Ned Long (29 disposals, 14 tackles and 15 score involvements) and Nick Daicos (38 disposals, 736 metres gained, 12 score involvements) were enormous in turning the game in the midfield. In fact, Daicos recorded 28 of his 38 disposals in the second half alone – including 17 in the fourth quarter alone. Meanwhile Jamie Elliott booted five goals to continue his career-best season.

The Pies actually trailed North by nine points at half-time in this one after not playing with their usual spark and energy, so it was far from a four-quarter performance, while inaccurate kicking in front of goal (15.18) also let them down. Craig McRae’s men also lost contested possessions (-27) and clearances (-7).

The Bombers managed to snag four more points in true Essendon fashion, but their bigger concerns may now lie with a gruesome injury list. Kyle Langford (quad) and Zach Reid (hamstring) have both had strains in their respective muscles revealed, and leaves their tall stocks in dire straits. They dominated at stoppage with Richmond skipper Toby Nankervis out of the side, registering 22 more clearances, and it also won the territory battle; generating seven more inside-50s. A massive test looms against a back-in-form Brisbane at the Gabba; a venue they’ve only won at once in their last eight visits. But between now and then, it’s a massive watch on their moves at Wednesday night’s mid-season draft.

Utility Nic Martin (35 disposals, nine marks, eight tackles, eight inside 50s, two goals) rightly took out the Yiooken Trophy for best on ground, while debutant Angus Clarke (16 disposals, eight marks, six inside 50s, three goals) shone on debuts with all his majors coming with the game on the line in the first half. Skipper Zach Merrett (37 disposals, seven tackles) had the most disposals of anyone on Friday night, but that was helped by a very friendly role playing alone in defensive 50 during the final quarter.

Statistically, the Bombers dominated the Tigers in every mainstream stat line you can name. The only thing they ‘lost’ at was with nine more turnovers, but that’s bound to happen when you have exactly 100 more disposals than your opposition. The did also struggle to find the connecting piece going inside 50, with the Tigers taking seven intercept marks from Essendon forward forays in the first quarter alone — making the most of an extra behind the ball in the early going. Their tackling inside forward 50 however was excellent, but if we’re keeping it brutally honest, they had to perform this way against such a young Tigers outfit... and probably should have won by a bit more!

The Dockers have shaken their wet weather woes and recorded a big win over a failing Port Adelaide. Justin Longmuir’s men may have entered the round ranked worst in the AFL for marks inside 50 since Rd 7 - but that didn’t matter in the heavy rain as Freo managed eight goals between smalls Murphy Reid, Sam Switkowski and Isaiah Dudley. A +5 clearance count helped the Dockers get on the front foot - and they scored 41 points from stoppage. The home side extended their lead at every change in a promising four-quarter display.

The Freo backline deserves plenty of credit as they repelled Port’s attack time and time again. The Dockers lost the inside 50 count, but refused to wilt on the scoreboard. Caleb Serong was a beast at the contest as he racked up a game-high 12 clearances from his 29 touches. Luke Jackson continued to push his case for solo ruck duties as he dominated the Power - finishing with 21 disposals, eight clearances, 38 hitouts and a brilliant drop punt goal from the pocket.

Freo’s tall forward line continues to be a work in progress - but it’s worth remembering it was a wet weather game from the opening whistle. Jye Amiss and Pat Voss managed just one goal each — and both came in the final quarter with the match effectively already over. Fellow forward Josh Treacy didn’t trouble scorers.

The Cats took on the in-form team of the competition in the Western Bulldogs and came away with the four points on Thursday night. But they were pushed to the final whistle, and finished -5 for inside 50s, less efficient than the Dogs once they went inside and -9 for clearances (including -9 from centre). But the Cats had just 49 turnovers — 11 less than their season average as they went with pinpoint precision - and it resulted in a whopping 15 marks inside 50 (five more than the Dogs could manage). A high-intensity, highly skilled match that is well worth a rewatch.

Jeremy Cameron (six goals, 14 disposals) was unstoppable — even without his partner in crime Patrick Dangerfield in attack. Cameron had an epic 10-minute burst where he nailed three goals to really start to build his side’s buffer. Fellow forward Shannon Neale (five goals, 16 disposals) then stepped in the final term when the match was on the line to kick two goals in five minutes and end the Dogs’ charge. Tom Atkins (12 tackles and a goal), Bailey Smith (33 disposals, six clearances, 810 metres gained) and Max Holmes (33 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) were all influential for the home side.

Utility Mark Blicavs had a quiet game as he managed just 11 touches and only 72m gained. Six Cats went at less than 58 per cent disposal efficiency — including Bailey Smith and ruckman Rhys Stanley. A third quarter fade out won’t please coach Chris Scott as the Cats coughed up seven goals, when the Dogs had only scored six in the first half.

The Suns are edging closer to a maiden AFL finals appearance off the back of their eighth win of the season. Still with a game in hand, the Suns now sit just half a win behind second placed rivals Brisbane in promising signs for Damien Hardwick’s men. At what has traditionally been an unhappy hunting ground for Hardwick-coached teams, the Suns overcame another hoodoo with just a second win in 11 matches against the Saints. A total 16 marks inside 50 showed the dominance against an undermanned Saints defence – even though star Ben King didn’t mark the ball until the final term.

Ben Long’s brilliant 2025 season has rolled on with the former Saint nailing three first half goals. Matt Rowell’s physical presence was on display as he finished with a game-high 15 tackles for the match, to go with his 24 disposals and four clearances. His midfield partner in crime Noah Anderson led the way in that clearance count with 11 plus almost 720m gained from his 36 touches. Joel Jeffrey floated forward to kick his second goal of the year to add to his 27 disposals, nine marks and 703m gained. Add in another dominant display from big man Jarrod Witts (48 hitouts and six clearances) and it was a good day all-round for the Suns.

The Suns weren’t able to find another gear when the match turned in the third term. If not for St Kilda’s woeful accuracy in front of goal, the visitors could have found themselves staring down a three quarter time deficit – and then really been challenged at a venue they aren’t comfortable at. Instead, the Saints kicked 1.6 to Gold Coast’s 0.2 and the Suns were able to reset at the final change.

Adam Kingsley’s side were able to defy recent history on Saturday afternoon, knocking off the Blues at Marvel Stadium at a ground they had lost five of their last six matches at. Three five-goal quarters made it very difficult for the hosts to keep up with them, with very efficiency ball use going inside forward 50 going a long way to securing four points. An upcoming fortnight of home games against Richmond and Port Adelaide give the Giants a great chance to entrench themselves back into the top eight.

Fittingly, skipper Toby Greene (28 disposals — 11 contested, 13 score involvements, six clearances, three goals) was absolutely clinical in AFL game 250, and is almost certain to collect three Brownlow votes for his efforts. Reigning Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan (11 disposals, eight score involvements, four goals) was ultra-effective inside 50, while Sam Taylor (14 disposals — eight intercepts, four intercept marks) was a rock in defence.

On paper, GWS were actually beaten in most key stat lines, but they will take confidence from the fact they could still take away four premiership points from it all. Their biggest concern came in the contest, registering 38 less contested possessions than the Blues. They were marginally beaten at clearance (-4), and conceded 11 more inside 50s. The key to their success looked to lie in their ability to mark the ball inside 50, winning that battle 14-8. When the Giants take 14 or more marks inside 50, they have a win-loss record of 13-1! It was a big win in the scheme of their season, but there’s still plenty to improve on.

In the words of coach Sam Mitchell post-game, Saturday evening’s loss to the reigning premiers at home was “enormously frustrating”. A lack of consistent pressure throughout the match undoubtedly played its part in hurting their chances of four points, as did their conceding of seven goals in the second quarter. “We didn’t have enough answers for the game that they brought,” Mitchell also noted after the loss. Back-to-back defeats into their blockbuster date on Friday night with Collingwood makes for a very interesting storyline this week, but the Hawks shouldn’t be too disheartened, given both losses came against Gold Coast and a very good Brisbane outfit.

There were just three standout performers for the Hawks, with Connor Macdonald (20 disposals, 10 marks, three goals) arguably their best; with all his majors coming before half time. Outside of him, it was the run and dash of Josh Weddle (23 disposals — seven intercepts, seven hitouts, one goal) and Karl Amon (29 disposals, 11 rebound 50s, seven marks, 768 metres gained) that caught the eye most.

The most eye-opening statistic to come from the clash was a whopping nine Hawks players failing to register a tackle. It spoke to their inability to hassle the Lions with pressure, and there’s no doubt Mitchell will be filthy his side recorded 23 less tackles than their opposition. Additionally, the brown and gold were smoked at clearance and beaten comfortably in contested possession; two things that are very much a staple of their game when playing well. They’ve now slipped down to sixth on the ladder, and while it’s by no means alarm bells, they will be ruing their last fortnight on the park.

Kysaiah Pickett’s five-goal masterclass led the Demons to a huge win over Sydney at the MCG as the club continued its remarkable turnaround. This is a side that started the season 0-5 as intense pressure came on Simon Goodwin, yet now finds itself only a game and percentage outside the top eight. Sunday’s performance was as good as Melbourne has played in recent memory, dominating in the middle of the ground, applying great heat and putting up its biggest score in two seasons as the club celebrated Christian Petracca’s 200th game in style.

Pickett finished with five goals, 24 disposals (11 contested), 13 score involvements, six clearances, four tackles and a team-high 536 metres gained, impacting both in the centre and up forward. The star livewire could’ve finished with an even bigger bag of goals too if not for inaccurate 5.4 kicking. Elsewhere, Max Gawn (21 disposals, 17 contested possessions, nine tackles, 35 hitouts) had a day out against ex-teammate Brodie Grundy and Christian Salem (31 disposals, one goal), Clayton Oliver (31 disposals, one goal, 12 tackles) and Christian Petracca (28 touches, one goal) all fired through the midfield.

In an otherwise complete performance, the only thing the Dees didn’t do was finish their work in front of goal — finishing with 19.17. It really should’ve been an even bigger result and percentage booster for Goodwin’s side.

Roos fans would just want to see their team be competitive every week, and they got that for a half against premiership favourite Collingwood. North went in with a clear plan to control and retain the footy with a high possession, uncontested marking game in the first half. But when the Pies turned up the dial in the second half and started to attack more, Alastair Clarkson’s side was left with no answers as it faded badly in the end.

Tristan Xerri (17 hit-outs, one goal, 17 disposals, 18 contested possessions, 31 hitouts) was the highest-rated player on the ground to half-time in an exciting ruck duel with Darcy Cameron where the big Roo probably got the points. Tom Powell (28 touches, one goal) battled hard all day in the midfield and Riley Harderman (28 disposals, 10 marks) continued his emergence in arguably the second-year defender’s best game yet.

When plan A stops working, what do plans B and C look like? That’s the big question on North out of the weekend given it showed it could compete with — and outplay — the benchmark team of the competition for two quarters. As promising as it was — and might’ve been a style specifically to try and beat Collingwood — that high-possession brand has also become dated as the main mode of the best sides. So you’d have to query if that’s the identity this Roos side wants to have moving forward.

Ken Hinkley and the Power have problems early in 2025. Saturday night’s 49-point loss to Freo is the side’s third big defeat in just four weeks - and now they sit in the AFL’s bottom four with the likes of West Coast, North Melbourne and Richmond. But worryingly for the Power, they finished in near equal stats to the Dockers - only they racked up a whopping 74 turnovers and their efficiency inside 50 cost them dearly at just 35%. Port Adelaide were outscored in every quarter and just never looked in the contest after half time.

Zak Butters (24 disposals, six tackles) tried to lift his side in the wet with a team-high nine clearances while Ollie Wines (33 touches) was everywhere for the Power. Mitch Georgiades was the shining light in attack for his side with three first half goals.

Port’s efficiency was a big problem in attack, as they scored from just 29 per cent of their inside 50 entries. Their backline couldn’t contain Freo’s smalls while Dante Visentini was well beaten by opponent Luke Jackson in the ruck. Ollie Lord was largely unsighted in attack, Sam Powell-Pepper couldn’t find a spark and went goalless from his nine touches. Inaccuracy in front of goal slowed Port’s charge in the opening half.

The extremely young Tigers made things difficult for the Bombers on Friday night but eventually fell away after three-quarter-time. Missing Noah Balta and Jayden Short in defence hurt in terms of missing composure and class in the defensive 50, but for a large portion of the night, Richmond was able to worry Essendon with its pressure. A widely inexperienced Faull-Sims-Trainor key forward line in the absence of Tom Lynch meant the connection from midfield to forward was inconsistent at best and gross at worst, with Adem Yze fielding 14 players with less than 50 games for Dreamtime at the ‘G.

Sam Banks continues to provide evidence he’s the long-term answer to Richmond’s Daniel Rioli void; consistently the preferred option exiting the defensive half. He recorded 29 disposals, eight marks, 608 metres gained and five intercepts, using his dash to kickstart chains. Tom Brown, too, was impressive again with 21 disposals, four marks and an equal-team-high six score involvements from the backline. Tim Taranto and Hugo Ralphsmith each kicked two goals from the midfield, while Rhyan Mansell was again potent with a goal from three scoring shots and an equal-team-high six score involvements.

The Tigers were out-possessed 441-333 on the night, lost the clearance battle 45-23 and were -20 for contested possessions and -7 for inside-50s. It’s no secret they were beaten around the ball and for territory, but without skipper Toby Nankervis asserting his dominance in the middle — instead Samson Ryan, in his second game of the year, did his best to halve contests against Todd Goldstein — and Balta absent in key defence, Richmond did a lot well and made the Dons sweat.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon wanted to see his side “improve our football” – and aside from a slow moving first term, you could say that’s what we got from the Saints on Sunday. St Kilda were never out of the contest with the Gold Coast Suns, as only inaccuracy cruelled their hopes of victory under the roof. The Saints were +28 for disposals but -12 for inside 50s as they often took the long road forward. But they beat the highly-vaunted Suns midfield +4 at stoppage clearance.

Cooper Sharman played a lone hand in attack as he registered 3.3 from 13 disposals. Zak Jones was a welcome bigger body and finished his team’s best in clearance with seven. Jack Sinclair’s game ended with 29 disposals, 620 metres gained and a goal.

Given the fact Suns star Ben King only marked the ball for the first time in the last quarter, Ross Lyon would be concerned his side still coughed up 16 marks inside 50. Defensively the Saints are being stretched – despite the good work of Callum Wilkie. Efficiency inside 50 was another issue for the home side, going at just 40% for the match. Jack Higgins didn’t register a goal while Rowan Marshall had a rare quiet night.

The team’s worst performance under Dean Cox. The Swans coach himself even admitted injuries aren’t an excuse and lamented his troops being too inconsistent and not up for the fight in an ugly blowout against a Melbourne side not exactly known to be high scoring. Not a great return to the MCG for Sydney after that disaster grand final performance last year.

Chad Warner (27 disposals, one goal) and Isaac Heeney (22 touches, three goals) had their moments, but not enough of their teammates were up for the fight in a tough day for the Swans midfield. Brodie Grundy (23 disposals, 16 contested possessions, nine tackles and 41 hit-outs) had a real crack against Max Gawn.

Where’s the swagger from last year gone? As Cox flagged, it’s largely a mindset thing with Sydney. The Swans were too easily beaten to the ball, losing contested possessions (-27) as the game was basically played entirely on Melbourne’s terms to allow the Demons to run riot. When it wasn’t, Sydney was overawed by the Demons’ pressure and lacked composure with the ball.

Despite the 11-goal defeat, Waalitj Marawar were actually competitive for the first half of their clash at the Adelaide Oval. In the word of Crows legend Mark Ricciuto at half time: “I thought West Coast have been fantastic (and) unlucky not to be closer — they could very easily be in front.” Unfortunately, Kuwarna’s 11 second-half goals blew the Eagles out of the water and without a chance long after half time to take their win-loss out to 1-10. A Sunday night date with Geelong awaits them back on their home date, but they shouldn’t be completely disheartened by their Round 11 performance.

There weren’t many big performers for the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. Jack Graham (18 disposals — 12 contested, eight clearances, eight tackles) was probably best on ground, while Jake Waterman (three goals, seven disposals) was commendable up forward before going off with a dislocated shoulder. He won’t get the recognition the deserves publicly, but Sandy Brock (11 disposals — eight intercepts, seven spoils, three intercept marks) played magnificently on in-form forward Darcy Fogarty to hold his goalless until the final term.

In the end, McQualter’s side gave up far too much of the ball to give themselves a genuine shot at victory. Contested possession and their allowing of a high-marking Crows game also didn’t help, but the most concerning stat of all was their -16 tally in the tackle count. To give up 104 more disposals for a return of so little tackles will be a big focus point for the side in their Monday review.

A one-goal second quarter proved the difference in he Dogs thrilling Thursday night loss to the Cats. After going in with a slender lead at the first change, the visitors had no answer to Jeremy Cameron’s three-goal blitz - and ended up fortunate to even score their one goal for the term it simply fell at Aaron Naughton’s feet in red time. Once again the Dogs hit the magical 50+ clearance milestone - such is their midfield dominance, but they were let down by their forward line’s function. Luke Beveridge would be pleased with the way his side fought the match out.

Matt Kennedy was given the task to go to Bailey Smith, and he hurt the Cats on the scoreboard when given the opportunity. Kennedy finished his game with 25 disposals and three goals. Ed Richards (28 disposals, 10 clearances and two goals) was a standout while Tom Liberatore was up to his consistent best with 31 disposals, eight tackles and nine clearances.

Accuracy once again proved a problem for the Dogs. As the Cats were pulling away in the second term, the Dogs could only manage 1.5 - and that one goal came at the 33-minute mark. And in the final quarter with the result on the line, the Dogs could only score 3.4 from their opportunities. It’s worth noting the side had SIX posters. Laitham Vandermeer and Tim English’s ill discipline hurt as the duo coughed up six free kicks between them.