A strong four-quarter performance saw ladder leaders Collingwood cruise to a 51-point victory over Hawthorn, played before a bumper crowd of 83,706, at the MCG. The Magpies were boosted by the return of some key personnel for this one – Darcy Moore, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Bobby Hill and Lachie Schultz.
They mauled the Hawks, clinically, and finished ‘+44’ in the tackle count, which is their best return, in this facet of the game, in over four years.
Jamie Elliott’s (pictured above) rich vein of form in front of the big sticks continued as the 32-year-old bagged another five majors to take his tally to 17 from his last four outings.
Sam Mitchell’s decision not to tag Nick Daicos, something that he has done in previous matches, came back to bite as the mercurial midfielder registered a game-high 32 disposals, nine score involvements and nine contested possessions.
Lions see off brave Bombers challenge
Reigning Premiers Brisbane currently lead the chasing pack, in second place, but only after overcoming a huge scare before eventually seeing off a plucky Essendon.
They got off to an absolute flyer and were well in command, but then were seriously challenged by the Bombers that, at one stage, looked like pulling off an upset.
The Lions were actually behind, in the early stages of the fourth, given a couple of reprieves, but managed to get the momentum back, once more, and claim victory.
Hugh McCluggage (pictured above) is having a great season so far and again played a key role, recording a career-high 41 disposals, 12 score involvements, and seven contested possessions.
Giants pull off amazing comeback
Callum Brown scored the winner as Greater Western Sydney pulled off the most remarkable comeback to fall over the line against an inaccurate Richmond.
They trailed at every change and were 28 points down heading into the final term, but somehow found a way, delighting the vocal home supporters.
Unfortunately, it came at a cost and was somewhat soured by what looks to be a season-ending right knee injury to veteran Callan Ward as he left in tears on a stretcher.
Despite his trauma, the 35-year-old (pictured above) was still able to give his teammates a pep talk, on crutches, at the end of the third, which did the trick.
In a brief boundary interview with Fox Footy, he said, “It feels like a bad one, an ACL, which happened in the tackle with the change of direction. I was initially in shock but feeling alright now; there is a lot worse going on than me hurting my knee.”
Big win for the Dockers on the road
Fremantle made a huge statement as they travelled interstate and knocked over Gold Coast to hand their opponents a first defeat of the year on their home deck.
Played in wet and tricky conditions, the Suns came hard in the latter stages and got within a kick before Jy Amiss slotted a left-foot effort to seal it for the Dockers.
Shai Bolton (pictured above), part of Damien Hardwick’s triple Premiership-winning squad, came back to haunt his old boss with a fine display that included 20 disposals and three snags.
Completing an excellent afternoon for the WA outfit was the return of dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe; he came on as a substitute to play his first minutes of the year.
Crows showcase credentials as flag contenders
Adelaide put the rest of the competition on notice as they made the trip to last season’s grand finalists, Sydney, and put them to the sword in a 90-point mauling.
In what proved to be an extremely one-sided affair, at the SCG, a fast start and run of twelve consecutive goals pretty much had it sewn up by the half-time interval.
The rampant Crows, who had a pressure rating of 208 and above for the whole evening, shared the goals around with 14 different names on the scoresheet.
Swans coach Dean Cox, in his first year at the helm, pulled no punches in his presser as he labelled the display of his team as “unacceptable and embarrassing”.
Saints claim first ever win in NT
Dan Butler (pictured below) made his return from an Achilles injury and booted four goals as St.Kilda pulled off a bit of a surprise by defeating a wasteful Melbourne at TIO Traeger Park.
The result represented the Saints’ first ever success, in their history, up in the state of the Northern Territories and also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Dees.
It proved to be a horror show in front of goal for the Demons, who had seven more scoring shots but registered 21 behinds, which proved to be their downfall.
As part of taking the AFL game to Alice Springs, both clubs participated in visiting various communities and charities, including the Footy 4 Life program in Mparntwe.
Jezza kicks the Cats to victory
Jeremy Cameron bagged another five majors, making it 33 so far in 2025 and going joint top of the Coleman Medal table, as Geelong beat bottom side West Coast.
However, they were certainly made to work for it by an improving Eagles outfit, eventually running over the top of them with ‘Jezza’ booting the last four of the game.
Key midfielder Bailey Smith put a difficult week behind him, having attracted a lot of attention for his ‘nose beers’ comment, by racking up a season-high 38 disposals.
It completes a good week for the Cats that, a few days earlier, locked away Tom Atkins until the end of 2027 after he signed a new two-year contract extension.
Round 12 Results
Brisbane 13.12 (90)
Essendon 11.6 (72)
Collingwood 16.11 (107)
Hawthorn 8.8 (56)
Gold Coast 9.10 (64)
Fremantle 11.9 (75)
GWS 12.8 (80)
Richmond 10.17 (77)
Sydney 5.11 (41)
Adelaide 21.5 (131)
Melbourne 7.21 (63)
St.Kilda 14.7 (91)
West Coast 11.7 (73)
Geelong 17.14 (116)
Bye: Carlton, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs
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