Round 14 of the 2025 AFL season is in the books. So, it's time to react ... or overreact.
Did Aaron Cadman's monster game against the Lions justify the Giants spending pick No. 1 on him a few years back? Has North Melbourne finally turned the corner?
Let's get to this week's overreactions, where we judge a few major takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
Aaron Cadman has justified his No. 1 draft pick status
Emerging GWS forward Aaron Cadman enjoyed a career best outing on Saturday afternoon at the Gabba, booting five goals and amassing 19 disposals to lift his side to a much needed win over the reigning premier. It's the breakout game everyone had been waiting for and one that's reignited the debate around whether the Giants taking Cadman with pick No. 1 in the 2022 draft was the right decision.
Verdict: Overreaction
Cadman's performance against the Lions was exceptional and one that's sure to net him three Brownlow Medal votes, but isn't it about time? The Giants invested heavily in Cadman, and aside from a glimpse of what could be here and there, to this point he's been rather underwhelming for a top draft selection.
In hist first season, Cadman kicked just six goals from 12 appearances. Last year, he booted 30 from 23 games, but only kicked more than two goals on three occasions. His five goal haul against Brisbane was just the first time this season he's kicked at least three majors in a game. And before this weekend, he'd never had over 12 disposals in a game.
Now listen, we're not totally down on Cadman. After all, he's still just 21 years of age and has room to grow, but we probably want a greater sample size before hailing the Giants' decision to take him with the top pick a masterstroke. Back it up this weekend against the Suns, Aaron!
Despite their win-loss record, North Melbourne has turned the corner
The Kangaroos may have only sung their team song three times in season 2025, but there's a growing feeling around the league they've started to gap cellar dwellers Richmond and West Coast and are finally showing signs of a team that has a bright future.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
We're treading extremely carefully with this one, as we've been burned before, but it's difficult to deny the improvement of North Melbourne over the past month and a half. In fact, since Carlton put them to the sword on Good Friday, the Roos have been playing at the level of a fringe finalist, winning twice, drawing once, and losing games by just nine, three, and six points.
Last year, Alastair Clarkson's side ended the year scoring 70 points and conceding a whopping 111 per game. To this point of the year there's been significant improvement in both departments, the Kangaroos now scoring 77 and and conceding 96 per game. But it's much more than that.
Over the last seven weeks, North Melbourne ranks top six in a bunch of key categories that have proven to lead to premiership success, including points from stoppages, points against from turnover, contested possession differential, clearances differential, and pressure applied.
There's still a long, long way to go, but, at long last, there are some positive signs for the Roos.