Each week of the 2025 AFL season, ESPN.com.au's Jake Michaels looks at six talking points.
This week's Six Points feature the contrasting seasons of Fremantle and Carlton, why Jack Gunston MUST be an All-Australian, and why Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera's contract extension is a win-win for all involved.
1. Fremantle's 2025 season has been a resounding success
Win, lose, or draw to the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon -- what is easily Round 24's most fascinating match-up -- the Dockers, and Justin Longmuir, have done enough throughout this season to not only earn a hefty check mark, but to prove they're on the path to success.
There's some real contempt out west over how this club may finish the season, but let's focus on the facts for a moment. They've already won 15 games (the club's second-best return in a decade), they're scoring more per game than in any season since 2014, and, what simply cannot be forgotten, is they are the fifth-youngest squad and fourth-least experienced side.
We've known for over a month that a seriously good team was going to miss out on finals. If that is to be the Dockers, they would be the best team in league history (by premiership points) to fall short of a September berth. Some might call that 'stiff'.
Don't ding Fremantle because your pre-season expectations were so high. After all, they don't control that. Let's take an objective look at how their year has unfolded. The Dockers hit the jackpot in the off-season by signing Shai Bolton. It took a little time to incorporate him into the side, and that, combined with injury to emerging star Hayden Young, were major reasons behind a slow start to the campaign. From 4-5, the Dockers then won 11 of their next 12 games, before falling to the Lions on Friday night. It's hardly a capitulation or proof this side crumbles under pressure, rather the very opposite.
Missing finals on the last day of the season ... again ... will obviously sting, but the circumstances are drastically different from 12 months ago. The Dockers are going places.
2. Carlton was the biggest disappointment of the season
The Blues might be coming off a comfortable win over Port Adelaide, and who knows, they may well win again this Thursday evening against a depleted Bombers outfit, but don't let that sugarcoat what's been a diabolical season.
Once again, Carlton ticked every box of what really should be a legitimate premiership contender. And yet this season will go down as unquestionably its worst campaign of the Michael Voss era.
Carlton has won just seven games and will likely miss finals by a humiliating 24 premiership points ... plus percentage! They've gone backwards in just about every facet of the game and continue to struggle immensely with both in-game adaption and running out contests. Did you know they've been outscored by 184 points in second halves this season!? This is all in a year where the Blues had the second-easiest fixture, in terms of average ladder position of the teams they faced twice.
Has the window shut? I'm not sure. But what I do know is this side is getting sneaky old. Skipper Patrick Cripps will be 31 at the beginning of next season, while Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, Jacob Weitering, and Jack Silvagni will all have celebrated their 28th birthdays. Now you may say 28 is a footy prime for a player, and it very well may be, but 28 becomes 32 very quickly when there's not much support behind them. And aside from Sam Walsh and luckless draftee Jagga Smith, how many under 25s have the Blues got on their list we are certain have serious potential? Not many more.
Voss can consider himself extremely fortunate to still be employed after such an underwhelming year. One thing's for certain, he'll begin next season on two and three-quarter strikes.
3. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera signing with the Saints is great for everyone
Last week we hypothesised about the prospect of St Kilda star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera leaving the club this off-season, something we argued would have "ripped the soul out of the Saints." Well, good news, 'Nas' is staying put! The 22-year-old inked a two-year contract extension on Monday afternoon, reportedly worth AU$2 million per season, putting an end to the ongoing trade speculation.
READ: Wanganeen-Milera commits to St Kilda for 2026
This is great news for footy and a classic win-win situation for all parties involved. Wanganeen-Milera gets the MAJOR pay day he undoubtedly deserves, as well as flexibility down the track, St Kilda keep the man that has the potential to be an all-time club great, and the door remains ajar for the likes of Port Adelaide, and others, to swoop in 18-24 months time if things at the Saints aren't looking too rosy.
4. Jack Gunston has to be a LOCK for the All-Australian team
Who had a 60-goal season from Jack Gunston on their footy bingo card?
The Hawthorn veteran has wound back the clock in 2025, enjoying a career best year and proving he still has plenty more left in the tank. Not only has Gunston reached 60 goals for the first time, his numbers for just about every other metric are sitting at five-year highs. May I remind you he's 33 years of age?!
Only two other players in league history have ever kicked 60+ goals in a season at age 33: Alastair Lynch (2002, 2003) and Tom Hawkins (2022). We cannot normalise this feat, particularly in an era where we just don't see as many goals kicked.
FACT: Gunston is one of only two current players to have recorded five 50-goal seasons (Jeremy Cameron - 8).
Sitting second on the Coleman Medal table with a game to play will have Gunston firmly in consideration for All-Australian selection, but I'm here to tell you he simply has to make it. The great story always wins out in these subjective accolade debates, and with all due respect to the others in contention for a forward line spot, nobody in the competition comes close to Gunston in the storyline stakes this season.
5. Something quirky I (thought) I noticed
If Gold Coast make finals this year at the expense of the Western Bulldogs, there will be FOUR new finalists from 12 months ago (Crows, Magpies, Dockers, and Suns). When this little nugget came across my desk on Monday afternoon, I was convinced it had to be some kind of record. But that's not exactly the case...
Should the aforementioned scenario play out this week, it would actually be the third time in the last five years we'll see half of the finalists from the previous season booted out for four new teams. Curiously, outside of this five-year period, it had only occurred five other times in football history! Got to love equalisation, huh?
6. My favourite stat of the week
On Sunday afternoon in Tasmania, Harry Sheezel equaled the AFL's disposal record with a monster 54-piece against the Tigers.
It was the seventh time in league history a player has hit the half century for disposals, but who actually played the best game, according to Champion Data?