In Round 3 of the 2025 AFL season, a Dons debutant electrified Marvel Stadium, and one midfield group put its hand up to be the best in the league. But a Tiger youngster deserves his three-match ban. Here's whose stocks are up and down.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down.
Adelaide
Stocks up: He doesn't (yet) get enough plaudits, but Jake Soligo is becoming one of the Crows' most important, consistent players. Another 28 disposals for him in Sunday's win over North Melbourne (he's averaging 28 through three games), plus a goal, six clearances, five tackles, eight socre involvements, and 500 metres gained. Tough player, you'd love to have him on your team.
Stocks down: It was a really underwhelming outing for Wayne Milera, who tallied just nine disposals -- five of which were turnovers. Missing some useful dash from the backline, his defending isn't good enough to cover a lack of offensive output.
Brisbane
Stocks up: We can't put this column together without mentioning the cleanliness of Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft. The young gun's poise around stoppages and work through the middle really caught our eye, finishing his night with 33 disposals (15 contested possessions), five clearances, eight score involvements, and a goal in tough, wet conditions. It'd also be rude not to mention Hugh McCluggage's game, who was also prolific with 30 disposals, eight tackles and six clearances.
Stocks down: Sure, the Lions have been able to pull off three consecutive comebacks to kickstart their so-far winning campaign, but is it a concern they have had to face fairly significant deficits in all three matches? They were 32 points down against the Cats on Saturday night, 31 points down against the Eagles in Round 2, and reined in the Swans' 23-point lead in Round 1. They're good enough and have that belief (not to mention we saw what they did during last year's finals series en route to a premiership), but it's still not ideal.
Carlton
Stocks up: When Harry McKay wasn't named, and with Charlie Curnow underdone, Blues fans would have been wondering where the goals were going to come from. Well, fair play to Brodie Kemp, who posted a career-best five goals to put Carlton in a position to win. Kemp had been training as a defender, but his flexibility worked well against the Bulldogs; his majors coming at crucial stages throughout the game. He gives Michael Voss the option of playing three talls moving forward.
Stocks down: Hands up those who can trust the Blues to run out a game? Those who have confidence in them holding a lead, let alone coming from behind after the three-quarter time siren? Not many? That about sums it up so far. Carlton has conceded 24 second-half goals this season, whilst only kicking eight themselves (four on Friday night).
READ: Carlton can't run out games -- that's bad news for Michael Voss
Collingwood
BYE
Essendon
Stocks up: What's that? You haven't bought stocks in Saad El-Hawli yet? Ah well, your loss. After being subbed into the game in the fourth term, the debutant made an instant impact, showing his dash from half-back and taking the game on to set up Essendon's first goal of the quarter through Nic Martin. Considering the types of performances he has put together in the past -- both with the Northern Bullants and Essendon at VFL level -- it's clear his potential remains untapped.
Stocks down: Have Bomber fans shown Thursday night footy mightn't be all it's cracked up to be? Just 25,114 fans showed up to Marvel Stadium on Thursday night. Sure, a mix of apathy and the midweek fixture doesn't make for a capacity crowd, but it does bring up an interesting question -- can Thursday night footy continue to be more than a TV product?
What an immediate impact from Saad El-Hawli on debut 😍#AFLDonsPower pic.twitter.com/0CdTKC9rif
— AFL (@AFL) March 27, 2025
Fremantle
Stocks up: Another Derby, another best afield medal for Caleb Serong. That's now a record FOUR for the Dockers young gun. Serong had his best performance of the season on Sunday afternoon, winning a game-high 35 disposals, 17 contested possessions, and consistently getting first hands on the ball at stoppages, proving he is one of the game's best contested players.
Stocks down: Okay, he hasn't been bad, but has high-profile, prized recruit Shai Bolton been good through his first two outings at his new club? Has he lived up to expectations yet? Not exactly. Bolton had 21 disposals in the Derby but finished with a game-high eight clangers and seven turnovers. Needs to be better than that, and he will, soon, no doubt.
Geelong
Stocks up: Max Holmes certainly broke out last season, but he hasn't rested on his laurels and continues to perform at an elite level, racking up 29 disposals, nine marks, 619 metres gained and a goal up at the Gabba in the Cats' loss to the Lions.
Stocks down: It's not that losing to the reigning premiers is a shock result that can derail a season, so we won't overreact, but the reality is last week's loss to St Kilda only stings even more after coughing up a five-goal-plus lead against the Lions. Two consecutive losses makes next week's clash against Melbourne must-win (for both sides, really) before a tough fortnight follows with games against Adelaide and Hawthorn.
Gold Coast
Stocks up: We might only be two games into Gold Coast's season, but would anyone be shocked if by the end of the year we're saying Damien Hardwick is coaching the best midfield group in the competition? Matt Rowell (36 disposals and 13 clearances), Noah Anderson (35 and 503 metres gained), and Touk Miller (25 and three goals) are the usual suspects who starred against the Demons, but they were aptly supported by Sam Flanders and Bailey Humphrey, who both provide plenty of X-factor. This mix is the perfect blend of inside grunt and outside class, and it's going to cause some serious problems for opposition teams in 2025.
Stocks down: Was this Will Graham major kicked after the siren had sounded? It does seem that way, but it might be time to assess whether the current rule of a quarter -- or match -- not ending until the umpire acknowledges the siren and signals the end is still fit for purpose.
GWS
Stocks up: They weren't easy conditions down in Tasmania, and with the breeze so heavy to one end of the ground you have to forgive forwards for fading in and out of the contest, but it's clear how much better the Giants are with Jesse Hogan in the side. Last year's Coleman Medal winner was clinical in his first game of the season, kicking four goals straight from 11 touches and taking four marks.
Stocks down: The coaches will be the judge of whether positional changes are effective, so we're not going to pretend we know what's best for Stephen Coniglio or GWS, but it's hard not seeing a player of his quality have an impact on games like we've seen him have in the past. It was just 15 touches and six clangers (and -0.3 rating points) for the experienced Giant on Saturday night, who is still yet to attend a centre bounce in 2025. Weird.
Hawthorn
Stocks up: It was quite the win for the Hawks, who now sit 4-0 for the first time in more than a decade. And it's the rise of their young, future stars that has captured our attention and got the footy world talking. This week, it's Cam Mackenzie (30 disposals, five tackles, and five clearances), and Nick Watson (21 disposals, nine score involvements, and one goal) we want to highlight, two players with massive futures ahead in the brown and gold, yet are impacting games as if they're veterans. They're not alone, but what's clear is these Hawks could dominate for a long, long time.
Stocks down: Are they peaking too early? Probably not! And honestly, we could just be searching for a negative when there really isn't one. If they're playing like this in September, good luck everyone else...
Melbourne
Stocks up: Jake Bowey's 18.1 AFL rating points means he ended Saturday's game at the MCG as Melbourne's best player on the ground, picking up 26 disposals (12 intercepts), six marks, and one goal in a sound effort despite the heavy loss.
Stocks down: Sloppy mistakes were the cornerstone of that Melbourne performance, and it seemed in his return, Steven May was the best exponent of it. May finished his dirty afternoon with a game-high eight clangers and -2.7 rating points -- the worst game of his entire career by that metric!
North Melbourne
Stocks up: Skipper Jy Simpkin continues to lead by example at North. In Sunday's loss to the Crows in Adelaide, he posted a game-high 680 metres gained, racked up 31 disposals, and booted a goal. Simpkin also had a game-high nine clearances. And shoutout to Finn O'Sullivan, who has slotted into AFL level seamlessly -- there's plenty to work with there going forward.
Stocks down: Sunday was a bit of a reality check for the Roos, who, despite only falling by six goals, probably felt a little further off the pace. Accuracy (they kicked 12.6) helped, but they couldn't turn their positive disposal differential (+10) into opportunities around goal (-8 inside 50s). Something for the coaching panel to look at going forward.
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: Jase Burgoyne is a player who can hold his head high in an otherwise disappointing night at the office for the Power. The speedster picked up 27 disposals (at 96% efficiency, mind you), took 10 marks, and had six score involvements against the Bombers at Marvel Stadium.
Stocks down: It's hard to knock a player who has shown how good he can be, but Port skipper Connor Rozee failed to really grab that game by the scruff of the neck when it seemed it was required. Rozee had 22 touches, but only eight of those were kicks. He's not the sole blame here, but you just want more from one of your most explosive match-winners, not to mention your on-field leader.
Richmond
Stocks up: There weren't many shining lights in the thumping at the hands of St Kilda, but Seth Campbell continues to impress in the forward half. Another three goals, three marks inside 50, and 18 pressure acts is exactly what you want to see out of a small forward. That's at least two majors in each of his three games so far in 2025.
Stocks down: Rhyan Mansell deserved to be suspended. Now, take a deep breath, Richmond fans, and let us explain a few things. Yes, he's stiff to be 'the guy' to cop it after a number of similar incidents in previous weeks, including to Sam Lalor in preseason. But this is a good result for footy. The act of pushing a player into a contest is inherently dangerous. The player being pushed cannot control what happens to them, and the offending player has a duty of care to their opponents at all time. Like the bump, get the 'little shove' right, and you'll be fine, but if you bump high -- or knowingly push your opponent into oncoming traffic, as Mansell did -- you deserve to be suspended. Hopefully this suspension acts as the wake-up call players need, because it's an ugly act.
READ: Tigers to challenge Rhyan Mansell's three-game ban
Rhyan Mansell has been handed a three-match suspension for rough conduct following this incident involving Liam O'Connell.
— AFL (@AFL) March 30, 2025
Full Saturday Match Review findings: https://t.co/ZurEIL7spI pic.twitter.com/yWQYxpWueO
St Kilda
Stocks up: When Mitch Owens is on, he's a delight to watch, and he was one of the Saints' best against the Tigers on Saturday. Owens had 14 disposals, but 11 score involvements (including two direct goal assists) on his way to scoring 4.2. That's a prolific outing in anyone's book, and we'd love to see him do this with a little more regularity.
Stocks down: Fingers crossed that Liam O'Connell is okay after he came off with concussion symptoms after being shoved into a marking contest by Rhyan Mansell. The young Tiger certainly deserves his three-game suspension.
Sydney
BYE
West Coast
Stocks up: There were very few winners for the Eagles in what was another Derby blowout, but fans have to be impressed with what they saw from young defender Ryan Maric. The 20-year-old won a stack of the footy (28 disposals, eight marks) and showcased his tremendous work rate throughout the contest.
Stocks down: We understand the supply wasn't exactly there -- the Eagles managed just 37 inside 50s against the Dockers -- but it was an absolute dirty day for Oscar Allen. West Coast's spearhead finished with just four touches and failed to register a score. His start to the McQualter tenure has been rather underwhelming -- are the offers going to keep coming from rival clubs?
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: The doctor will see you now. Sam Davidson's start to his career has been sublime, and against the Blues, he was arguably the best player on the ground, patrolling a wing with aplomb and generating drive and movement for the Bulldogs all night long. His 31-disposal, 10-mark effort even prompted his coach to tell him he's "playing like Peter Matera" -- in his third game, no less.
Stocks down: He may have kicked a crucial late goal, but we're still hoping Aaron Naughton's form can turn around for the better. Naughton was well beaten by Jack Silvagni, and ended his night with just six touches at 50% efficiency.