In Round 22 of the 2025 AFL season, one skipper stood very tall in a moment of need, and a ruck dominated in a massive win. But the Lions' home form continues to worry us. 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: The Crows' big guns delivered when it mattered most on Sunday afternoon. Facing a genuine upset scare from the Eagles, they steadied late and finished the stronger of the two sides to move a game clear on top of the ladder. Rory Laird (25 disposals, seven marks, and five clearances), Jordan Dawson (26 disposals, 14 tackles, and 11 inside 50s), Izak Rankine (23 touches, and one clutch late goal), and Riley Thilthorpe (three majors) all stood up, while Mark Keane and Josh Worrell provided critical intercepts in defence. It could've gone very wrong, but this group knows how to dig in.
Stocks down: Is this team really that reliant on Taylor Walker for forward structure and scoring power? Yeah, yeah, correlation, causation et cetera, but there was something missing in that forward mix for the Crows, who rested their former skipper for this match.
Brisbane
Stocks up: Josh Dunkley was everywhere in the midfield, racking up 31 disposals, a game-high 17 contested possessions, seven tackles, and kicking a goal in another tireless display. What he does in Chris Fagan's engine room, particularly in the absence of Lachie Neale, can't go understated.
Stocks down: Oh boy, the Lions' top four chances just took a massive hit with a shock, two-point home loss to the Swans. Now fifth on the ladder, with the Suns two points behind, but with a game in hand, the Lions will need to be perfect against Fremantle (away) and Hawthorn (home). The reality is, their Gabba form just hasn't been up to scratch this year; 6-4 at a home venue which had just started to regain 'Gabbatoir' status? Not good enough.
Carlton
Stocks up: Okay, who had a Frankie Evans legacy game on their bingo card? No one? Fair enough. Signed to Carlton during the SSP, Evans has been in and out of the side as a small forward most of the year, booting just four goals through his seven matches up until Saturday night's gallant loss to the Suns. But things clicked at Marvel Stadium, with Evans booting four majors from 16 disposals, one of which was a 40 metre laser pass inside 50 to set up Ashton Moir. Good enough for a contract?
Stocks down: For all the good we saw from the Blues in the loss to the Suns, their third quarters remain incredibly problematic. With the game within reach at half time (the margin was just four goals), the Blues gave up the first four of the third term, effectively ending the game with the Suns up nearly 50 points.
Collingwood
Stocks up: It's been a grim month for the Pies, and Hawthorn's pace carved them up yet again. But help should be on the way, with Bobby Hill likely to return from illness this week, and Beau McCreery expected to rejoin full training. That speed injection can't come soon enough with their season now on the line in the next fortnight.
Stocks down: Jeremy Howe's sickening concussion after an accidental head clash with Hawthorn's Jai Newcombe in the opening minute was really tough to watch. In his return from injury, Howe was meant to be the aerial general the Pies have been missing, but now he'll miss against Adelaide's towering forward line in a must-win game.
Essendon
Stocks up: Mid-season recruit Liam McMahon continues to impress since arriving at the club. Strong in the air, clean with the ball, and deadly in front of goal, he booted four majors from 11 disposals and took three marks against the Cats. The raw tools are definitely there for a long-term forward option at the Dons.
Stocks down: Captain Zach Merrett has a broken hand and will almost certainly miss at least one game, but maybe even the rest of the season. For a side already ravaged by injuries, it's another bitter blow in a year where absolutely nothing has gone right.
Fremantle
Stocks up: Big, bad, bustling Patrick Voss continues to be one of footy's most engrossing stories in 2025, and his three-goal effort -- but specifically his two in the final term -- helped the Dockers complete the comeback and keep their top four hopes alive. Voss isn't afraid to throw his body around and give a bit of lip to the crowd. Shout out to Alex Pearce, too, what a moment to float forward, take a contested mark, and coolly slot home the winner. Massive captain's moment!
Stocks down: Coach Justin Longmuir described it as the 'worst 20 minutes' of footy they've played all year. Fremantle gave up seven goals in that patch during the second term, which resulted in a 26-point lead turning into a 10-point deficit, one which Port Adelaide held onto until the early part of the fourth term. Better teams (in finals, for instance) will punish the Dockers and not let them back in.
Geelong
Stocks up: Shaun Mannagh showed again why he's been one of Geelong's best mature-age pickups in recent years -- of which there have been many. The former Werribee star had 20 disposals, three goals, 10 score involvements, six inside 50s, and five tackles against Essendon. He is now consistently showing the perfect mix of toughness and polish. Could be a finals X-factor...
Stocks down: Jack Henry's hamstring injury saw him subbed out at half time. The Cats will be hoping it's on the minor side, as he's simply one of their most important defenders. Not ideal going into September.
Gold Coast
Stocks up: Has Matt Rowell locked himself into an All-Australian spot? His game against Carlton didn't do his chances any harm at all, his burst away from stoppage and clearance work -- particularly in the third term during which the Suns really accelerated -- was unstoppable. He finished with 30 disposals, eight tackles, nine clearances, and two direct goal assists. Monstrous.
Stocks down: He has his moments, but Ben Ainsworth made a few questionable decisions on Saturday night, burning teammates, going for goal when there was a better option -- you expect better from your leaders, and he should be doing better.
GWS
Stocks up: Toby Greene wasted no time reminding everyone of his best in his return from suspension, the Giants skipper racking up 23 disposals, taking 10 marks and booting 3.3 to finish as the highest-rated player (24.8) on the ground. Through the middle, Finn Callaghan was equally influential, gathering 31 disposals, laying eight tackles, winning eight clearances, and having 15 contested possessions. His composure and line-breaking ability was a standout all afternoon.
Stocks down: Teams will be noticing that Lachie Ash can't deal with a tag. Jacob Konstanty was given a run-with role on the prolific half back, and did a good job; Ash finished with just 13 disposals and one mark, well off his season average of 28 disposals and nearly seven marks. Will we see this more?
Hawthorn
Stocks up: Ruck Lloyd Meek only had 10 disposals on Thursday night but he made every one of them count and still had a huge impact, finishing with seven marks, seven score involvements, and three goals in a statement performance. It was an incredibly impressive performance against a very good ruck in Darcy Cameron, who usually has plenty of impact around the ground. Should get votes.
Stocks down: Their form is red-hot, but finals could come down to their last game. They'll start favourites against Melbourne, but finish away to Brisbane at the Gabba, and both teams could need the win just to secure a spot in the eight. In a season where the top nine and bottom nine are so starkly split, a very good side will miss out. It could be anyone, and the Hawks are a part of that.
Melbourne
Stocks up: We've sung his praises ad nauseum throughout 2025 -- and really his whole career -- but where would the Demons be without Max Gawn? Once again the Melbourne skipper led from the front, monstering ruck contests, winning the ball at stoppages, and floating back to take those trademark intercept marks. Just a gun who may well earn yet another All-Australian selection.
Stocks down: He's a club champion, but three more years of Jack Viney feels like a lot. A lot.
North Melbourne
Stocks up: Luke Parker just keeps on keeping on. The 32-year-old, 300-gamer was arguably his side's best player -- a worry in itself? -- on Sunday afternoon, picking up 29 disposals, 11 contested possessions, eight clearances, and kicking a goal. Parker has been a very shrewd pick up for the Kangaroos. Now, if they could just get a few more to step up around him...
Stocks down: Geez, there was a worrying lack of contributors for the Kangaroos. And that's got to be something keeping Alastair Clarkson up at night. Ten players failed to tally just 10 disposals against the Giants. Literally half the team laid two or fewer tackles. We understand that a bunch of these guys are still finding their feet at AFL level, but these sort of lowly contributions are simply not good enough for a club desperately looking to rebuild.
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: The Power very nearly pulled off the monster upset on Saturday evening, and if they had, it would have been thanks to Aliir Aliir. The reliable defender played his best game in years against the Dockers, finishing up with a game-high 12 intercepts, 17 marks (five of them contested), 22 disposals, nine contested possessions, and a goal -- his first since 2020! He also played 100% game time! Great to see him back to his best.
Stocks down: What does Jackson Mead add to this Port lineup? Any ideas? The Power plodder failed to contribute in any meaningful way on Saturday night, turning the ball over in dangerous areas, and exposing his backline. His pace is also a worry at times.
Richmond
Stocks up: We enjoyed Rhyan Mansell's game on Saturday night. Seventeen disposals. Eight contested possessions. Two goals. But the part we really liked was a team-high seven tackles. Great to see him putting in the tough defensive efforts.
Stocks down: We're not sure if this was a Toby Nankervis directive or something coming from a Richmond higher-up, but what was this Jack Steele guard of honour nonsense? Sure, 200 AFL games is a perfectly fine achievement, but it hardly deserves or warrants a full standing ovation and applause from the entire opposition. We've discussed this before on the ESPN Footy Podcast. These guards of honour should be reserved for, at absolute minimum, 250 game players. Even then, they'd want to be future hall of fame types. Can we please stop handing these out like cereal box toys?
St Kilda
Stocks up: Marcus Windhager led the way in the clinches with 32 touches, nine marks, and six tackles in the tight win over Richmond. Jack Sinclair (30 disposals, 11 marks, and six tackles) and Callum Wilkie (29 disposals, 16 marks, and a game-high nine intercepts) also stood tall and deserve praise for their games.
Stocks down: In shattering news, Paddy Dow's year is over after breaking his collarbone in the VFL. It's a cruel end to a season where he didn't get a single AFL game due to other injuries. Fingers crossed he can stay healthy in the off-season and feature at the top level in 2026.
Sydney
Stocks up: Isaac Heeney was huge in the upset win, kicking five goals from 23 touches and six marks, plus having 10 score involvements. Chad Warner (26 disposals and two goals) and Errol Gulden (29 touches and six inside 50s) were also outstanding. With those three in that kind of form, the Swans will always be hard to topple.
Stocks down: Where was this earlier in the year? Remember, the Swans were 4-8 through 12 rounds and 14th on the ladder just a couple of months ago, but now find themselves with a positive win-loss at 11-10. The easy answer is they had no Tom Papley, no Errol Gulden, or Callum Mills, but could it be the Swans have started to jell with Dean Cox. They're a big watch for 2026.
West Coast
Stocks up: There was plenty to like from an inexperienced Eagles duo in the narrow loss. Tom McCarthy impressed with 29 disposals, a team-high 627 metres gained, and elite composure as he continually took the game on. Up forward, Jobe Shanahan was efficient and dangerous, finishing with three goals and showing genuine promise as a long-term forward prospect.
Stocks down: Tom Gross had just one touch before he was subbed out of the game. Sometimes you have these games as an inexperienced young player in a poor team, let's just hope he moves on quickly and bounces back.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: Ed Richards' chances of earning an All-Australian blazer this season only strengthened after another stellar performance against the Dees. The gun midfielder had 31 disposals, a whopping 14 clearances, 15 score involvements, and booted two goals at the MCG, earning him an enormous 32 rating points. Aaron Naughton has got to be close, too, finishing with another five-goal haul from 17 disposals and seven marks.
Stocks down: The Dogs' chances of missing the eight have taken a tumble after a vital -- but yes, narrow -- win over the Dees. Halfway through the fourth quarter, it almost looked like season over for this talented squad, but a pair of goals to Rhylee West and Aaron Naughton was enough to get Luke Beveridge's side over the line.