In Round 14 of the 2025 AFL season, it was a big week for the young key forwards, but injuries to stars, and a few disappointing performances were hard to ignore. 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: They had more influential players on the ground, but it was great to see Dan Curtin take even more steps in his development on Friday night. In difficult conditions for taller players, Curtin shone with six marks, 12 kicks, and the game's opening goal. Hardly 'dominant', we know, but at 197cm and the ability to play anywhere on the ground, it's clear the skilful 20-year-old is going to be an elite asset for the Crows moving forward.
Stocks down: You could say the same thing for both sides, really, but bad kicking is bad football, and finishing with a scoreline that reads 5.14 ain't gonna win you many games of footy, regardless of the conditions. Adelaide's inaccuracy and inability to translate its early-game dominance into real scoreboard pressure cost them in the end, not to mention the return of 0.7 between the three-headed monster in Taylor Walker, Riley Thilthorpe, and Darcy Fogarty. For a usually-lethal forward line, this was definitely a game that got away.
Brisbane
Stocks up: The Lions really do have a beauty in Logan Morris. Set to be the face of the Lions' forward line for years to come, the 20-year-old is enjoying a breakout season after debut year which culminated in a premiership medal. Against the Giants, Morris was a shining light in attack on an otherwise inaccurate outing from the Lions. He kicked 5.1 and took a couple of contested marks, looking incredibly comfortable in front of the big sticks.
Stocks down: How costly will the Jack Payne injury be for the Lions? A little unheralded in the Lions' defence, he's really been the guy who allows Harris Andrews and (when fit) Tom Doedee to play a little more attacking. He's now out for the season after rupturing his patella tendon. How does this affect Brisbane's top four chances? They have an incredibly tough draw from here, and de-stabilising a very good defence may be tough to overcome.
READ: In the mix, but questions still surround 'bloody frustrating' Lions
Carlton
Stocks up: When you talk about the importance of role players, for Carlton, Alex Cincotta is the perfect example. He's probably not in the club's best 10 players, but his output and effort is second to none at the Blues. Out for most of this season so far with a hip injury, his return over the past two weeks has showcased the class and skill he has with ball in hand. He had 14 disposals, but four(!) direct goal assists, five tackles, and three clearances. Very valuable indeed.
Stocks down: Once again, it's Carlton's inability to play out four quarters which has fans pulling out their hair in droves. Up by 39 points at quarter time, and looking likely to run up a 100-point margin, Carlton managed just five goals for the rest of the match, while West Coast whittled away the advantage to finish +5 in points scored for the rest of the match. Yes, an injury to Charlie Curnow didn't help, and second gamer Hudson O'Keeffe limped off with a hamstring late in the piece, but the Eagles had their concerns too.
Collingwood
BYE
Essendon
Stocks up: The results right now are tough, but you can't underestimate how important exposure for the youngsters is going to be for the future of the team. Ravaged by injury, the Bombers blooded mid-season recruits Archer May and Lachie Blakiston against the Cats, adding to the 39 players on the list that have been used in season 2025. No team in the league would be able to cope with that sort of injury list, so kudos to the team for continuing to front up each week.
Stocks down: In saying that, the team's prospects for the rest of the season are pretty grim. Essendon sits 12th on the ladder with six wins after 13 games but have the third worst percentage in the competition, with games against Fremantle and Gold Coast next to greet them. Not much should be expected, but as we touched on above, there's still hope the future is bright for Brad Scott's young side.
Fremantle
Stocks up: It was a game where we just had to marvel at the dynamic Caleb Serong-Andrew Brayshaw duo. The midfield pair notched up 67 disposals, 17 clearances, and 19 tackles between them on Saturday night in what were truly a couple of instrumental performances in tough conditions.
Stocks down: Their form has fluctuated all year, yes, but their four consecutive wins after Round 14 become more impressive knowing Nat Fyfe has hardly fired a shot yet this season. And that's scary for the rest of the competition not because Fyfe is the same player he was when dominating his way to two Brownlow Medals, but because he's now fit enough to at least perform as an impact sub, his nine disposals, two clearances, and 100% efficiency when activated against the Roos an example. He can only build from here, and so can the Dockers.
Geelong
Stocks up: It's fair to say Geelong's premiership chances have skyrocketed. Because of one win? Nah, it's more the way in which they won. Then you look at their form across the season to date. And once you've done that? You take a peak at their remaining (and frankly, easy) fixture -- five more games at GMHBA, Richmond twice, Essendon again, and St Kilda and North Melbourne to come, too. Top two is basically locked in, and they themselves are the only ones who can stuff things up from here.
Stocks down: Teams who don't tag Bailey Smith or Max Holmes will face a pretty big consequence, as Brad Scott found out in Round 14. No, it's not the sole reason Geelong were utterly dominant at the MCG, but it isn't helping your team's cause letting them roam free, dictate play for four quarters, and move the ball seamlessly through what seemed a non-existent defensive set up. Their numbers were simply off the charts on Saturday afternoon.
Gold Coast
BYE
GWS
Stocks up: Aaron Cadman showed exactly why he was a No. 1 draft pick in 2022, putting together a career-best game to humiliate the Brisbane defence who admittedly were without defender Jack Payne for much of the contest after he went down with injury. But still, how can you not be impressed with the 21-year-old's 19 disposals, 13(!) marks, and five goals? It was a serious outing, bettered only maybe by Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan who bagged six majors from 12 marks of his own.
Stocks down: Maybe the GWS critics will be silent this week? Who knows. And don't get us wrong, their form is still all over the place and the difference between their best and their worst remains stark, but they remind us with upset wins like the one at the Gabba that when in full flight they can still inflict a fair bit of damage on some of the top teams. If they can beat the Suns this week, maybe then they'll be firmly back in contention.
Hawthorn
Stocks up: There was one player who stood out among the rest in what was a tough watch on Friday night, and that was Jarman Impey. The Hawthorn line-breaker continued his strong season and was damaging from the outset, finishing with 28 disposals, 10 marks, 10 intercept possessions, and 756 metres gained. Shout out to Dylan Moore, too, who worked tirelessly up and down the ground and also had a significant impact on the comeback win.
Stocks down: Let's be honest, the game was an absolute eyesore. that's not all on the Hawks, and it's not all on the Crows, but regardless, six goals to five ain't really giving 'let's watch that back' vibes. Bank the four points, burn the tape, and never speak of it again!
Melbourne
Stocks up: The Demons kicked inside 50 with remarkable accuracy, picking out star forward Esava Ratugolea eight times in the win -- hang on, I'm being handed a note... Yes, the Dees won the inside 50 count (again) and lost the match. Somehow, they make just about every opposition defence look world class.
Stocks down: Will Steven May give himself a bake after his poor game against the Power? Minding Mitch Georgiades for most of the afternoon after a failed stint by Daniel Turner, May couldn't stop the Port forward who ended with 7.4 as he got separation on May time and time again.
North Melbourne
Stocks up: In a tight game, veteran presence can so often be a good thing, and for North, in the narrow loss to Fremantle, Luke Parker did his best to try and get his side over the line. He had 20 disposals and two goals on the night, but eight and a major in the last term alone as he willed his team to try and force an upset.
Stocks down: Have North managed to extract enough out of the past seven weeks? Two wins, a draw, and four losses, three of which have been by under 10 points -- the Roos have been good, but just not good enough. When are the 'honourable losses' going to not become good enough?
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: The Dees really didn't know what to do with Mitch Georgiades on Sunday, and he made them pay in a big way... but it could've been even bigger. The Port spearhead commanded the skies in Ken Hinkley's forward line, kicking 7.4 from 10 marks and 18 disposals (16 kicks). In fact, no Melbourne player had more kicks than Georgiades!
Stocks down: Will Port be counting the cost of their win? Ollie Wines copped a knee knock in the first quarter, Aliir Aliir was subbed out of the game with a knee issue in the third term, and midfield dynamo Jason Horne-Francis ended the game on the bench with strapping on his shoulder. At this stage, they don't seem severe, so fingers crossed for positive scan results this week.
Richmond
BYE
St Kilda
Stocks up: There aren't many positives to come out of that performance, other than Marcus Windhager's tagging job on Marcus Bontempelli. Windhager kept the Bulldogs champ to his lowest disposal count (14) since the COVID year in 2020! Fair play.
Stocks down: Surely these defeats aren't helpful to St Kilda's signing endeavours, with morale-boosting upset wins against the Cats and the Dockers at Marvel, and the victory over the Dees in the NT, only neutralised and almost invalidated by two losses to the tune of 70-plus points to the Bulldogs in the span of eight weeks. What would Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera or even Tom De Koning be thinking?
Sydney
BYE
West Coast
Stocks up: The most disposals on debut for any Eagles player? Check. Looking incredibly comfortable in an under-fire backline? Check. A nearly game high 10 intercept possessions, and 571 metres gained? Check! It was a huge debut for mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy. He's one to watch with a lot of interest going forward.
Stocks down: Things looked a little grim when skipper Oscar Allen came off the ground after a non-contact leg injury. The club has since confirmed it's plantaris, which isn't as serious as first thought, but just a further frustration in what's been an interrupted and poor season.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: It's an obvious talking point but it was great for footy fans across the country to see Sam Darcy make his return from what looked a brutal knee injury earlier in the season, they key tall booting three goals from 19 disposals and nine marks, and looking like he hadn't missed a beat. Joel Freijah deserves his plaudits, too, going at 100% efficiency from his 21 disposals and four clearances.
Stocks down: Every win like the one against the Saints -- or the 91-point win against the Bombers, or the 90-point win against Port -- reminds us why the Dogs need to be taken seriously and remain in premiership conversations. But they're still 1-6 against top eight teams and until they prove their credentials against genuine contenders, it's hard to determine whether they should be taken seriously.