In Round 8 of the 2025 AFL season, a couple of veteran stars showed they can still star, but Carlton and Fremantle got a reality check. 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: When skipper Jordan Dawson is playing well, the Crows look like a finals team. It's almost that simple. He was so effective in the clinches, with ball in hand, and up forward against the Blues, it was as if they had three of him running around in Saturday's win. He kicked three majors, had 22 disposals, and tallied six clearances in a BOG performance. He's a star.
Stocks down: On the field, the Crows were nearly flawless. Off it? Well, a Mexican Wave broke out halfway through the fourth term, which is an incredibly rare sight at a footy game. Was the crowd bored? Maybe. What do you think about seeing this sort of stuff at the footy?
Brisbane
Stocks up: Does Josh Dunkley get enough plaudits for being one of the league's best defensively-minded midfielders? Tasked with taking down the Suns' deep and impressive midfield, Dunkley was instrumental in curtailing the influence of Matt Rowell, keeping him to just 16 disposals, while he also spent time on Noah Anderson briefly when he got hot. All this while Dunkley himself picked up 26 disposals, three clearances, and six tackles. A masterclass.
Stocks down: It's never great when players go down with injuries, but even moreso for Sun-turned-Lion Sam Day, who just can't keep his body fit enough for long enough. Subbed out in the first term of Brisbane's win over their Queensland rivals with a hamstring injury, it's the latest bad news for the key position player who has had one of the more luckless runs in footy.
Carlton
Stocks up: He didn't get the mention last week for his spectacular eight intercept marks in Round 7 against the Cats, but given the dismal showing against the Crows, it's only fair to laud Nick Haynes. His disastrous navy blue debut against Richmond has all but been forgotten, and Haynes was once again one of the Blues' better players against Adelaide, looking a lot more confident flying for marks and spoils, and choosing to use the ball with a bit of dare out of the back half. Could be a handy pickup if his form continues.
Stocks down: The Blues' depth has long been an issue, but in 2025, it's so easy to see how they can get blown away. Let's look at this week's ins and outs. With in-form defender Jack Silvagni out, Lewis Young came in ... and battled, but he's not a long-term solution. Veteran Sam Docherty came in for the injured Zac Williams, and was off the pace, looks slow, and tries to cover his deficiencies with rushed kicks. And Cooper Lord, while young and promising, played a full game, but lacks the creativity and offensive nous compared to the hard-running of Matthew Cottrell. It's a big issue.
Collingwood
Stocks up: Brody Mihocek was incredible against the Cats, fighting for every contest as he has done for years and proving to be Collingwood's main route towards the goals all night. Unfortunately for Craig McRae's side, the hard-working forward didn't have too many helpers, but his six marks (four contested) and 4.3 from 10 disposals was highly effective, and hard to ignore. The guy is an absolute workhorse.
Stocks down: After an injury-interrupted preseason, Jordan De Goey has entered the frame this year quite underdone, and it means his performances aren't at the level they need to be if the Pies want to be featuring at the pointy end of the season. The powerful mid-forward amassed just three kicks from nine disposals on Saturday night, and is struggling to make an impact. A spell on the sidelines to get himself fit might be on the cards, and with a five-day break leading into Round 9, now might be a good time...
Essendon
Stocks up: It seems every time Essendon wins a game of football, the stocks of its captain, Zach Merrett, rise. Merrett was as solid as ever on Thursday evening, but took his game to a ridiculously high level in a tight and tense final quarter to finish up with a game-high 35 disposals, 14 contested possessions, nine score involvements, and eight inside 50s. His defensive intercept mark in the defensive 50 in the dying moments proved pivotal. He is an absolute star of the competition.
Stocks down: Any night you bank four premiership points is a good one, but maybe not when it comes at a significant injury cost. The Bombers lost reliable defender Jordan Ridley to a hamstring injury in the first half before Harry Jones suffered a suspected broken ankle. To cap off the horror night of injury, Jade Gresham limped off with a groin complaint.
Fremantle
Stocks up: There isn't too much to celebrate from a Fremantle perspective, but this loss is not on captain Alex Pearce, who is arguably the only Docker who can hold his head high after a disastrous defeat under the roof. Pearce finished his night with 18 disposals, six marks (four intercepts), a game-high 10 intercept possessions, and 19.1 rating points -- more than any other teammate and better than every Saint, except for Jack Macrae.
Stocks down: Well, didn't Freo's midfield get a wake up call... The subbing of an injured Hayden Young doesn't help, but the damage was already done, and usual stars Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong were nowhere near their prolific best, the latter picking up his lowest tally since his maiden season in 2020! They got smashed, and there's no other way to put it; they were -28 in clearances, -93 in disposals, -48 in contested possessions, and as a result -27 in inside 50s. It's hard to see them producing that again, and there's no better test to prove it was an anomaly than this Thursday night against Collingwood.
Geelong
Stocks up: When the game needed to be won, it was Patrick Dangerfield who put on the cape and dragged his side over the line. Phenomenal all season, his 2025 campaign only strengthened after his match-winning 29 disposals, five marks, eight score involvements and one crucial fourth-quarter goal against the Pies. His 13 disposals and 10 contested possessions in the final stanza alone is seriously something to marvel at, and there's no denying (although it's early) he is well on his way to All-Australian blazer number nine.
Stocks down: It's all theatre, and out tongues are firmly in cheek here, really, but Bailey Smith adding fuel to the Bulldogs-Cats fire by declaring "you're not getting [82,000 at the MCG] in Ballarat" in his post-match interview with Cameron Mooney raised eyebrows AND really didn't acknowledge that Geelong playing a game away to Collingwood, at the Magpies home ground is the main reason for which 82,000 showed up. Also, in Round 2, the Bulldogs drew 78,027 in a home game at the MCG against the Pies. We'll give him 10/10 for trolling effort, but 5/10 for execution.
☠️ #AFLPiesCats pic.twitter.com/nLSJn58yWe
— David Zita (@DavidZita1) May 3, 2025
Gold Coast
Stocks up: It was a disappointing night for the Suns in the QClash but Mac Andrew can hold his head high after an excellent outing in defence (and, well, attack). He had 19 disposals, took 10 marks in challenging, wet conditions, and even snuck forward to kick a cheeky goal to keep his side in the contest in the second term. He's a star, but just didn't have enough help on the night.
Stocks down: His stocks rose last week, but they'll fall this week. Bailey Humphrey cost his side a crucial goal after the first quarter siren sounded, giving the Lions the momentum and setting them up for an early flurry in the second term. Humphrey was on the mark for Jarrod Berry's long-range shot at goal, but decided to throw a bunch of mud and grass as Berry was kicking -- against the rules. The umpire rightly paid a 50 metre penalty, and the Lions were guaranteed the six points. Undisciplined, childish stuff...
GWS
Stocks up: It had been a little bit of a dry patch for Finn Callaghan since stamping himself on the 2025 season back in Opening Round, but the young Giant delivered another monster performance for his club-, albeit in a loss to cross-town rival Sydney. Callaghan had 33 disposals, six clearances, eight tackles, and over 500 metres gained at the SCG.
Stocks down: The Giants' premiership aspirations have taken a real hit in recent weeks. Losses to the Crows, Bulldogs, and Swans have dropped them to eight on the ladder, many now questioning whether they can consistently find answers against other likely finalists. Plenty of work to do for Adam Kingsley and his coaching staff.
Hawthorn
Stocks up: The lack of reliance and an even spread of contributors is what's making this Hawks team so dangerous. Against the Tigers, it was Massimo D'Ambrosio's time to shine, kicking two goals from his 30 touches, as well as taking nine marks. Running machine Changkuoth Jiath was also in fine form, tallying 32 disposals and providing his trademark drive out of defence. Next week it will likely be another pair that stands up.
Stocks down: So much for the Jack Gunston critics and those saying the Hawthorn champion was washed at the end of 2024. Gunston kicked another three goals in Round 8 to take his season tally to 20, trailing only Coleman Medal leader Ben King and St Kilda's Jack Higgins. We're not saying he'll get there, but right now Gunston's on track for close to a 50 goal season! Is he an All-Australian smokey?
Melbourne
Stocks up: He's been lauded in this column a couple of times this year, but holy moly, Max Gawn is a warrior for this football club. On an evening in which he really needed to dominate West Coast's poor ruck room, the Melbourne skipper did all that and more, having one of the biggest games of his career; 35 disposals, nine clearances 47 hit outs (to the Eagles' 27 total) and a goal. A stalwart.
Stocks down: Well, it's now been three weeks since we've heard from the Melbourne knockers. Now don't get us wrong, they've beaten two of the bottom three teams in the past fortnight, a Freo team that can't play in Melbourne, and were trounced by North in their only win of the season. There's nothing to be carried away with. But all this club could do at 0-5 was reset, beat who you should, and give yourself a base to build from for the remainder of the year. They've done that. Let's see what they can do against tougher opposition in Hawthorn next week.
North Melbourne
Stocks up: After copping criticism from all angles this week, Harry Sheezel reminded the footy world why he is one of the league's brightest young prospects. The 20-year-old (yes, he's still just 20 years of age!) won a team-high 32 disposals, took nine marks, and finished with almost 600 metres gained. We wouldn't be too worried about the player he will be in a few years time...
Stocks down: Oh no. Would there be anything worse than running out of time on a set shot? Let alone doing so with under two minutes remaining! It's a moment North debutant Finnbar Maley will regret for quite some time and one which would have had head coach Alastair Clarkson pulling his hair. He had some very bright moments and brought a new dynamic and presence to the forward line, the youngster, but in order to learn and improve, you do have to make some mistakes...
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: It was a grim afternoon in Ballarat for the Power, who didn't have many winners on the field. It was positive, however, to see the composure and skill shown by Will Lorenz at times. Pick 57 in the 2023 draft, Lorenz is slowly getting his chance to put his hand up for more consistent selection, and gathering 15 disposals and no turnovers is one way to keep doing that.
Stocks down: The leaders at Port need a good hard look in the mirror after that embarrassing 90-point loss to the Bulldogs. It's not to say Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Jason Horne-Francis, Ollie Wines, and company, played poorly, it's that they had no answers to stop the barrage from Luke Beveridge's side, and were left humiliated by the final siren. Great teams just don't have these sort of losses.
Richmond
Stocks up: This season was always going to be a year Tigers fans spent searching for green shoots and potential. They had to have been impressed with Luke Trainor's game against the Hawks on Sunday afternoon. Sure, Richmond was well beaten, but Trainor found plenty of the ball (21 disposals), showed he had a very tidy disposal (90% efficiency), and had some nice defensive moments.
Stocks down: We understand it was blustery at the MCG but how do the Tigers only kick 44 points for the game when they are able to generate 13 marks inside 50. With a little more efficiency in front of the big sticks, perhaps the 65-point margin could have looked a little more favourable to Adem Yze's squad.
St Kilda
Stocks up: The more we get performances like that from Cooper Sharman, the more we have faith in what the Saints are building under Ross Lyon. Because it's those that aren't universally seen as A-graders that need to take the next step for the club to do the same as a whole. The 24-year-old has shown these signs before and his aerial work -- namely the ability to mark the ball at its highest point -- has always been his best trait. His four goals and nine grabs against the Dockers is a sign that things might just be okay without Max King for a little while.
Stocks down: Another case of a sub not being used! Stiff for Tobie Travaglia, who was initially a late replacement for Mattaes Phillipou, who was made to sit on the bench for the entirety of the match with Ross Lyon electing not to activate the youngster.
Sydney
Stocks up: Could it be anyone other than Chad Warner!? We don't think so. The Swans dynamo excelled at the SCG, winning the Brett Kirk Medal for best afield in the Battle of the Bridge. Warner finished his afternoon with 24 disposals, 15 contested possessions, seven clearances, and 10 inside 50s, making something happen every single time he touched the Sherrin. A real difference maker.
Stocks down: Not for the first time in 2025, we're shining the spotlight on Brodie Grundy. Just eight disposals and zero marks against the Giants was the story of Grundy's afternoon. To make things worse, he also had five turnovers. It's nowhere near good enough from one of your experienced players.
West Coast
Stocks up: He's featured a couple of times this year, but we really are seeing a breakout season from Elijah Hewett. He was again one of the Eagles' best in the loss to Melbourne, picking up 15 disposals and kicking three goals. He's a high impact player who doesn't need a ton of ball to impart influence on the contest. Shoutout to Reuben Ginbey, too, who continues to toil away in defence.
Stocks down: Stay with us here, but this is an excellent 'buy your stocks now' situation for Bo Allen. The West Coast draftee and WA local had a poor start to his AFL career, getting suspended for a high arm on Dees veteran Jack Viney. His stocks have slumped, but he'll bounce back and be an important player for the Eagles for many years.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: It might have been by accident when Ed Richards was thrown into the midfield last year due to the absence of the team's mainstays, but he really has made that position his own now, becoming one of the most effective mids in the league. Richards racked up 30 disposals, had five clearances, a whopping 729 metres gained, and two goals -- including one goal of the year contender. Oh yeah, and he finished with 33.4 rating points -- the most he's ever had in his career.
Stocks down: We're reaching here, but what do we make of Marcus Bontempelli being dragged into a media spat with Bailey Smith? Yes, the skipper was asked about it on TV, but should he have turned the other cheek? Instead, he decided to throw a barb back, saying "it's nice to know we're still on Bailey's mind. He's still thinking about us, even at another team", followed by "There's probably a few less people down in Ballarat to flip the bird to". Spice added to the Round 11 match? Sure, but coming down to Smith's level?