The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 18
Fremantle Dockers restored their two-win buffer at the top of the ladder by manufacturing an incredible, record-breaking (of some sorts) comeback against their nearest challengers.
Questions were asked of them last weekend when they slipped up against the Giants and again this weekend when down 4.9 to 0.11 at half-time at home to Sydney.
They became the first team in history to record 100+ points after going goalless in the first half, erasing a deficit that was as high as 25 points at one stage in the first half.
The belief and determination that must be required to overcome such a sloppy start, particularly against a side who themselves had the nerve to hold out in some thrilling battles with North Melbourne, Collingwood and St Kilda, must be immense.
Justin Longmuir has a squad of level-headed men who know how to stick to what they do right irrespective of the situation, and when questions have been asked of them in 2026, they've almost always had responses.
Their second half was a very 'September-like' performance from a side who play fearless footy and absolutely have the mindset to win a Premiership.
The big losers of Round 18
The only saving grace for the 14th-placed Gold Coast Suns at this point of the season is that they retain a superior percentage to both Carlton and North Melbourne above them, which would see them move up to 11th if they can make up the one-win deficit on the two of them next week.
But they look further away from victory than they ever have in 2026, scoring an abysmal 49 points against Adelaide to register a seven-game losing streak that nobody would have seen coming in May.
All but one of those seven defeats came against current top-half opposition, but it is some of the margins that should be especially concerning, for it shows just how outclassed they have been by likely finals contenders: 79 by Adelaide, 51 by Fremantle and 45 by Geelong just to name a few.
Head coach Damien Hardwick appears to have written off their season himself, despite them ending the round just one win outside the ten.
He described the season as "effectively gone" and finals as "mathematically impossible" despite the reality being quite to the contrary, though his assertions that the Suns don't deserve to be in September action currently marry up with their results.
Still, it's a pretty poor attitude for a coach to be displaying publicly, and one can only wonder how they stand any chance of turning things around in the final six weeks when their leader holds such a defeatist attitude.
Team of the Week
As always, the Flashscore Team of the Week comes with assistance from the official AFL.com fantasy game.
Who kicked a big bag this week?
Jacob van Rooyen's move back to full-forward this week saw him kick 6.2 against the Tigers, the highest individual score of the round.
Charlie Curnow moved above Ben King on the Coleman Medal leaderboard with his five, whilst Aaron Naughton's five saw him move into the top-five.
Taylor Walker also kicked five, whilst Josh Treacy stayed in the Coleman Medal hunt with his four in the remarkable comeback win over Sydney.
Goal of the Week
Mark of the Week
The naughty boys
Potential suspensions:
Will Frampton (Magpies) - Rough conduct - 1 match
Jason Horne-Francis (Power) - Rough conduct - 1 match
High-range fines:
Sam Draper (Lions) - Tripping - $2000 or $3000 fine
Sullivan Robey (Bombers) - Umpire contact - $1875 or $3125 fine
Ryan Angwin (Giants) - Rough conduct - $1500 or $2500 fine
Low-range fines:
Isaac Heeney (Swans) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Errol Gulden (Swans) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Matt Roberts (Swans) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Tom Atkins (Cats) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Angus Clarke (Bombers) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Jarrod Berry (Lions) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
