The numbers that matter
The big winners of Round 19
There are plenty of form teams in this competition as the top-nine threatens to break away from the rest, with six of them having won at least four of their last five matches.
Whilst the likes of Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn have been racking up soft W's against clubs who don't appear in the race for the finals, Adelaide Crows have been making statements and leaving mental scars on some of their potential September opponents.
Questions were rightly asked of their squad depth after losing four consecutive games to current top-nine clubs to start 2026 with a 3-4 record, but they have since reversed the trend with four consecutive wins against such opposition.
Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Sydney have all been beaten by the Crows since the start of June, with their 6-1 record in that period seeing them concede an average of just 70 points per game.
They kept the Swans to 71 despite missing key defender Rory Laird with an ankle injury and a perfect 4.0 from Darcy Fogarty helped them make the most of their 22 scoring shots.
The only blip from the evening is that Fogarty faces a tribunal hearing on Monday night as the club contests a three-match striking ban for what appeared more like a careless high tackle that left Harry Cunningham with concussion.
The big losers of Round 19
St Kilda had another huge setback in their push for the finals, and whilst they hold the upper hand with the highest percentage of the four clubs tied for tenth, there has been almost nothing in 2026 to suggest they can go any further than the expanded 'Wildcard Round' involving seventh to tenth.
There's a very noticeable pattern in their results of late that suggests they'll struggle in August if they can make it.
Following their last five defeats - to Fremantle, Hawthorn, Sydney, the Western Bulldogs and Geelong - Ross Lyon's side are zero from nine against clubs currently above them on the ladder.
Lyon's tempers boiled over at quarter-time in Geelong on Thursday night when, following a 0-26 start, he delayed the start of the second quarter with a lengthy and furious spray aimed at his players, who barely even got a chance to take in a drink because of his lecture.
Whilst ruckman Rowan Marshall set a new club record of 26 contested possessions in what was by far the standout performance of the entire round, $2 million man Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was kept quiet and the Saints lacked penetration off half-back without him.
If this trend continues, the Saints will be involved in the finals in some regard - four of their last five games are against current bottom-nine sides - but they'll need to produce something spectacular against the Swans (who they lost to by two points in Round 13) to be anywhere near threatening in the business end of the season.
Given that GWS Giants, Carlton and North Melbourne are all looking pretty ordinary recently, whoever finishes tenth may just be cannon fodder for seventh place in the first week of the finals.
Team of the Week
St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall came out of Round 19 with the highest individual AFL.com fantasy score for his 30 hitouts, 33 disposals and even two goals.
Who kicked a big bag this week?
Hawthorn duo Nick Watson and Mitch Lewis were the only two players in the entire game to kick more than one goal, spearheading Hawthorn's 70-point win over Richmond with five each.
It moved Watson into the top-five of the Coleman Medal leaderboard.
West Coast's Jake Waterman was the other man in Round 19 to boot five.
Goal of the Week
It wasn't the most flashy or skillful of goals in Round 19, but the epic scenes at Marvel Stadium from thousands of bruised and relieved Essendon supporters - as well as the call from Huddo - makes this our Goal of the Week.
Mark of the Week
The naughty boys
Potential suspensions:
Darcy Fogarty (Crows) - Striking - 3 matches
Liam Baker (Eagles) - Rough conduct - 1 match
Kyle Langford (Bombers) - Rough conduct - 1 match
High-range fines:
Lachie Ash (Giants) - Abusive misconduct towards umpire - $5000 fine
Jhye Clark (Cats) - Rough conduct - $2000 or $3000 fine
Max Heath (Demons) - Rough conduct - $2000 or $3000 fine
Noah Answerth (Lions) - Rough conduct - $2000 or $3000 fine
Leo Lombard (Suns) - Rough conduct - $2000 or $3000 fine
Andrew Brayshaw (Dockers) - Umpire contact - $1875 or $3125 fine
Sam Cumming (Tigers) - Umpire contact - $1875 or $3125 fine
Patrick Dangerfield (Cats) - Rough conduct - $1500 or $2500 fine
Low-range fines:
Patrick Cripps (Blues) - Staging - $1000 or $1500 fine
Kai Lohmann (Lions) - Staging - $1000 or $1500 fine
Archie Roberts (Bombers) - Striking - $1000 or $1500 fine
Liam Baker (Eagles) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Joel Freijah (Bulldogs) - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine
Logan Morris (Lions) - Wrestling - $1000 or $1500 fine
Rhett Bazzo (Eagles) - Wrestling - $1000 or $1500 fine
Next weekend's fixtures
The first Western Derby to be played on a Friday night since 2005 will be one of the highlights of Round 20 - the fifth-last of the home and away season.
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.
