A recap and highlights of all the Smithy’s VFL 20 action.
BRISBANE LIONS 2.1 8.6 9.9 11.13 (79)
CASEY DEMONS 5.3 7.6 9.9 12.11 (83)
A goal from Mitch Hardie in the 33rd minute of the final term and a Brisbane miss after the final siren gave the Casey Demons a crucial four-point win over the Lions in their important battle at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday.
In what could be viewed as an ‘eight-point game’ for both sides, the Demons had the better start, racing to a 27-point lead in a five-goal opening term, before that lead evaporated with the Lions producing a scintillating six-goal second quarter.
The third term was an arm-wrestle and the sides headed to the final change tied at 63-points apiece, before the Lions made the better start to the last term to lead by as much as nine points at the 15-minute mark.
But with their finals spot on the line, the Demons fought back, and goals to Aidan Johnson and Hardie gave the visitors back the lead in the dying seconds.
Brisbane would have the final say of the game with the last kick of the match, but Curtis McCarthy’s shot on goal after the final siren went astray, handing Casey a narrow triumph.
Luker Kentfield booted another four goals for the Demons, making it 10 majors in his past three matches, while Tom Fullarton impressed in defence against his old side with 22 disposals, nine marks and 10 intercept possessions.
For Brisbane, Oscar McInerney stood out in his return to VFL level with 23 disposals, 26 hitouts and 13 clearances, while youngsters Fergus McFayden and Daniel Annable combined for five goals in the loss.
BEST
Brisbane Lions: Oscar McInerney, Daniel Annable, Zane Zakostelsky, Shadeau Brain, Curtis McCarthy, Darcy Craven
Casey Demons: Tom Fullarton, Charles Spargo, Kynan Brown, Luker Kentfield, Bailey Laurie, Willem Duursma
GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Fergus McFadyen 3, Ty Gallop 2, Darcy Craven, Jake Fazldeen, Curtis McCarthy, Oscar McInerney, Tristen Meekin, Brandon Ryan
Casey Demons: Luker Kentfield 4, Aidan Johnson 2, Jack Billings, Kynan Brown, Mitch Hardie, Matthew Jefferson, Bailey Laurie, Will Verrall
LEADING DISPOSALS
Brisbane Lions: Luke Beecken 25, Oscar McInerney 23, Daniel Annable 22, Zane Zakostelsky 19, Darcy Craven 18
Casey Demons: Riley Bonner 30, Charlie Spargo 24, Koltyn Tholstrup 23, Taj Woewodin 23, Kynan Brown 22, Tom Fullarton 22, Bailey Laurie 22
GEELONG CATS 4.4 6.5 8.11 10.13 (73)
ESSENDON 1.1 5.1 5.2 9.5 (59)
Back-to-back wins have kept Geelong’s unlikely finals hopes alive, with the Cats defeating Essendon by 14 points at GMHBA Stadium.
The Cats led from start to finish throughout the afternoon but twice had to withstand four-goal quarters from the Bombers to ensure they ran away with the four points.
A big win had looked on the cards when Geelong opened a 33-point advantage midway through the second term.
However, Essendon’s fighting spirit meant the Cats could only close the percentage gap to 10th-placed Coburg to 7.8 percent, meaning they’ll need to record a huge win over Sydney in Round 21, while also needing Williamstown to lose to Richmond, to play finals.
George Stevens had another big say in the victory for the hosts after a performance which consisted of 32 disposals, 11 clearances and seven tackles, while Ted Clohesy was just as influential with 29 touches and nine tackles.
Xavier O’Neill was impressive for the Bombers in picking up 27 touches, seven tackles and four score involvements, whilst Zak Johnston picked up where he left off after some weeks at AFL level, also finishing with 27 disposals, and Noah Scott booted three majors for the second time in his past three games.
BEST
Geelong: George Stevens, Ted Clohesy, Patrick Retschko, Jed Bews, Keighton Matofai-Forbes, Toby Conway
Essendon: Xavier O’Neill, Noah Scott, Jackson Hately, Zak Johnson, Ryan Brodie, Kayle Gerreyn
GOALS
Geelong: Jesse Mellor 2, Jed Bews, Ted Clohesy, Jake Kolodjashnij, Jacob Molier, Tobyn Murray, Joe Pike, Jay Polkinghorne, Oliver Wiltshire
Essendon: Noah Scott 3, Ryan Brodie, Jordan Busuttil, Jackson Hately, Riley Leedham, Tyler Sellers, Oskar Smartt
LEADING DISPOSALS
Geelong: George Stevens 32, Patrick Retschko 30, Ted Clohesy 29, Daniel Capiron 19, Marcus Herbert 19, Nathan Kreuger 19
Essendon: Zak Johnson 27, Xavier O’Neill 27, Saad El-Hawli 22, Jackson Hately 22, Alwyn Davey 20
WERRIBEE 4.1 6.5 6.8 9.13 (67)
SOUTHPORT SHARKS 2.1 7.2 12.5 12.8 (80)
Southport returned to the winners’ list to secure another top-four finish, defeating Werribee by 13 points at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval in the second Grand Final rematch of the 2025 season.
The Tigers were in sync early, highlighted by three goals in a seven-minute period in the opening term to produce a 12-point quarter time lead, before the Sharks kicked into gear with consecutive five-goal quarters to establish a 33-point lead at the final change.
Werribee kept the Sharks goalless in the last term and threatened to pinch a famous come-from-behind win, but it wasn’t enough to replicate the result of the 2024 decider, giving Southport their 12th win of the season.
Zac Foot stuffed the stat sheet to help his side get over the line, finishing with 24 disposals, seven tackles, seven inside 50s, five clearances and two goals. Teammate Jacob Dawson got plenty of the footy himself once again, having 29 touches of his own.
It wasn’t all good news for Matt Priumus’ side, with emerging star Tai Hayes going down with a leg injury in the opening minutes.
Some of Werribee’s best for the afternoon included Jack Riding (27 disposals), Dom Brew (13 tackles) and Jay Dahlhaus (three goals).
BEST
Werribee: Jack Riding, Mace Cousins, Jaelen Pavlidis, Jay Dahlhaus, Dom Brew, Bior Malual
Southport: Zac Foot, Jacob Dawson, Michael Manteit, Wylie Buzza, Nick Williams, Max Spencer
GOALS
Werribee: Jay Dahlhaus 3, Hudson Garoni, Wil Kliszewski, Harrison Miller, Jake Smith, Cooper Whyte, Brady Wright
Southport: Wylie Buzza, Zac Foot, Josh Gore, Riley Bowman, Joe Kennedy, Marcus Khoo, Campbell Lake, Max Pescud, Boyd Woodcock
LEADING DISPOSALS
Werribee: Jack Riding 27, Louis Pinnuck 24, Dom Brew 23, Emerson Jeka 19, Jake Smith 18
Southport: Jacob Dawson 29, Zac Foot 24, Riley Bowman 17, Keegan Gray 17, Max Spencer 17
BOX HILL HAWKS 1.2 2.9 5.11 7.12 (54)
FOOTSCRAY BULLDOGS 4.1 5.1 9.5 11.7 (73)
Footscray’s astonishing win streak continued, with the Bulldogs proving too good in their top-of-the-ladder clash with Box Hill Hawks to secure their 10th-consecutive victory.
The 19-point triumph at Box Hill City Oval moved the Bulldogs within percentage of first place and secured a top-two spot heading into the final round of the season.
After conceding the opening goal, the Bulldogs went on to kick the next five majors to establish a 21-point buffer early in the second term.
They then never let the lead get lower than nine points thereafter, although the home side would surely be ruing wasted opportunities in front of goal, managing just two majors from their first 12 scoring shots.
Jordan Croft was a strong focal point up forward for the Bulldogs and was hard to stop in the air, finishing with three goals and six marks, four of those being contested, while Will Lewis also kicked three majors.
Billy Crofts was always involved in the action and ended the match with 25 disposals, nine clearances and seven tackles, while in-form mid-season recruit Michael Sellwood and Nick Coffield combined for 55 disposals.
Jai Serong was a standout for Box Hill with 25 disposals, 11 intercept possessions and nine marks, with teammate Ben Cavarra kicking three of his side’s seven majors.
Highly-fancied draft prospect Lachy Dovaston was lively in his VFL debut, finishing with 18 disposals and 1.3 in an impressive first-up performance.
BEST
Box Hill Hawks: Jai Serong, Henry Hustwaite, Lachy Dovaston, Ben Cavarra, Cameron Mackenzie, Sam Butler
Footscray: Jordan Croft, Billy Crofts, Nick Coffield, Ryan Gardner, Cooper Craig-Peters, Lachie Jaques
GOALS
Box Hill Hawks: Ben Cavarra 3, Billy Hicks 2, Lachy Dovaston, Blake Simondson
Footscray: Jordan Croft, Will Lewis 3, Lachie Jaques 2, Josh Dolan, Luke Kennedy, Buku Khamis
LEADING DISPOSALS
Box Hill Hawks: Sam Butler 27, Cam Mackenzie 26, Jai Serong 26, Seamus Mitchell 25, Henry Hustwaite 23
Footscray: Michael Sellwood 28, Nick Coffield 27, Billy Crofts 25, Cooper Hynes 23, Cooper Craig-Peters 22
RICHMOND 5.2 10.2 16.6 18.7 (115)
SANDRINGHAM 2.3 8.5 8.5 11.8 (74)
Richmond remains on the tail of the top-six sides after a commanding 41-point triumph over Sandringham at Kinetic Stadium on Saturday night,
Despite booting 10 goals in the first half, the Tigers only had an 11-point lead to show for themselves at the main break, with the Zebras keeping up with their opponents in an entertaining opening half.
But Richmond had all the answers in the third term, keeping Sandringham scoreless while piling on 6.4 to put the result beyond doubt and stay in the hunt for a top six position by season’s end.
It was the Jacob Koschitzke up forward, with the Tiger putting together a mammoth performance that included 26 disposals (team high), four goals (game high), 25 hitouts (team high) and eight clearances (team high) to help Richmond secure its 11th win of the campaign.
Emerging ruck Alex Dodson was just as scintillating for the Zebras despite his side falling to defeat, with the 19-year-old boasting a season-high 35 disposals and 41 hitouts to go along with seven clearances and three inside 50s.
BEST
Richmond: Jacob Koschitzke, Joel Garner, Mutaz El Nour, Lachlan Street, Lachlan Wilson, Nicholas Girolami
Sandringham: Alex Dodson, Jack Carroll, Liam O'Connell, Tobie Travaglia
GOALS
Richmond: Jacob Koschitzke 4, Nicholas Girolami, Massimo Raso 3, Josh Pollocks, Sam Toner, Mohammed Yassine 2, Liam George, Austin Johnson
Sandringham: Charlie Orchard 3, James Barrat, Lance Collard, Isaac Keeler, Ned Maginness, Bailey McKenzie, Billy Richardson, Jez Rigoni, Arie Schoenmaker
LEADING DISPOSALS
Richmond: Jacob Koschitzke 27, Lachlan Street 25, Mutaz El Nour 23, Joel Garner, Austin Johnson 21, Harry Scott 21, Lachlan Wilson 21
Sandringham: Jack Carroll 34, Alex Dodson 31, Angus Hastie 23, Tobie Travaglia 21, Blake Watson 20
CARLTON 2.4 6.10 11.13 12.16 (88)
GOLD COAST SUNS 1.4 1.6 3.8 9.10 (64)
With a host of AFL talent returning to its line-up, Carlton ended a three-game losing streak by proving too strong for the Gold Coast Suns to the tune of 24 points at IKON Park on Sunday.
The Blues won the game across the second and third terms where they piled on nine goals to two to open a 53-point advantage at the final change, before the visitors closed the margin with a six-goal last term.
The victory keeps Carlton mathematically in the finals hunt, however they would require a mammoth final-round win over red-hot Footscray and hope Geelong and Williamstown both suffer defeats.
Mitch McGovern was tough to get a handle on across the backline and made it difficult for the Suns to kick a winning score, finishing with 21 disposals, 10 marks (four contested) and 10 intercept possessions.
Others to help Carlton get over the line included Heath Ramshaw (28 disposals) and Stirling Phipps-Parsons (three goals), whilst Elijah Hollands made a successful return to the VFL side, amassing 25 disposals and kicking 1.3.
Highly-touted Academy prospect Dylan Patterson was kept busy in defence for the Suns but was still one of their best players with 21 disposals, seven marks and six intercept possessions, while Jake Rogers (29 disposals and seven tackles) and Ned Moyle (30 hitouts and 11 clearances) were also standouts.
BEST
Carlton: Mitch McGovern, Stirling Phipps-Parsons, Heath Ramshaw, Ethan Phillips, Darcy Hogg, Elijah Hollands
Gold Coast Suns: Dylan Patterson, Ned Moyle, Nelson Beikoff-Smart, Jake Rogers, Sean Lemmens, Caleb Graham
GOALS
Carlton: Stirling Phipps-Parsons 3, Darcy Hogg, Luke Nelson 2, Jaxon Binns, Orazio Fantasia, Dane Harvey, Elijah Hollands, Heath Ramshaw
Gold Coast Suns: Luke Chapman, Caleb Lewis 2, Beau Addinsall, Tom Berry, Ned Moyle, Alex Sexton, Jed Walter
LEADING DISPOSALS
Carlton: Heath Ramshaw 28, Elijah Hollands 25, Jaxon Binns 24, Lucas Camporeale 24, Harry Charleson 24
Gold Coast Suns: Jake Rogers 29, Leo Lombard 26, Nelson Beikoff-Smart 25, Tom Berry 23, Sean Lemmens 23
COBURG 5.3 7.6 9.11 13.12 (90)
PORT MELBOURNE 2.7 5.8 8.10 10.12 (72)
Coburg’s finals dream is very much alive after moving inside the top 10 for the first time since Round 15 following an 18-point win over Port Melbourne at Barry Plant Park.
The Lions made a fast start and raced to a four-goal advantage after 13 minutes, before being made to work for their victory against a Borough outfit out of finals contention.
In front of a packed home crowd celebrating the club’s centenary milestone, Coburg found themselves trailing by six points with time on approaching in the last term.
But the hosts would rally with a four-goal surge in nine minutes during time on to run away with a memorable win.
The result saw the Lions roar into tenth spot heading into the last round, although their finals destiny will be out of their hands in Round 21 as they have the bye.
They’ll be relying on Richmond, who they shared a long and successful alliance, to beat Williamstown at DSV Stadium in the final home and away game of the season in order to clinch a spot in the Wildcard Finals.
Mitch Podhajski’s five majors proved to be vitally important in Sunday’s win, with four of those majors coming consecutively across the end of the second term and the beginning of the third quarter.
Jack Bytel was also superb, picking up 31 disposals, eight inside 50s, five tackles and five score involvements in the win.
Dyson Heppell led the charge for Port Melbourne with 31 disposals while ruckman Ajang Kuol Mu was key to keeping the Borough in the game, producing 29 hitouts and a game-high nine clearances.
BEST
Coburg: Mitch Podhajski, Jack Bytel, Luke Kelvie, Thomas Barnett, Josh Walker, Donovan Toohey
Port Melbourne: Dyson Heppell, Ajang Kuol Mun, Dom Bedendo, Tom Hird, Charlie Lazzaro, Jimmy Miller
GOALS
Coburg: Mitch Podhajski 5, Braedyn Gillard 2, Matthew Allison, Jesse Corigliano, Flynn Gentile, Luke Kelvie, Joel Trudgeon, Kyle Weightman
Port Melbourne: Dom Bedendo, Charlie Clarke, Archi Manton 2, Sam Grant, Josh Green, Jimmy Miller, Riley Polkinghorne
LEADING DISPOSALS
Coburg: Jack Bytel 31, Donovan Toohey 29, Lachlan Walker 28, Joel Trudgeon 25, Flynn Gentile 21
Port Melbourne: Dyson Heppell 31, Tom Hird 26, Harvey Hooper 25, Charlie Lazzaro 23, Josh Green 20
NORTH MELBOURNE 5.2 7.3 9.5 12.6 (78)
FRANKSTON 3.1 9.6 11.9 13.12 (90)
Frankston moved four points clear inside the top-four and ended North Melbourne’s finals chances in the process with a 12-point victory at Arden Street Oval.
The Kangaroos had the ascendency for much of the first half and led by as much as 20 points to put the Dolphins on the backfoot.
But the away side fired back, booting four majors in 10 minutes to take a lead late in the second term they would not lose for the remainder of the match, despite some tense moments in the fourth quarter when the Roos twice closed the margin to six points.
Frankston’s 12th triumph of the season puts them a game and percentage clear of the three sides directly below on the ladder.
The Dolphins take on the fifth-placed Brisbane Lions in Round 21, where a victory would secure a double chance in the finals. However a loss could see them slide as low as seventh if Collingwood and Richmond produced percentage-boosting wins.
Frankston had plenty of contributors in the victory over the Roos, including defender Taine Barlow who had 21 disposals, 12 marks and 10 intercept possessions and ruck Harrison Coe who finished with 26 hitouts, seven clearances and five score involvements.
Coe’s counterpart in Taylor Goad was best for the home side He had 20 disposals, 34 hitouts, eight clearances and six marks, whilst Finnbar Maley continued his good form since returning to the VFL, booting three goals and plucking seven marks.
BEST
North Melbourne: Taylor Goad, Matt Whitlock, Finnbar Maley, Will Phillips, Oliver Lowe, Darcy Macpherson
Frankston: Harrison Coe, Will Hamill, George Grey, Taine Barlow, Noah Gown, Taj Campbell-Farrell
GOALS
North Melbourne: Finnbar Maley 3, Matt Whitlock 2, Matt Clarkson, Oli Lowe, Jack O’Sullivan, River Stevens, Nathaniel Sulzberger, James Tarrant, Oscar Van Dam
Frankston: Corey Ellison, Noah Gown 3, Matt Johnson 2, Tom Blamires, Nick Burke, Bailey Lambert, Ollie Moran, Blake O'Leary
LEADING DISPOSALS
North Melbourne: Adam Tomlinson 23, Will Phillips 22, Taylor Goad 20, Darcy Macpherson 18, Kallan Dawson 16, Matt Keast 16
Frankston: Tom Blamires 23, Tyson Milne 22, Taine Barlow 21, George Grey 20, Will Hamill 20
